California

A new poll from the Los Angeles Business Council and Los Angeles Times demonstrates that high housing costs create significant obstacles for California residents.

A 2022 state law aiming to densify single-family neighborhoods was ruled unconstitutional by a California state court. 

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.”

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. 

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 […]

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San Francisco’s housing crisis is the result of its outdated zoning rules.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.

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.

Over the past few months, Google, Facebook and Apple have pledged to invest a total of $4.5 billion in land and loans toward stimulating the production of affordable housing in California. Our article looks at how those efforts, laudable as they are, won’t amount to much unless the state enacts land-use reforms that make it easier and cheaper to build.

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 […]

The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) released an audit report yesterday condemning San Francisco’s housing policies.

New York Times ‘California Today’ writer Soumya Karlamangla explains the two new housing bills signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom. 

New York Times Columnist Paul Krugman reflects on the effects of NIMBYism in California. 

The Associated Press outlines what this development could mean for housing affordability in the region.

Los Angeles Times columnist George Skelton outlines why Prop. 21 isn’t the right answer to California’s housing affordability crisis. 

For the second election cycle in a row, special interests in California are hoping to persuade voters to repeal portions of the state’s existing rental housing laws.

Liam Dillon with the Los Angeles Times outlines why the coronavirus pandemic will likely make affordable housing problems worse in California. 

The Washington Post Editorial Board weighs in on California’s housing crisis and homelessness. 

The New York Times’ Thomas Fuller reports on why affordable housing costs so much more to build in San Francisco.

The New York Times’ Farhad Manjoo outlines what SB 50’s defeat in California could mean for housing affordability in the state. 

Biance Barragan reports on a new program that has spurred plans for 20,000 new apartments in Los Angeles. 

NMHC President Doug Bibby previews what he would like to see discussed during the next presidential primary debate. 

Jill Cowan and Robert Gebeloff with the New York Times explain how California’s severe housing shortage is driving up rents, leaving many lower-income families struggling to stay in neighborhoods they can afford. 

Politifact’s Chris Nichols outlines why it’s so expensive to build new homes in California.

California and its new, restrictive statewide rent control law is the hot topic in housing news, but one mayor in the Golden State is cutting against his home state’s grain and speaking up for commonsense affordable housing policies.

In California, municipalities continue to saddle housing providers with fees that drive up the cost of building homes. The Los Angeles Times’ Liam Dillon reports on the negative effect this is having on housing affordability.

In an op-ed in Fox & Hounds, housing expert Timothy Coyle weighed in on California’s housing crisis and the necessity of breaking down regulatory barriers to create housing.

Faced with a crippling housing shortage, California’s governor and legislative leaders have agreed to reward local governments that make it easier to build houses faster and punish those that don’t.

The Santa Cruz Sentinel Editorial Board addresses several bills in the Legislature that would impose rent controls in California.

The Bay Area has the largest disparity between teacher salaries and rental housing costs in California. EdSource’s Diana Lambert reports on the steps being taken by local school districts to help change that.

Oakland, CA, is the recipient of the latest commitment of funds by a major U.S. corporation directed towards alleviating the housing affordability crisis.

Oakland, CA, is the recipient of the latest commitment of funds by a major U.S. corporation directed towards alleviating the housing affordability crisis.