Environment
Prop 45 explained: CEQA overhaul could shift who holds power over building
Prop 45 would shift who’s in charge of building in California. Supporters say it would also speed it up.
Housing
Homelessness
New California law frees up funds for sober homeless housing
The new California law intends to free up state funds for housing that requires residents to stay sober.
Homelessness
New laws make incremental tweaks to California’s mental health court, while bigger changes nixed
Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two laws designed to help CARE Court better connect Californians with mental health care.
Politics
How Airbnb is fighting for its place on California’s coast
Residents of cities like Pacifica want to limit the presence of visitors and corporations. Companies like Airbnb want to keep their lucrative coastal listings. That tension has led to increased attempts to influence a small but powerful committee.
Homelessness
Cities often squabble over homelessness. A new California law forces one community to try something different
New legislation forces the city and county of Sacramento to collaborate on homelessness. Stakeholders say it could have repercussions California-wide.
Housing
How do you get a housing permit in California? He can hook you up, for a fee
Tanner Blackman’s job is to push housing projects through Los Angeles’ famously Byzantine permitting process. With a torrent of state laws aimed at streamlining and speeding up approvals to combat the housing shortage, will the humble permit expediter profession survive?
Homelessness
$1 million in homeless funds for a nightclub? New LA fraud cases allege bribery and theft
Federal and local prosecutors unveil new cases and a guilty plea, while asking: Who was actually watching the books at the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority?
Housing
Why a bill to juice condo construction died even though California lawmakers voted for it
Supporters said a condo construction bill was a key to unlocking the type of naturally affordable for-sale housing that California desperately needs. But deadlines matter.
Homelessness
Reducing drug penalties likely increased homelessness in California, new report says
When Californians voted to reduce drug penalties in 2014, it likely had the unintended consequence of also increasing homelessness in the state, according to a new report. The report, released Thursday by the Public Policy Institute of California, set out to measure the long-term effects of Proposition 47 – a 2014 ballot measure that lowered […]
Homelessness
Homeless counts dropped in these California counties this year
California reduced its official homeless count in 2025 after years of increases. Now, preliminary data for 2026 shows many places in the state are continuing to make progress. Counties up and down the state are reporting that their homeless populations dropped this year, citing early results of the point-in-time count conducted in January. Some of […]