Housing Crisis

Gov. Gavin Newsom's crusade against the oil industry over gas prices missed the larger point that the cost of nearly everything in California is very high.

As CalMatters’ new newsletter writer, I’m embarking on a periodic series of interviews with fellow newcomers — first-term California legislators. With resignations and redistricting, there are 31 brand new lawmakers who are also making this the most diverse Legislature ever. First up: Assemblymember Corey Jackson, who embodies this change. He’s a Moreno Valley Democrat, chairperson […]

California Democrats carved out the Dream for All money to help first-time buyers. The funds ran out after just 11 days with the average loan hitting $112,000.

A program to help mobile home park residents got a huge revamp last year because nobody was using it. Will more than tripling the size of the loan fund and streamlining the application process yield results?

It’s no surprise that California has an affordable housing crisis. It has squeezed 500,000 people out of the state and forced tens of thousands onto its streets.  But there’s an oft-overlooked group of Californians — 1.6 million of them — who live in mobile home parks. They tend to be older and poorer than the […]

Six years ago while running for governor, Gavin Newsom pledged an all-out effort to build 3.5 million new housing units by 2025. As that date nears, only a small fraction of that goal has materialized despite dozens of new laws and increased pressure on local governments.

Many Californians are still grappling with the hit to their wallets from the costs of, well, everything. That includes shockingly high natural gas bills, which have spiked to double the usual or more due to a cascade of issues: increased demand brought on by cold weather, tightened supply, pipeline and storage problems.  Gov. Gavin Newsom […]

A December report concluded that California can solve homelessness through investments of $8.1 billion in housing, shelter and supportive services every year for the next 12 years. The price tag is high, but advocates argue that the status quo will be more expensive.

In 2016, when California voters faced the choice of whether to legalize marijuana for recreational use, they heard promises that it would help end a racist “war on drugs,” bring a violent illegal market out of the shadows and, by the way, bring in tax revenue. Gavin Newsom, then lieutenant governor and now governor, said […]

A political and legal war between California's state officials and cities unhappy with their housing quotas is heating up, but one very exclusive community won't be bothered.