Flag of California and Statue of Liberty on sky background. Image by Arseniy45.OPINION – In this moment of both challenge and opportunity, California has the chance to lead by example. Let’s seize it—for the health of our communities, our neighborhoods’ resilience, and our planet’s future.
Image by mohd izzuanOPINION – California is grappling with three simultaneous crises: a shortage of affordable housing, land use decisions that subject vulnerable people and communities to dirty air and water, and rapid climate change that has led to record heat waves and dangerous wildfires. We count on our lawmakers to write and pass laws to combat these challenges. Unfortunately, AB 1893, authored by Assemblymember Buffy Wicks and sponsored by Attorney General Rob Bonta, will make them worse.
Housing image by zimmytwsOPINION: Los Angeles now exempts all affordable housing developments of more than 49 units from undergoing a site plan review – reducing development costs and speeding up the final approval of critical housing projects, but there is still resistance to new construction affordable housing due to pre-existing beliefs about its impact on neighborhoods and communities.
The high cost of living, image by William PotterOPINION – A groundbreaking and startling new report shows California is losing the battle to bring people out of homelessness because living in our state is simply unaffordable.
Tie dye house key by William Hager, ShutterstockOPINION: In California, where the housing affordability crisis only has worsened over the years, LGBTQ+ tenants are struggling to maintain stable, affordable housing.
Image by pbk-pg via ShutterstockOPINION – California’s housing affordability crisis isn’t getting better. And outdated ways of thinking have caused us to neglect one possible path toward fixing it.
Rents and home sale prices remain at historically high levels and home prices have only eased because soaring interest rates have added to the affordability crunch, leaving prospective buyers no better
Chris Nichols, Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft, Peter Cohen, Mark Stivers and Chione Fleagal at A Conference on Housing, March 9, 2023. Photo By Scott Duncan, Capitol WeeklyCAPITOL WEEKLY PODCAST: This Special Episode of the Capitol Weekly Podcast was recorded live at Capitol Weekly’s Conference on Housing, and presents Panel 2: Affordable Housing.
An elderly woman uses a walker to help her navigate a California street. (Photo: frantic00, via Shutterstock)OPINION: Look around. California’s population is aging and growing more diverse. Aging independently in one’s own home with economic security has become particularly challenging for too many older adults who for years have endured discrimination, inequities and health disparities. These challenges have only intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic and amid surging costs of living.
Masked youths walk down a street in Pacific Palisades, as a brush fire burns beyond the houses. (Photo: BrittanyNY, via Shutterstock)OPINION: California is laying the groundwork to transition millions of homes and buildings from fossil fuel heat to clean energy in coming decades, but the policies guiding our state’s investment in affordable housing are pushing California in the exact opposite direction — by penalizing developers who want to build sustainably.
A mother and her teen daughters looking at townhomes in Vista. (Photo: Simone Hogan, via Shutterstock)OPINION: The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored just how many Californians are living only a paycheck away from eviction or foreclosure. Thousands of Californians have fallen behind on their rents and mortgages as joblessness skyrocketed – with the Legislative Analyst’s Office estimating that even with unprecedented government assistance, Californians owed $400 million in unpaid rent in 2020.