The Homework: January 16, 2025
Welcome to the January 16, 2025 Main 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
The State Legislature is back in session, and the first round of housing bills are beginning to make the rounds. The final deadline for bill submission is February 21.
Thus far, California YIMBY has sponsored SB 9 with newly-elected Senator Jesse Arreguín as the author. This bill clarifies that previous legislation exempting Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) from owner-occupancy requirements applies to all ADUs, and not only units built after the law went into effect. The bill is intended to send clarification to cities that have interpreted existing law to only apply to new ADUs, and continue to impose owner-occupancy requirements on ADUs built before the state ban was passed.
Our Legislative team expects to roll out the balance of our legislative priorities by the end of January. Watch this space for more detailed news, and sign up for our e-mail list (or follow us on social media) to get real-time updates about our plans.
During the holiday season, the State Senate and Assembly announced their committee assignments for the rest of the year. Below is a list of Committee assignments for committees that are most likely to hear our sponsored and high-priority bills:
Senate Housing Committee:
- Senator Aisha Wahab (Chair)
- Senator Kelly Seyarto (Vice-Chair)
- Senator Jesse Arreguín
- Senator Christopher Cabaldon
- Senator Anna M. Caballero
- Senator Dave Cortese
- Senator María Elena Durazo
- Senator Rosilicie Ochoa Bogh
- Senator Steve Padilla
- Senator Eloise Gómez Reyes
Senate Local Government Committee:
- María Elena Durazo (Chair)
- Senator Steven Choi (Vice-Chair)
- Senator Jesse Arreguín
- Senator Christopher Cabaldon
- Senator John Laird
- Senator Kelly Seyarto
- Senator Scott D. Wiener
Assembly Housing Committee:
- Assemblymember Matt Haney (Chair)
- Assemblymember Tri Ta (Vice-Chair)
Assembly Local Government:
- Assemblymember Juan Carrillo (Chair)
- Assemblymember Joe Patterson (Vice-Chair)
California YIMBY extends our warm congratulations to Senator Wahab, Senator Durazo, Assemblymember Haney, and Assemblymember Juan Carrillo on being selected Chair of their respective Committees. We look forward to working with these leaders and their legislative colleagues to find common-sense solutions to address California’s housing crisis.
The State Assembly has yet to announce its full committee assignments; stay tuned to future editions of The Homework (and follow California YIMBY’s Twitter and Bluesky channels, @cayimby and https://bsky.app/profile/cayimby.bsky.social, to stay current on housing policy research, news, and legislative updates).
Housing Research & Analysis
How-To ADU: The Handbook
Over the past eight years, California lawmakers have adopted dozens of reforms designed to make it easier for homeowners to build Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), which are sometimes referred to as “granny flats,” in-law units, or casitas.
To help homeowners, building professionals, and local planners understand these changes, which are often complex and technical, the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) has published an ADU Handbook, which has been expanded and revised to include the most recent legislation.
Key Takeaways:
- ADUs are now allowed within multifamily buildings, and up to 8 detached ADUs may be built on a lot with an existing multifamily structure.
- Owner-occupancy requirements have been permanently banned.
- HCD now has authority over ADU enforcement.
Enhancing Mobility for Older Adults: Insights from Land Use in the U.S. and Japan
As America’s population ages, the need to provide safe and efficient mobility from far-flung suburbs and subdivisions grows more acute. Our current transportation systems, land use, and development patterns all but mandate private car ownership and driving – which is both expensive for seniors on fixed incomes, and more concerningly, dangerous: Older drivers are disproportionately represented in deadly car crashes.
What are the options for older people who wish to “age in place” in their communities, but either can’t afford to drive, or can no longer do so safely? In A tale of two aging nations: How do urban designs impact older adults’ mobility in automobile versus transit societies?, Ashley Wan-Tzu Lo and Suman Kumar Mitra explore how urban design impacts the mobility of older adults in two contrasting environments: the automobile-oriented United States, and transit-oriented Tokyo, Japan.
Key Takeaways:
- Older adults in Tokyo were more likely to take “active” trips (i.e., walk or bike) or ride transit, but less likely to drive.
- Older adults living in larger, denser cities with more accessible transit are more likely to make trips out of the house, less likely to rely on cars, and more likely to engage in social activities outside the home.
- Proximity to transit affects older adults’ likelihood of using transit: those who live closer to stations are more likely to use transit, less likely to drive, and tend to drive less than older adults who live further from transit stations.
Houser Headlines
- How Well-Intentioned Policies Fueled L.A.’s Fires – The Atlantic
- Housing Shortages Create an Alternative to NIMBYism
- Rents likely to balloon in wake of L.A. wildfires, experts say – Los Angeles Times
- California FAIR Plan could be on the hook for up to $24 billion in L.A. fire losses
- More People Are Living in the Riskiest Wildfire Zones
- Wildfires Will Deepen Housing Shortage in Los Angeles
- Newsom set a major housing goal for 2025. Here’s how far short the state has fallen
- A ‘worst-case’ scenario: How giant insurance losses from L.A. fires could affect all Californians
- How fighting affordable housing nearly bankrupted one of America’s richest towns
- Berkeley is legalizing a type of housing that could add thousands of units to the market
- California quietly ended single family zoning, allowing four homes per lot
- A Radical (and Totally Practical) Rethinking of U.S. Housing Construction – Common Edge
YIMBY Social – Top Posts
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