Exterior view of modern apartment building offering luxury rental units in Silicon Valley; Sunnyvale, San Francisco bay area, CaliforniaOPINION — Landlords have begun using special AI computer software, known as “pricing algorithms,” to fix rents sky high.
Happy senior couple from behind looking at front of house and carOPINION – Over five years ago, California made a historic commitment to prepare for the demographic shift underway as millions of Californians live longer, healthier lives. Buy homelessness among adults 50+ is growing faster than any other age group, with nearly half of Californians experiencing homelessness over age 50.
Aerial view of unfinished wooden frames of affordable houses under construction. Development of residential housing in American suburbs. Real estate market in the USA.OPINION – With some of the most expensive housing in the country, the Legislature has spent years trying to make it easier to build more homes by cutting red tape and reducing unnecessary barriers. The Legislature passed a major housing reform package meant to help projects move faster and build the housing Californians desperately need. The goal was right. But parts of that law lack the legal certainty to be effective.
Image by JubJob.OPINION – California voters have a right to know whether their next Governor will stand up for a program that has delivered some of the most success in reducing homelessness, despite costing less than half a percent of state spending.
Image by Kirk Fisher.OPINION – California policymakers are obsessed with boosting “affordable housing,” which makes sense when housing in the state is out of reach to a large portion of its residents. They’re trying to solve the problem from the wrong end, though. The supply of affordable housing is best expanded not by focusing on building homes with artificially cheap price tags but by increasing the construction pace of all homes.
Single staircase apartment building. Image by Cebas. Numerous fire departments expressed opposition to relaxing building codes in a California Fire Marshal report, published Monday, that examines the safety of multifamily-unit buildings three or more stories tall.
Capitol Weekly Editor Rich Ehisen interviews Asm. Buffy Wicks at a Conference on Housing, Feb. 24, 2026 in Sacramento. Photo by Joha HarrisonPanelists grappled with California’s housing crisis Tuesday at Capitol Weekly’s first conference of 2026, painting a discouraging picture of the current state of affairs in the Golden State. Panels explored permitting reform, the impact of environmental concerns and new ideas for addressing affordability, punctuated by a keynote address from Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland), who acknowledged the loads of work that still needs to be done but also sounded an optimistic note that things could improve in California.
Image via Boxabl. The lack of enough affordable housing has plagued California for decades. Can factory-built homes be at least part of the solution? A growing number of housing advocates believe the answer is yes.
Image by Sinenkiy. OPINION – California has spent too long treating our most pressing challenges as unsolvable. Housing isn’t unsolvable. It requires political courage, creative policy, and a willingness to use every available tool.
Diverse people in a support groupOPINION – California still lacks a clear, enforceable, statewide certification for recovery residences—one that is distinct from treatment and grounded in nationally recognized standards. Without that clarity, recovery housing exists in a policy gray zone.