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.
California state commission unveils major CEQA update proposal to expand housing
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.
LATINOS AND THE CALIFORNIA HOUSING CRISIS
by Jennifer Hernandez
May 10, 2024
Much of the Democratic party’s traditional constituency include small business owners, first responders, and “essential workers”. These groups earn too much to qualify for housing assistance, but too little to live in the state’s most expensive population centers. Economist John Husing showed that even the highest-paid construction workers cannot afford to buy a median priced home in any Southern California county that touches the ocean, or any Bay Area county that touches San Francisco Bay
Newsom eyes $1 billion in cuts to affordable housing programs
By KATE TALERICO
May 10, 2024
With a $27 billion shortfall looming over the state, Gov. Gavin Newsom is eyeing a total of $1 billion in cuts to several housing programs aimed at financing and preserving existing affordable housing.
“There are components of our housing strategy where we are making adjustments, but the core mission remains firm,” Newsom said during a press conference announcing his proposed budget Friday.
California housing laws have failed. The crisis is housing affordability
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.
With fewer Californians and more construction, where are the housing bargains?
By Jonathan Lansner
May 3, 2024
If California’s population is well off its peak, and developers keep on building housing, why does the cost of living in the Golden State remain lofty?
My trusty spreadsheet looked at fresh demographic figures from the state Department of Finance to find any hints of solving this housing riddle.
Start with the basics: California had 38.2 million residents living in households last year – that’s down 375,800 since 2020, or a 0.9% loss.
Everyone loves Vienna’s housing policy; there’s a reason that it works so well
By Tim Redmond
May 1, 2024
In the past two years, at least four delegations of housing experts and political leaders from California have visited the Austrian capital, hoping to unlock the secrets of why Vienna regularly comes top in surveys of the world’s most livable cities.
They’re struck by the absence of homeless encampments, and marvel at the sheer scale of the subsidized housing developments which include shared amenities such swimming pools, gyms, workshops, communal gardens and spacious roof terraces.
In a dramatic move, a CA court says housing density doesn’t mean affordability
By Tim Redmond
April 28, 2024
For the first time, unless I have missed something, a court in California has ruled that there’s no demonstrable connection between increased density and housing affordability.
If the appellate courts agree, it could be a profound defeat for the free-market Yimby agenda, which holds that any new housing, anywhere, will eventually bring down prices.
A win is win but keeping it in perspective is important
By Bob Sivestri
April 26, 2024
“On April 22, 2024, at 11:00 AM, the Honorable Curtis A. Kin in Department 86 of the Los Angeles Superior Court issued a ruling granting a Petition for Writ of Mandate challenging the constitutionality of Senate Bill 9, as applied to charter cities. Senate Bill 9 requires all California cities to ministerially approve an application for a lot split, and up to four total housing units, on a single family residential lot that meets certain specified criteria.”
S.F. prioritized building homes for the ‘missing middle.’ 80% of units sit empty
By J.K. Dineen
April 21, 2024
For years, San Francisco politicians and housing advocates have fought for the creation of “missing middle” housing for workers with incomes high enough to be middle class in most markets, but who are often priced out of the famously expensive city.
But developers who have recently built apartments aimed at moderate-income families in San Francisco have discovered a harsh reality: The missing middle seems to have gone missing.