LOS ANGELES — As people continue to work from home, many office buildings are left empty across cities in California.

AB 3068, a new bill, looks to fast-track permits to convert those vacant office spaces into apartments. Cities such as Long Beach and Los Angeles already have their own adaptive reuse ordinance, where they have been able to create thousands of units for housing in the past couple of years.

The bill aims to expand these projects across the state, making them more economically feasible. However, not everyone is in favor of the bill. Some cities such as Santa Clarita have expressed concern over ensuring public safety with a shorter timeline.

Those in favor of the bill point to the number of units that can be made available quicker using the underutilized housing spaces to address the housing shortage. The bill continues to go through the legislative process.