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.
How California and New York are taking on the NIMBYs
By Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN
October 28, 2025
New York City voters are currently deciding on one of the most polarizing issues in decades. But it has nothing to do with 34-year-old democratic socialist mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani.
Instead, it will determine who has the power to greenlight — or block— affordable housing development in the city. Several proposals on the ballot could speed up affordable housing development and land use approvals in the city. The proposals have pitted the City Council against the mayor, and developers against unions.
Housing Crisis Deepens as Homeownership Slips Out of Reach for Millions
By Brody Carter
Octobere 28, 2025
Experts say homeownership is slipping out of reach and rent is becoming unaffordable — leaving in its wake a full-blown housing crisis. A new report reveals homeownership is now unattainable for a record number of Americans. It’s a problem fueled by basic economics: too many buyers and not enough homes. Nationwide, experts estimate a shortage of roughly six million units.
Poll: Housing industry is part of affordability problem
By Johnathan Lansner
October 24, 2025
What’s the biggest cause of high housing costs in the nation? Industry insiders answer that government bureaucracy slows or prevents the construction of new housing, compounded by the public’s “not-in-my-backyard” aversion to adding homes in their neighborhoods. Well, one poll shows the typical American thinks the industry needs to look at itself, too. The Searchlight Institute’s recent poll of 2,123 U.S. adults on housing provides another perspective on the grand affordability debate.
California’s new housing law unlikely to help the many who need it
By Thomas Elias
October 21, 2025
A new law just signed by Newsom will eventually prove far more consequential to the future of California cities. It’s called Senate Bill 79 and will leave many California skylines altered, once it plays out, in the direction of population-dense high-rise buildings. Yes, multi-unit apartment construction is down statewide this year from last year’s figures by about 20%, making 2024 construction look like it may have been on steroids. The drop comes largely because new apartments today typically need $4,000 to $5,000 in monthly rent just to break even.
Top San Francisco Lawmaker Expected to Challenge Nancy Pelosi in Primary
By Shane Goldmacher, Heather Knight and Laurel Rosenhall
Oct. 18, 2025
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is expected to face the most serious primary challenge of her career if she runs for re-election, as a fellow San Francisco Democrat, State Senator Scott Wiener, is preparing to enter the race later this month, according to two people briefed on his plans.
California renters are very picky customers
By JONATHAN LANSNER
October 17, 2025
California renters are finicky customers, changing apartments far more often than the typical American tenant. But when they find the right place, they stay longer than the national norm.
That’s what my trusty spreadsheet learned after reviewing RentCafe’s second-quarter report on how tough it is to find an apartment in 136 U.S. markets, including a dozen from the Golden State. RentCafe stats follow rental patterns primarily at large complexes.
Newsom did what he pledged to do to jump-start housing production. Still no progress
BY DAN WALTERS
OCTOBER 16, 2025
Eight years ago, as he began his campaign for governor, Gavin Newsom described fixing the state’s chronic housing shortage as a moral imperative.
“This is a question of who we are,” Newsom wrote in 2017. “Housing is a fundamental human need — let’s not forget the human face behind the dire statistics.
News media coverage about Lurie’s upzoning plan misses the most important player
By TIM REDMOND
OCTOBER 13, 2025
The Chron and the Examiner both have big stories today about the anger over Mayor Daniel Lurie’s plan to increase housing density on the West Side of town. People are angry; Lurie is facing hostile crowds at town halls, and the Ex ran a piece saying that the city’s future is at stake:
What’s at stake is not just zoning, but the future of San Francisco’s historic neighborhoods, parks, public vistas and architecture — the international character that draws millions of visitors.
Law upzones areas near all Caltrain, BART stations
By Alyse DiNapoli,
Oct 11, 2025
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation upzoning many areas throughout the state that fall within a quarter- to half-mile radius of a major transit stop, aimed at spurring housing development. Senate Bill 79, sponsored by state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, would set a uniform standard for allowable height and density minimums within a certain distance of major rail stops, including Caltrain and BART stations. The upzoning would be implemented on a tiered basis and applies mostly in urban counties in the Bay Area, Southern California and Sacramento.