Housing

The State Capitol in Sacramento, California, September 10, 2015. California Bills.

Explainers

Last stop: On these 2017 bills, it’s the governor’s call

In the final days of the session, hundreds of bills landed on Brown’s desk. Here are some of the most consequential.

By

CalMatters Staff

• September 16, 2017

Housing

Gimme Shelter Podcast: Why No Housing Package Yet?

Three days and counting until the Legislature adjourns for the year. We thought we could see a housing package passed as early as July. Why the delay, and what's happening now?

By

Matt Levin

• September 13, 2017

Housing lines the street of a classic Boston neighborhood. Photo via Pixabay

Economy

Should California look to Massachusetts to fix its housing crisis?

While California tops the list of states with insane housing costs, it’s by no means a uniquely Golden State phenomenon. Building affordable housing—and particularly getting cities and other localities to permit its construction—is a tough endeavor that has bedeviled state policymakers across the country. So where should Californians look to solve a problem that feels so intractable? Affordable housing experts suggest legislators find inspiration in Massachusetts. For more than 40 years, the state’s signature affordable housing policy—Massachusetts “40B”—has served as a model for how states can motivate and sometimes bully reluctant localities into meeting their fair share of affordable housing.

By

Matt Levin

• September 13, 2017

Housing

Gimme Shelter Pod: An opening in Prop 13, Margaret Atwood as NIMBY heel, and an interview with Carol Galante

Every week, Los Angeles Times housing reporter Liam Dillon and CALmatters’ data reporter Matt Levin chat about the latest developments in California housing policy and interview a key housing newsmaker. This week, Matt and Liam discuss the Margaret Atwood NIMBY controversy (3:00), why the housing package didn’t pass last week (8:00), and whether the state […]

By

Matt Levin

• September 6, 2017

Housing in a planned neighborhood off of 580 near Tracy

Explainers

Why the California housing market is so expensive in 2024

Half the state's households struggle to afford the roof over their heads. Here’s what you need to know about one of California’s most vexing issues.

By

Ben Christopher

,

Manuela Tobias

and

Matt Levin

• August 21, 2017

Economy

Amid housing crisis, why 2 out of 5 young Californians live at home

Nearly a decade removed from the depths of the Great Recession, a staggering 38 percent of California’s 18 to 34-year-olds still live with their parents.

By

Matt Levin

• May 10, 2017

Housing

What will a $6 billion cut to HUD mean for California’s housing woes?

Amid a worsening housing and homelessness crisis, President Trump's proposed $6 billion cut to the Department of Housing and Urban Development comes at an inopportune time for the Golden State.

By

Ben Christopher

• March 16, 2017

Education

To attract teachers, pricey school districts are becoming their landlords

Rizi Manzon is a teacher, so naturally, he has a lot to worry about: a stack of homework assignments to grade, a week’s worth of culinary arts classes to prepare for, kitchen supplies to purchase on his own time and dime. And the assorted crises, dramas, and anxieties of the 36 teenagers in his care […]

By

Ben Christopher

• March 1, 2017

Economy

The withering California Dream—by the numbers

The California dream isn’t dead. It just upped and moved to South Dakota. Less than half of people born in California in 1980 are making more money than their parents did as young adults. That’s the lowest percentage of children out-earning their parents that California has seen since at least 1940. By contrast, 62 percent […]

By

Matt Levin

• February 15, 2017