California YIMBY Statement on Governor’s Creation of  Housing Accountability Unit 

New Capacity at HCD to Enforce State Housing Law in Cities

“This validates the YIMBY approach to ending the housing shortage”

Today California YIMBY and the California Renters Legal Advocacy and Education Fund (CaRLA) released the following joint statement regarding Governor Gavin Newsom’s decision to create a new accountability unit within the state’s Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD):

“In order to end California’s housing shortage and affordability crisis, we must not only improve state housing law, local governments must also follow existing state housing law,” said Brian Hanlon, co-founder and CEO of California YIMBY and co-founder of CaRLA. “But HCD does not have sufficient legal, policy, and data analysis staff to ensure local compliance with state law. This budget request from Governor Newsom is necessary to ensure cities do the right thing and permit the homebuilding that state and local laws require.”

“We’re excited to work with the Governor’s office and our partners with CaRLA to help the state ensure that all cities are playing fair, and following state laws designed to make sure everyone has an affordable place to live,” Hanlon said.

“CaRLA was set up to bridge the gap between the state’s desire to reform laws to legalize housing, and its ability to enforce those laws against cities that put in extra effort to block new homes,” said Dylan Casey, Executive Director of CaRLA. “We look forward to working with the state and our allies to see that laws that will help end the housing shortage are fully implemented by California’s cities.”

“We’re also thrilled to have the Governor validate the YIMBY approach to ending the housing shortage,” Casey said. “By combining an agenda of housing reform with real and meaningful enforcement, together, we can make sure California is affordable for everyone.”