Santa Monica Daily Press: “Housing law that would densify single-family neighborhoods ruled unconstitutional”
A 2022 state law aiming to densify single-family neighborhoods was ruled unconstitutional by a California state court.
States: California
Cal Matters: “California’s most controversial housing law could get a makeover”
California Democrats are proposing an overhaul of the state’s Housing Accountability Act, known as the “builder’s remedy,” with the goal of addressing the law’s “legal ambiguities.”
The San Francisco Chronicle: “California court rules lawmakers can override local housing limits”
Last week, the 2nd District Court of Appeal in Los Angeles upheld legislation that allows city and county governments to authorize housing developments with up to 10 units in some urban areas, including around transit hubs.
CalMatters: “New California Housing Laws Aimed to Streamline Building Process Take Effect in 2024”
Several new laws designed to address California’s severe housing shortage went into effect on January 1. These include a measure to speed up the approval of apartment buildings with some set-asides for lower income renters. Other laws give developers permission to build denser buildings if they set aside additional units for middle-income renters and the … Continued
San Francisco Chronicle: “Faced with ‘builder’s remedy’ threat, S.F. supes advance housing development legislation”
California’s Department of Housing & Community Development (HCD) has threatened to decertify the City of San Francisco’s housing element if the city doesn’t take steps to make it easier to build new housing. In response, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors advanced legislation this week to reform how the city approves development.
San Francisco Examiner: “Why housing experts say SF zoning ‘a total mismatch’ from its needs”
San Francisco’s housing crisis is the result of its outdated zoning rules. These rules, shaped by the city’s history, are no longer meeting the city’s needs.
Los Angeles Daily News: “Driving owners of rental housing out of business is no solution to the housing shortage”
For more than three years, Los Angeles housing providers have been barred from raising rents, thanks to an emergency rent freeze implemented at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the City Council is considering whether to end the freeze or to extend it for another six months.
Los Angeles Times: It’s Time to End L.A.’s Rent Freeze
The Los Angeles Times Editorial Board argues in favor of ending a rent freeze in Los Angeles that’s been in place since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. “The rent freeze has served its purpose, and it’s time to end it,” the editorial board writes. To effectively address housing affordability, they urged Mayor Karen Bass … Continued
Times of San Diego: Proposed Federal Rent Control Would Make Housing Crisis Worse
In an opinion piece, California-based housing developer Rick Snyder stresses that a proposal to impose rent control on loans backed by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae would only worsen housing affordability. “Federal rent control would have a destabilizing impact on America’s housing market and capital markets more broadly. You don’t need to be a housing … Continued
The New York Times: “California Slams San Francisco for ‘Egregious’ Barriers to Housing Construction”
The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) released an audit report yesterday condemning San Francisco’s housing policies.