Affordable Housing

For years Laurel LaMont has fought for better options for what she calls the “missing middle,” often referred to as workforce housing. Now she is being evicted.

As voters weigh whether to allow local governments to expand rent control, elected officials in San Francisco and Los Angeles have already shown interest in doing so. In other cities, local laws could automatically cap annual rent increases on some single-family homes and newer apartment buildings if Prop. 33 passes.

Proposition 33 on local rent control and the related Proposition 34 are attracting the most campaign cash by far of the 10 ballot measures. But the amount pales to what was spent on dueling sports betting measures in 2022.

The Yes and No on 33 campaigns have collectively spent more than $140 million. CalMatters fact checked some of the more pervasive claims made by both sides.

California allotted half a billion dollars to help community land trusts across the state. But budget cuts and bureaucracy have land trust advocates back where they were in 2020: seeking state aid to preserve affordable housing.

The Legislature is willing to guarantee $500 million annually to affordable housing developers, but with a caveat.

Some Democrats are pushing bills that could put their colleagues on the hot seat in an election year. The authors say they’re representing their constituents and there’s never a perfect time for votes.

Several efforts to minimize the power and influence of the California Coastal Commission have stalled.

California voters are deciding the fate of Proposition 5, which appears on the November ballot. A local mayor says a lower threshold for approving bond measures will make it easier for governments to build housing and improve infrastructure.

California faces twin crises of homelessness and affordability, yet state leaders approved budget cuts and killed a proposed $10 billion affordable housing bond. You can't solve the housing crisis on the cheap.