Jun 12, 2025 | Housing
By David Fields
June 12, 2025
The discourse surrounding development and housing affordability often finds itself at a contentious crossroads, epitomized by the rise of “YIMBY” (Yes In My Backyard) or “Abundance” activism. While seemingly advocating for increased housing supply, a closer look at the core tenets and outcomes, as presented by its critics, reveals a more complex agenda: one primarily focused on maximizing developer profits through land value extraction and rent appreciation, rather than genuinely addressing the needs of working-class communities for affordable housing and universally accessible amenities.
Jun 11, 2025 | Housing, Legislation
by Gennady Sheyner
June 11, 2025
An ambitious and divisive housing bill that seeks to encourage taller and denser developments near transit lines survived a key vote in the state Senate last week with the assistance of state Sen. Josh Becker, though its ultimate fate remains uncertain is it moves to the Assembly.
Jun 9, 2025 | Housing, Investment
By Issie Lapowsky
June 9, 2025
In the canon of spectacular resignations, Megan Greenwell’s is up there. On her last day as editor in chief of the beloved sports blog Deadspin, Greenwell published a blistering essay on the site about her soon-to-be former bosses at the private-equity firm Great Hill Partners, which had acquired Deadspin and other former Gawker properties earlier in 2019. In the essay, Greenwell accused Great Hill of undermining Deadspin’s staff at every turn and seeking a “quick cash-out” on its investment.
Jun 4, 2025 | Legislation, Housing
Andrew Keatts
June 4, 2025
California’s most significant attempt to supercharge dense homebuilding is closer than ever to passage.
Why it matters: The state’s housing shortage and affordability crisis could be beginning to translate into significant policy changes. State of play: SB 79, authored by state Sen. Scott Wiener, passed the Senate Tuesday and now moves to the Assembly for approval. The bill would allow private developers to build dense apartment buildings between four to seven stories near transit stops, regardless of local development restrictions.
Jun 2, 2025 | Housing, Opinion
By MICHAEL BARNES
JUNE 2, 2025
On May 1, the California Department of Finance Demographics Unit issued its annual press release on population and housing estimates for the state. Unlike other housing reports, DOF measures net housing production, not building permits. It’s a different perspective on housing. With additional help from recent information on San Francisco, I want to propose two questions:
May 30, 2025 | Housing, Safety
By Ariana Bindman
May 30, 2025
Growing a third of America’s crops and generating billions of dollars each year, California’s Central Valley is both an economic stalwart and an increasingly popular home to millions of people. But according to new research from scientists at several state universities, climate change, urban development and agricultural activities could be making an environmental problem in the region even worse, increasing health risks for the residents who live there.
