Affordable Housing

Most of what Californians experience with homelessness occurs along public spaces and city streets. With more than 170,000 unhoused people in the state, residents often see the crisis reflected in encampment tents along a roadside or panhandling on street corners. But one aspect of homelessness has surprisingly presented itself in Ojai, a small mountain valley […]

From CalMatters’ state Capitol reporter Sameea Kamal and climate policy reporter Alejandro Lazo: The budget agreement that legislative Democrats plan to pass Thursday partly addresses the major concerns facing some public transit agencies in California, which have pleaded for state assistance as they continue to deal with a statewide $6 billion deficit due in large […]

A new interpretation of an old law gives homebuilders leverage over California cities and their zoning codes. They’re using it to push through thousands of new apartments around the state.

A bill to tax Airbnb and other short-term rentals to fund affordable housing projects could be voted on by the Senate as soon as today. The proposal has revived the debate over Airbnb and its role in the housing crisis.

A bill would hold security deposits to one month’s rent, not three. The California Apartment Association says it could drive up rents, making it harder to find a home.

We’re getting down to crunch time at the state Capitol — with a Friday deadline for bills to pass their first house and a June 15 deadline for lawmakers to pass a budget and still get paid. Gov. Gavin Newsom will be a looming presence over both. The prospect of a veto is one factor […]

Reuse, reduce… recalibrate?  According to one watchdog agency, California is “falling short” in its ambitious organic waste recycling efforts and may need to hit the pause button until state agencies and local governments can sort themselves out. But that rankled the state officials in charge, who considered the very suggestion, well, garbage — prompting a […]

If the Legislature approves the sweeping proposals to reform a landmark environmental law that Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed Friday, industry groups and developers may have one less roadblock to face in constructing ambitious projects, including affordable housing and critical infrastructure.  But if the concerns of environmentalists go unaddressed, the state may set off a new […]

From CalMatters’ housing reporter Ben Christopher: Ever since a California court ruled earlier this year that UC Berkeley violated the state’s premier environmental protection law by failing to account for “student-generated noise” at a proposed housing development, we knew this was coming. In response to that ruling, Gov. Gavin Newsom called the state’s environmental review […]

What are the big takeaways from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s updated 2023-24 budget proposal, the so-called May revise? The impact of climate change. Fiscal restraint with a looming recession. And almost certainly, no tax increases to cover the growing budget deficit. The spending plan Newsom unveiled Friday anticipates a $31.5 billion deficit, up from $22.5 billion […]