By Madeline ShannonA law passed in 2023 that sought to consolidate applications for California’s affordable housing developers received scrutiny from lawmakers on Tuesday, who looked at how effective the law has been in its first two years. That law, known as Assembly Bill 519 before its passage, was authored by Assemblymember Pilar Schiavo, D-Santa Clarita, It aimed to have the state’s Affordable Housing Finance Work Group create one application for developers building affordable housing to apply for state funds. Those recommendations include aligning applications, award cycles and funding sources and efficiently using financial resources meant for affordable housing programs, Velasquez added. Driving the news: Prior to 519’s passage, affordable housing developers had four different entities to apply to in order to access grants to help build housing. The application process was complex and resulted in costs that ultimately were paid by California’s taxpayers, according to the bill analysis.