Jun 20, 2024 | Legislation, Housing
by Tim Redmond
June 20, 2024
The Big Real Estate lobby, with the support of California Yimby, is going to great lengths to defeat a measure that would allow effective rent control in California—including a lobbying campaign to stop the SF Board of Supes from endorsing the measure.
At the center of the local effort is Sup. Catherine Stefani, who this week tried to block a normally routine effort by the supes to endorse the state bill.
Jun 18, 2024 | Legislation, Housing
by Ben Christopher
June 18, 2024
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.
May 22, 2024 | Opinion, Housing, Legislation
By Greg Dieguez
May 22,2024
There is much to question about a Housing Bond which will cost $48B in total debt service, yet
yield only $16B in proceeds for housing. At an average of $178K per unit, what will be built are
not Homes, but Corporate Rental Apartments, owned by wealthy investors who can benefit from
the 9% investment tax credit, and depreciation writeoff. And this Bond would continue a trend to institutional ownership of housing, not unlike the Mining and Mill towns of the 19th century.
May 13, 2024 | Housing, Legislation, Opinion
Steve Frank
May 13, 2024
How do you lie in plain sight and make it seem real? You pretend you have a problem, put a LARGE number to it and then use the State government to control the process.
This is a scam for developers and unions to make money at the cost of taxpayers. The Bay Area is looking to put a $20 billion bond on the November ballot—that is $40 billion including interest. We are told that San Fran, which is losing population MUST build.
May 8, 2024 | Housing, Legislation, Opinion
By Julie Testa
May 8, 22024
On April 22, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge ruled Senate Bill 9 unconstitutional for five “charter law” cities.
This court ruling signals an opportunity for more California cities to follow the lead of the five courageous “charter law” cities who stood up against state overreach. The 150 state laws that erode local democracy have not and will not make housing more affordable for those who need it most.
Apr 2, 2024 | Legislation, Housing
by CalMatters
April 2, 2024 11:00 am
For the last two years the “builder’s remedy” has been the unruly teenager of California housing laws.
Now, some of California’s most powerful Democratic lawmakers are pushing legislation that would clear up, but also rein in, the state’s most controversial housing statute. Nearly a year and a half since a developer first used the law to propose a zoning-code-blowing project, 2024 may be the year that the builder’s remedy grows up.
