California YIMBY Announces Expanded Programs, New Policy Director

Ned Resnikoff, Policy Manager of the Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative; Fiscal and Policy Consultant, California Legislative Analyst’s Office 

“We’re ramping up our policy efforts and Sacramento advocacy ”

SACRAMENTO – Today, California YIMBY announced that Ned Resnikoff, veteran journalist and former Policy Manager for the UCSF Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, will be joining the organization as Policy Director as the organization expands its policy agenda to critical topics facing California’s communities. 

“Ned is a big get for us,” said Brian Hanlon, co-founder and CEO of California YIMBY. “We’re doubling-down on our successful policy development and advocacy model by expanding advocacy operations in California, and drafting a policy platform to build inclusive, vibrant, and sustainable cities for everyone.”

While California YIMBY will remain focused on running best-in-class legislative campaigns to end California’s housing shortage, the policy roadmap will include comprehensive solutions to address housing production, anti-discrimination, affordability, protections for existing residents, and homelessness. The roadmap will also include complementary urban policy solutions beyond housing, such as transit, urban de-carbonization, and effective governance. This roadmap will serve as a playbook for possible future advocacy efforts as California YIMBY tackles the most important, tractable, and neglected policy reforms.

Resnikoff was most recently the policy manager at UCSF’s Benioff Homelessness and Housing Initiative, where he led efforts to educate policymakers and the public about evidence-driven strategies for preventing and ending homelessness. Before that, he was a fiscal and policy analyst for the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office, which provides budget and policy advice to the California legislature. His significant work at LAO included a report on racial disparities in K-12 education and helping to forecast Medi-Cal enrollment during the COVID-19 shutdown.

Prior to becoming a policy analyst, Ned was a writer and editor for various national news outlets, including msnbc.com, Al Jazeera America, and ThinkProgress. His freelance work has appeared in The New York Times, The Atlantic Monthly, The New Republic, The Nation, the San Francisco Chronicle, and elsewhere. His reporting on food insecurity was featured on MSNBC and earned the network an award from the Food Bank For New York City, America’s largest food bank. Ned holds a Master’s in Public Policy from the Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley.

“I’m honored and excited to be able to join such a dynamic organization focused on what I consider to be the most pressing issue we face in California – the shortage of homes in our communities,” said Resnikoff. “California YIMBY is at the forefront of efforts to address these issues, and with a wonderful and talented team.”

As Policy Director, Ned will define and manage California YIMBY’s long-range policy agenda. His work will largely focus on housing but encompass other policy areas that are key to the future of cities, including transportation, climate, and governance reforms.