Bills are taking aim at land use

Bills are taking aim at land use

By Kate Talerico
April 20, 2025

For years, this lot just south of the West Oakland BART station has sat vacant. This was supposed to be housing — a 222-unit tower with 16 apartments set aside for low-income renters. But soon after Oakland’s planning commission signed off on the project, the decision was appealed. A coalition of trade unions, using the California Environmental Quality Act, demanded that the developer conduct more studies to assess the soil’s contamination levels — a process that could hold up construction for months.

Bills are taking aim at land use

YIMBY files lawsuit against Cupertino, claims city violated “builder’s remedy” law

By STEPHANIE LAM
April 11, 2025

Pro-housing group YIMBY Law has filed two lawsuits against Cupertino this week, claiming the city violated state laws by denying multiple housing proposals that would have added dozens of new homes.
The organization alleges that two preliminary proposals submitted under the builder’s remedy provision — Vista Heights and Schofield Drive — faced numerous roadblocks in their application process.

Bills are taking aim at land use

Los Gatos files lawsuit to clarify California’s ‘builder’s remedy’ law

By NOLLYANNE DELACRUZ
April 3, 2025

Los Gatos is asking for a judge to weigh in on a conflicting interpretation regarding builder’s remedy applications.
The town filed a lawsuit last week at the Santa Clara County Superior Court for clarification regarding the application process for builder’s remedy housing projects. Builder’s remedy is a controversial provision that allows developers to build a project of whatever height and size wherever they would like in cities that don’t have a state-certified housing element.

Marin can do more to fight housing mandates

Marin can do more to fight housing mandates

By Susan Kirsch
November 10, 2024

The headline of the editorial read, “Novato is stuck with bad rules from the state.” Some will nod in sympathy. They think about being “stuck” as burdened, baffled or in a fixed position and unable to move.
Others don’t feel sympathy, but anger. Rightly so. Elected officials have pandered to Sacramento lawmakers and succumbed to threats from legislators and staff. In many cases, they’ve abandoned the well-being of constituents.

Newsom says he’ll sign bill slamming cities that run afoul of California housing laws

Newsom says he’ll sign bill slamming cities that run afoul of California housing laws

By Hillel Aron
September 4, 2024

California Governor Gavin Newsom said Wednesday he plans to sign a bill that would strengthen the state attorney general’s power to fine cities that flout state housing laws.
Once Senate Bill 1037 goes into effect, the attorney general can seek penalties that would be assessed from the date that the housing law violation began. Those much larger fines will now go toward building affordable housing in the jurisdiction being penalized.

BAHFA blunders on ballot language for RM4; gets busted for wildly lowballing cost to taxpayers

BAHFA blunders on ballot language for RM4; gets busted for wildly lowballing cost to taxpayers

By Jason Bezis, Esq
August 8, 2024

A group of residents opposed to a $20 billion regional housing bond measure filed a court challenge today to Regional Measure 4’s (RM4) 75- word ballot question. Opponents’ Attorney Jason Bezis sent BAHFA a letter last Friday demanding a series of nine language changes to remove prejudicial language. Opponents assert that the true annual cost of the measure is nearly 36% higher than the amount shown in the ballot question.