Latest News
NOTE: The opinions expressed in the news items cited here do not necessarily represent the opinion of Catalysts for Local Control. We try to present a balanced picture of the news on the subject of housing and legislation.
New study by Fed economists directly contradicts Yimby narrative on housing prices
By Tim Redmond
March 27, 2025
Constraints on development, including zoning and environmental rules, have little or no impact on housing prices in the United States, a new study from economists at the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco shows.
The study, also connected to the National Bureau of Economic Research, directly contradicts the fundamental economic thesis that has driven housing policy in the state for years: That development constraints have created high housing prices.
California Legislature Releases Sweeping Bill Package to Fast Track Housing Production
In a unified effort to tackle California’s housing crisis, a bipartisan and bicameral group of legislators today unveiled the Fast Track Housing package — a suite of more than 20 bills aimed at making housing more affordable by slashing red tape, removing uncertainty, and drastically diminishing the time it takes to get new housing approved and built. This package builds off the recommendations in the Final Report of the Select Committee on Permitting Reform, chaired by Asm. Wicks.
Will this bill be the end of California’s housing vs environment wars?
BY BEN CHRISTOPHER
MARCH 26, 2025
In the recurring legislative fight between YIMBY legislators and defenders of California’s signature environmental law, one bill could be a final legislative showdown.
For years California has been stuck in a recurring fight between legislators who want the state to turbocharge new home construction and legislators determined to defend a landmark environmental protection law.
The final showdown in that long-standing battle may have just arrived.
California Coastal Commission under ‘assault’ from right, left
By Soumya Karlamangla, THE NEW YORK TIMES
March 24, 2025
In a hotel meeting room two blocks from the beach, the California Coastal Commission might as well have written “SOS” in the sand.
“We are under complete assault,” said Susan Lowenberg, a member of the coast preservation commission, which was born in the 1970s from the same movement that gave rise to Earth Day and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. “We need help.”
Marin Voice: State housing mandates for Marin don’t add up
By AMOS KLAUSNER
March 24, 2025
Make no mistake, Marin County is undergoing radical change that will destroy many of the things we appreciate most about our communities.
I blame political know-it-alls in Sacramento, who are making it easier for developers to build oversized, out-of-character housing projects across our small cities and even smaller towns. This new class of unregulated development eschews local norms and local control, clashing with the culture that attracted us to the county in the first place.
Housing markets in Florida and Texas are so weak that builder Lennar spent the most on buyer incentives since 2009
BY LANCE LAMBERT
March 24, 2025
Lennar—the nation’s second-largest homebuilder—told investors on Friday that their spring selling season is off to a soft start. “We do not see the seasonal pickup typically associated with the beginning of the spring selling season. So we continue to lean into our machine focusing on converting leads and appointments and adjusting incentives as needed to maintain sales pace. These adjustments came in the form of mortgage rate buydowns, price reductions, and closing cost assistance.”
Paradigm Shift – Part IX: Gen-AI and Factory Built Affordable Housing
Posted by: Bob Silvestri
March 19, 2025
The term “efficiency” is in the news these days. However, contrary to the nonsense being peddled by the DOGE crowd, achieving increases in “efficiency,” which is fundamental to increased “productivity” and “wealth creation,” is about much more than randomly firing people to cut costs. If cost-cutting is not done in concert with even greater capital investment in people and technology, the net result is the degradation of operations and a sure path to bankruptcy.
School districts don’t need risky cost ventures
Susan Kirsch
March 19, 2025
Recent news about a proposal to have school districts and the county be on the hook to “pay up” if not enough educators and county employees rent in an affordable workforce housing apartment complex is causing a stir on the IJ Opinion page.
Lawmakers Urged Against Bill to Undermine California Environmental Quality Act
March 18, 2025
SACRAMENTO, Calif.— Nearly 50 community and conservation organizations are warning California lawmakers about a dangerous bill that would severely weaken a landmark environmental law that has helped protect the state’s natural resources, public health and biodiversity since 1970. In a letter sent today, the groups urged legislators to oppose Senate Bill 607, which would make it easier for developers to avoid or narrow environmental review for a host of projects. That could include shipping terminals, mining operations, commercial development, sewage plants, dams and other projects planned in wildfire zones and wildlife habitat.