A recent court ruling exempted five charter cities from a controversial housing law. That’s given anti-density advocates across California an idea.
When a judge ruled recently that a controversial state housing law did not apply to a handful of southern California cities, Julie Testa saw it as an invitation.
Testa, the vice mayor of Pleasanton, wanted what Redondo Beach was having. She wanted to turn her bedroom community east of San Francisco Bay into a charter city.
If you’re rich, there’s no problem finding a place to live in San Francisco. Lots of houses and condos are for sale; lots of apartments are for rent. In fact, the Chron just reported that most houses for sale in the city have been on the market for a month or more. Prices are, as they say in the business, softening; that means a place that might have been listed at $2 million could sell for $1.8 million. That means nothing to the vast majority of the people who work in this city; they can’t afford either price.
The United States is experiencing a housing shortage. At least, that is the case according to common belief — and is even the basis for national policy, as the Biden administration has stated plans to address the housing supply shortfall.
But new research from the University of Kansas finds that most of the nation’s markets have ample housing in total, but nearly all lack enough units affordable to very low-income households.
U.S. cities aiming to convert half-filled office towers into residential buildings are looking north of the border to Calgary, Alberta, which has one of the most aggressive programs in North America to promote these conversions.
American officials have been studying the Calgary program, and some cities have even sent delegations to visit the western Canadian city. Early returns show the promise—and limitations—of conversion plans.
Gen Z renters living in the Bay Area are on track to spend up to $300,000 in rent by the time they reach age 30. If that sounds like a lot, it is. That amount is about double what the average Gen Z renter nationwide will spend, according to a new study by RentCafe that looks at how much this generation will pay for housing during the eight-year span from age 22 to 29 compared to what their Millennial predecessors paid during the same time frame when they were that age.
SCC Libertarians oppose what they perceive as wasteful regional housing bond and Sunnyvale transfer tax. From their formal statement, below.
At their April 27 central committee meeting, the Libertarian Party of Santa Clara County (LPSCC) members adopted resolutions against two costly ballot measures likely to appear on local ballots this November.
A weekly Zoom call to talk about housing legislation and strategies to preserve local control. Bring your questions and ideas. Informal networking, announcements, and updates. PLEASE NOTE: You have to register in advance the first time to get the new Zoom link. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. The Zoom link will work for the rest of the year. REGISTER
A weekly Zoom call to talk about housing legislation and strategies to preserve local control. Bring your questions and ideas. Informal networking, announcements, and updates. PLEASE NOTE: You have to register in advance the first time to get the new Zoom link. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. The Zoom link will work for the rest of the year. REGISTER
A weekly Zoom call to talk about housing legislation and strategies to preserve local control. Bring your questions and ideas. Informal networking, announcements, and updates. PLEASE NOTE: You have to register in advance the first time to get the new Zoom link. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. The Zoom link will work for the rest of the year. REGISTER
A weekly Zoom call to talk about housing legislation and strategies to preserve local control. Bring your questions and ideas. Informal networking, announcements, and updates. PLEASE NOTE: You have to register in advance the first time to get the new Zoom link. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. The Zoom link will work for the rest of the year. REGISTER
A weekly Zoom call to talk about housing legislation and strategies to preserve local control. Bring your questions and ideas. Informal networking, announcements, and updates. PLEASE NOTE: You have to register in advance the first time to get the new Zoom link. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. The Zoom link will work for the rest of the year. REGISTER
