The Homework: November 12, 2026
Welcome to the November 12, 2026 edition of The Homework, the official newsletter of California YIMBY — legislative updates, news clips, housing research and analysis, and the latest writings from the California YIMBY team.
News from Sacramento
Election Updates
The midterm elections are over, and YIMBYs in California have much to be excited about. Voters backed our positions on key ballot measures; elected Xavier Becerra Governor; sent a wave of pro-housing legislators to Sacramento; elected Scott Wiener to Congress; and chose pro-housing, pro-transit champion Nithya Raman as the next Mayor of Los Angeles.
Results are as of Wednesday evening, November 11. California officials are still counting ballots, so the closest races could still change. Find the latest results on our website.
Top Lines
- Governor: Xavier Becerra won the governor’s race with a record 65 percent of the vote. His vote share is still growing as counting continues.
- Los Angeles Mayor: Councilmember Nithya Raman, who ran on a pro-housing, pro-transit platform, defeated Mayor Karen Bass, who opposed SB 79 and undermined housing production in the city.
- Congress: State Senator Scott Wiener, the most prominent YIMBY legislator in the U.S., defeated Connie Chan to win the seat representing San Francisco in Congress.
Voters Sided with California YIMBY on Ballot Measures
- Prop 1 (Yes), passes: Voters approved an $11.25 billion bond, much of which will pay for subsidized affordable homes.
- Prop 2 (Yes), passes: California can now save more in its “rainy day” fund, which gives the state a bigger cushion in lean revenue years.
- Prop 40 (No), fails: Californians rejected the one-time wealth tax, which would have deterred housing investment.
- Prop 43 (No), fails: The defeat of Prop 43 keeps the vote needed to fund infrastructure and other public amenities at 50% plus one, not 66%.
At Least Three Senate Seats Shift to YIMBY
- SD 10 (South Bay): Union City Councilmember Scott Sakakihara
- SD 26 (East Los Angeles): Land-use attorney Sara Hernandez
- SD 40 (San Diego): Former City Attorney Mara Elliott
Other wins
The following non-incumbent candidates, endorsed by California YIMBY, also won this week:
- Lt. Governor Fiona Ma
- Treasurer Eleni Kounalakis
- SD 2 (North Coast): Damon Connolly
- SD 12 (Fresno): Nathan Magsig
- SD 14 (Fresno): Esmeralda Soria
- SD 34 (Anaheim): Avelino Valencia
- AD 27 (Fresno): Brian Pacheco
- AD 31 (Fresno): Annalisa Perea
- AD 35 (Bakersfield): Andrae Gonzales
- AD 65 (South LA): Ayanna Davis
- AD 67 (North Orange County): Mark Pulido
Close to Call
- AD 72 (South Orange County): California YIMBY-endorsed Chris Kluwe narrowly trails
Housing Research & Analysis
Go West, Young Human? Not with These Housing Prices
For about 60 years, California’s population grew steadily, but in the 2010s that growth began to taper.
A new report points toward housing costs as the prime culprit: Even California’s least-expensive communities cost more than most places in the country. That gives some households a reason to move somewhere cheaper – and others a reason not to move to California at all.
In Priced Out: Relocation Amidst California’s Affordability Crisis, Brett Fischer and Evan White of the California Policy Lab use credit records to track who leaves California, where they go, how their finances change afterward, and who is moving in. On average, people who left landed in much cheaper neighborhoods, mostly in nearby states, and saw their homeownership rate rise in the following years.
Key Takeaways:
- Cheaper Neighborhoods for Leavers: Californians who leave the state move to neighborhoods where average monthly housing costs are $672 lower. Seven years later, leavers were 48 percent more likely to own a home than similar people who stayed in California.
- Higher-Income, Financially Stretched: The share of leavers from the highest-income 30 percent of neighborhoods rose 6.4 points since 2016–2019. Yet leavers’ credit scores average 17 points below those of people in their old neighborhoods who stayed.
- Fewer Arrivals to California: Relative to population, 42 states have sent fewer people to California since 2020 than in 2016–2019.
How Well-Meaning Regulations in California Drive Up Costs
California leads in progressive regulations, whether it’s construction standards, price controls on insurance, or occupational licensing. But a June 2026 Berkeley Economy and Society Initiative paper argues that lower-income households pay a heavy price for these well-meaning rules. The author calls this “regressively funded progressivism”: well-meaning rules whose costs hide in prices and weigh more on households that spend a larger share of their income on essentials.
For example, strong building standards can make more sustainable buildings, but amid a massive housing shortage, each rule’s cost can make it harder to build more homes, ultimately driving up housing prices. Home insurance serves as another cautionary example. The paper argues that limiting premium increases sounds nice but will likely make cost problems worse over time.
In To Make California More Affordable, Reform Regressive Regulations, researcher Samuel Trachtman examines how building code rules, insurance regulations, and other laws raise the cost of essentials like housing and energy. This summary focuses on the housing and insurance examples.
Key Takeaways:
- Second Stairwell Mandate: Allowing single-stair midsize apartment buildings could cut costs by about 10 percent, with no notable loss in safety.
- Complex Local Codes: Building codes are meant to keep residents safe, but some standards lack strong evidence of safety benefits. Yet these complex rules lead to expensive, custom design work. And since building codes can vary by city, homebuilders cannot always reuse the same designs to lower costs.
- Insurance Premium Caps: After regulators limited homeowners’ insurance premium increases, insurers canceled policies and more homeowners ended up on the state’s more expensive FAIR Plan.
Housing Headlines
- Bay Area Voters Lean Pro-Development This Election, Putting Wiener In Congress
- Can This Progressive YIMBY Fix One City’s Ludicrous Housing Prices?
- How Mayor-Elect Raman Will Remake L.A. City Hall
- The First 100 Days: How An Incoming California Governor Might Use Executive Power To Address The Housing Crisis
- What Really Delays Home Construction In America
- Accessory Dwelling Units Can Meaningfully Boost Housing Supply
- Ruling: California Cities Risk A Price To Pay To Delay Housing Permits
- Lemon Grove Will See More Housing In The Downtown Under Newly Approved Plan
- Oceanside Tried To Get Out Of SB 79. State Now Says The City Is Skirting Controversial New Housing Law.
- How California Is Fast-Tracking Construction Of Much-Needed College Student Housing
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