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.…
California gears up for a battle over single-family zoning near transit
SACRAMENTO — Taking aim at climate change, highway gridlock and soaring housing costs, a California lawmaker has ignited a red-hot debate with a proposal that would force cities to allow more apartments and condominiums to be built a short walk from train…
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…
Local zoning is getting in the way of housing
For a long time, being an environmentalist meant stopping things – dirty power plants, the clear cutting of trees and new dams. But in the battle against climate change, we must build – specifically, more affordable homes for our growing…
Senate Bill 827 could raise height limits throughout SF, transform city
A state bill seeking to solve California’s housing crisis by encouraging denser, taller housing near transit could force a striking, historic rezoning of much of San Francisco. Senate Bill 827, authored by state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, could allow…
Opinion: Easing building rules near transit key for needed housing
California’s chronic and well-documented housing crisis has been generations in the making and will not be fixed overnight. But the days of legislative inaction or half measures may be nearing their deserved end. SB 827 is perhaps the first real…
California is Considering a ‘Radical’ Statewide Upzone
“The lack of housing affordability is harming our state’s economy as companies consider moving elsewhere because their workers can’t find a place to live. It is severely undermining our climate goals as we push people into longer and longer commutes.…
A Bid to Solve California’s Housing Crisis Could Redraw How Cities Grow
Scott Wiener, the California state senator representing San Francisco, has a pretty good idea for how to save the world. In fact, sitting in a coffee shop in his city’s Financial District, Wiener seems downright perplexed that anyone would be against…
One legislator’s solution to California’s housing crisis
“…the reality is that California is strangling itself and has been for a long time. People get almost immune to hearing about the housing crisis, it’s just words. Look at the real human cost of what’s happening, homelessness being the…