Exploring the Community Land Trust Model: An Analysis of Community Land Trusts in California, and the Impacts of Assembly Bill 2818

Community land trusts (CLTs) offer a distinct interpretation on ideas of landtenure and land-use, based on a collective ownership model. This notion of collective ownership has the potential to assist with some of California’s issues linked to landtenure, land-use, green spaces, public parks, affordable housing, and community preservation. In recent years the CLT model has gained traction as an avenue for longterm and permanent affordable housing, and as a mechanism to mitigate displacement caused by gentrification. In November of 2016, California enacted Assembly Bill 2818 (AB 2818), which was intended to help CLTs with property tax expenses. This study explores the CLT model, how it operates, and how AB 2818 has impacted this model. Qualitative ethnographic methods are used in this study to demonstrate how the 5 main components of the land trust model operate. Additionally, the findings in this study reveal how AB 2818 is impacting the CLT model. Lastly, the findings are used to make help make recommendations for policies that assist CLTs based on the 5 components. The most prominent being to develop policies that facilitate city supported partnerships to encourage grass-roots and community-based land-use decisions. Since CLTs can be used to preserve communities and provide an avenue for grass-roots land-use decisions, urban planners, public officials, and policymakers should be supporting CLTs in their efforts.