Housing

A worker in a white protective suit and neon safety vest bends over to collect belongings at a street encampment. Cardboard pieces and a yellow tent are visible beside the railing, with city trucks and police nearby.

Homelessness

Gov. Newsom launches new task force to clear California homeless encampments

The task force, made up of six different state agencies, is the latest effort by the Newsom administration to remove homeless encampments from California’s streets.

By

Marisa Kendall

• August 29, 2025

A person wearing a black hat and shirt stands near a cash register behind the counter of the check-out section of a grocery store. Various merchandise items can be seen in the foreground and background.

Climate Change

Why California backed down from forcing landlords to keep residents cool

Lawmakers will again fail to set a safe indoor temperature standard for housing, as builders and tenant advocates battle over the cost of retrofits.

By

Alejandra Reyes-Velarde

• August 29, 2025

A tattooed person in a trucker hat and red bandana covering their face plays guitar on a city street, while another person in a plaid shirt and jeans walks past. Behind them, tents, tarps, and piles of belongings line the sidewalk near a fenced industrial building.

Homelessness

California cities lack unified response on homeless encampments

When it comes to clearing homeless encampments, California cities are governed by a patchwork of very different policies.

By

Marisa Kendall

• August 21, 2025

Housing

Hidden in Trump’s spending package: A surprise boost to California’s affordable housing

Trump’s spending bill includes cuts to Medicaid, food assistance and more. But it also increases a federal tax credit that helps build affordable housing in California.

By

Ben Christopher

and

Marisa Kendall

• August 12, 2025

Construction workers are working on scaffolding on a five-story apartment building on a sunny day. On the ground floor, trucks and other construction tools can be seen parked near the building, and a construction worker is walking nearby in a hard hat.

Housing

California affordable housing programs are on the chopping block after Supreme Court ruling

Many California cities require homebuilders to create affordable housing or pay fees to support construction of those units. A new lawsuit contends those fees are unconstitutional.

By

Ben Christopher

• August 2, 2025

Housing

The Supreme Court criticized California development fees. A new court ruling just upheld them

An El Dorado County property owner for years has fought a $23,400 traffic mitigation fee that he was charged for building a single home.

By

Ben Christopher

• July 31, 2025

A heavily armed individual in military-style gear and a gas mask stands behind yellow caution tape marked "crime scene do not cross." They are holding a rifle and surrounded by others in tactical uniforms. Behind them, a crowd of onlookers gathers near a building with a sign that reads "ambiance – not open to the public." The scene appears tense, unfolding in an urban area.

Housing

They already live on the edge. Trump’s immigration crackdowns now threaten their housing

In Santa Rosa, a mother of six children says she’s struggling to pay the rent following her husband’s deportation — but fears eviction if she even requests to move into a smaller place from her landlord. In Los Angeles, a Latino family sued their landlord and a real estate agent over illegal eviction, only for […]

By

Yue Stella Yu

and

Ben Christopher

• July 30, 2025

A small duplex-style home with a light gray exterior and dark roof sits behind a wide, green lawn in a residential neighborhood. Two front porches, each with their own entrance, are framed by white railings and modest steps. Shrubs and tropical plants surround the house, and a sidewalk cuts through the grass leading to the doorways. Air conditioning units are visible on the roof of a neighboring building in the background.

Housing

So many reasons to stay put: What’s behind California’s frozen housing market?

What happens when you take high interest rates, unpredictable tariffs, a shortage of homes, a 50-year-old property tax law and mix them together? A housing market stuck in molasses.

By

Ben Christopher

• July 28, 2025

A row of tents lines a sidewalk next to a chain-link fence in an urban area. A person wearing a hoodie and backpack stands near the tents, surrounded by scattered belongings and trash. Parked vehicles line the street to the right, and multi-story buildings are visible in the background under an overcast sky.

Homelessness

Trump’s crackdown on homelessness: What does it mean for California?

Trump’s call to enforce bans on encampments echoes Newsom’s policy. But the president wants to upend two other core tenets of California’s homelessness response.

By

Marisa Kendall

• July 25, 2025

Housing

California, epicenter of the nation’s housing crisis, is finally getting a housing agency

Aside from giving housing and homelessness its own box atop Gov. Gavin Newsom’s organizational chart, the reorg is supposed to simplify the state’s snarled affordable housing financing system.

By

Ben Christopher

• July 11, 2025