California state Sen. Scott Wiener’s SB 827 — a sweeping approach to solve California’s housing crisis by having the state government preempt local zoning ordinances and allow for greater density near rapid transit stations and high-frequency bus stops — is one of the most…
A Bold, Divisive Plan to Wean Californians From Cars
California has made impressive strides in solar and wind power and its push for electric vehicles. But the combination of high housing costs and rising commute times threatens to keep the state from achieving its ambitious target of cutting emissions 40…
SB 827 helps solve Bay Area housing, traffic challenges
Allowing more people to live near public transit is a win-win: It makes it possible for more of them to commute by rail or bus, while at the same time making transit less expensive for taxpayers to build and maintain.…
Want Affordable Housing? Just Build More of It
After years of dithering and hoping the problem would go away, California is finally taking steps to address its housing crisis. In 2017 the state passed a series of bills designed to encourage the construction of new affordable housing — streamlining the regulatory approval…
Bay Area’s housing crisis is forcing tenants out of the cities
It doesn’t make any sense to me why the mayor of Berkeley, Jesse Arreguín, recently called the housing bill SB 827 proposed by the California State Senate a “declaration of war against our neighborhoods.” He sees the bill as dangerous and believes…
Better infrastructure and density are not mutually exclusive
San Francisco Examiner columnist Sally Stephens recently wrote that San Francisco needs to build the appropriate infrastructure for transit and fire safety before building new homes in the western and southern neighborhoods of The City. As a resident of the Richmond, I…
The New Corn Laws: Why Housing Costs Are So High
California is losing its native-born working and middle classes, with net positive domestic migration only among those earning over $90,000. Likewise, the only educational group with net domestic migration into California are Americans with graduate degrees. The biggest recipient state…
California’s Housing Crisis Builds Appetite To Limit Local Control
As local governments in San Diego County work to encourage more housing production to alleviate the region’s housing crisis, lawmakers in Sacramento are debating changes to a long untouchable facet of California law: local control over housing and land use.…
SB 827 Amendments: Strengthening Demolition & Displacement Protections
When I introduced Senate Bill 827 — my bill to allow more housing near public transportation — I was clear that I would have an open door and actively seek feedback to make the bill as strong and effective as it can be. SB…
A sweeping new bill targets California’s housing crisis
California is in the midst of crippling housing crisis. The state’s population has steadily grown, but it hasn’t been building new places for people to live at anything close to the same rate. It now ranks 49th in housing units per capita. The…