A bill that could give illegal immigrants up to $150,000 in down payment assistance in California has moved to the desk of Gov. Gavin Newsom.
Assembly Bill 1840, authored by Asm. Joaquin Arambula (D–Fresno), passed through the Assembly on Wednesday on a 53-18 vote.
The big picture: All 17 Republicans in the Assembly voted against AB 1840. They were joined by Asm. Cottie Petrie-Norris (D–Irvine), the only Democrat to oppose the bill.
- Eight other Democrats did not register a vote.
Driving the news: AB 1840 renames the California Dream for All Program to the Home Purchase Assistance Program, opening the door for illegal immigrants to receive mortgage assistance.
- The Dream For All Program offers 20 percent down payment assistance to applicants, up to $150,000. Applicants must be first-generation homebuyers who meet CalFFA income limits.
- Immigrants who apply for assistance would have to have either taxpayer ID numbers or Social Security numbers.
Go deeper: The program is only capable of providing assistance to a small number of Californians. The latest round of assistance saw 18,000 people apply with only 1,700 selected for assistance.
- Further, California would not even be able to fund the program this fiscal year with the number of budget cuts the state has endured to close a projected $47 billion deficit. California lawmakers would have to allocate money to the program in the future if it ends up being signed by Gov. Newsom.
What they’re saying: Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher (R–Yuba City) called the bill “crazy on so many levels” on a post on X.
- “I didn’t know it was possible to make the border crisis and the housing crisis worse with just one vote, but Democrats found a way,” Gallagher said. “Giving taxpayer-funded housing subsidies to illegal immigrants will drive costs even higher and encourage more chaos at the border.”
