Staff Report
August 20, 2025
The Los Angeles City Council voted 8–5 on Monday to oppose Senate Bill 79, a contentious housing density proposal from state Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco that would limit cities’ authority over local development, according to a press release from CD 11 Councilwoman Traci Park’s office.
By DAN WALTERS
May 29, 2025
Last week, the California Senate appeared to double down on making housing development more difficult and costly, shunting a bill aimed at making it easier to build housing for lower-income families by exempting some projects from the California Environmental Quality Act.
By Jeremy B. White
May 15, 2025
In the space of two minutes, Gov. Gavin Newsom reordered a political standoff over California’s housing crisis. The governor on Wednesday threw his weight behind a push to turbocharge housing construction statewide by slashing local restrictions and environmental reviews. With divisions among legislative Democrats imperiling a package of bills, Newsom announced during a news conference that he would instead advance those policy changes through the budget, over which he has considerably more leverage.
BY BEN CHRISTOPHER
APRIL 30, 2025
Two consecutive committee chairs getting overruled by their committee members signifies a growing rift among California Democrats about how to address the housing crisis. One of the most controversial housing bills of the year has lived to be voted upon another day, but only by surviving the Legislative equivalent of two back-to-back prison breaks.