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.
Our representatives should vote no on SB 79
By Susan Kirsch
September 3, 2025
As founder and director for the Marin-based Catalysts Institute for Local Control group, I was pleased to see elected officials and community leaders in Marin, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego rally against state Sen. Scott Wiener’s Senate Bill 79 on Aug. 23. Nearly 50 people gathered at Larkspur Landing Ferry Terminal. Wiener calls SB 79 the “Abundant and Affordable Homes Near Transit Act.” I think a more accurate title is “Accelerating the Decline of Affordable Housing and the Rapid Transfer of Wealth from the Middle Class to Billionaires Act.”
California Roulette
By Chritopher Legras
August 29, 2025
Serious question, occasioned by ample evidence and experience: Do some members of California’s political class actually want people to die horrific deaths in wildfires and other natural disasters? Because they’re sure acting like it.
Los Angeles City Council Opposes Statewide Density Bill SB 79 in an 8–5 Vote
Staff Report
August 20, 2025
The Los Angeles City Council voted 8–5 on Monday to oppose Senate Bill 79, a contentious housing density proposal from state Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco that would limit cities’ authority over local development, according to a press release from CD 11 Councilwoman Traci Park’s office.
Marin Voice: Transit-oriented housing bill goes too far
By AMY KALISH
PUBLISHED: August 20, 2025
For years, Marin’s cities and unincorporated areas have juggled ambitious state housing mandates with realities of wildfire risk, evacuation constraints, sensitive and beautiful ecology, fragile infrastructure and beloved historic districts. We’ve done the hard work — parcel by parcel, plan by plan — crafting state-certified “housing elements” to add multi-family housing while protecting public safety while preserving what we can.
Just 15% of Californians can afford a home vs. 34% nationally
By JONATHAN LANSNER |
August 15, 2025
Shrinking affordability isn’t just a California problem.
That’s what you see from my trusty spreadsheet’s comparison of the California Association of Realtors’ affordability report for the second quarter of 2025 vs. the numbers from the same period in 2022.
Yes, the required income to buy California’s $905,680 median home was $232,400 this spring — up $33,200 or 17% in three years. That translates to just 15% of households statewide being able to afford to buy vs. 16% in 2022
To Create Abundant Housing, Ignore the YIMBY Playbook
by Brian Shearer
August 14, 2025
Since Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson’s book Abundance was published, the policy world has debated the causes of our current housing supply drought. Abundance argued that zoning laws are the culprit, as part of its broader thesis calling for liberals to embrace a policy vision oriented around building more of what we need (i.e., “abundance”) primarily through targeted deregulation of private industry and de-proceduralization of government.
The High Cost of Being Called a NIMBY
By Mike Lewis / The Coast News Group /August 13, 2025
If you’ve spoken up at a city council meeting lately, you may have noticed something strange. If you raise questions about fire safety, infrastructure or water supply, you’re not met with dialogue, you’re met with a label: “NIMBY.” Not a neighbor. Not a taxpayer. Not a citizen. Just a “NIMBY.” This label is more than lazy rhetoric. It’s a calculated attempt to discredit residents who dare to question the wisdom of Sacramento’s high-density housing mandates.
Is California really having a housing crisis? Data says no
By Dick Spotswood
August 5, 2025
“California does not have a housing supply shortage.” That’s the startling title of a new report prepared by Mill Valley resident Gaetan “Guy” Lion. He’s an independent researcher focusing on local, national and global issues in economics, demographics, the environment and politics. It’s published on Lion’s Medium.com page.
Chinese buyers, flush with cash, are swooping in on California homes
By Ariana Bindman,
Aug 4, 2025
For years, the state of California has struggled to build enough homes to keep up with persistent demand, leading to sky-high prices that have forced families to retreat from the coast and settle further inland.
Now, according to new data, international buyers — many of whom don’t reside in the U.S. at all — are setting their sights on California’s already-limited housing stock and paying for it in cash.