HCD Estimates Around 300,000 Housing Units in Pipeline Statewide
The Department of Housing and Community Developed released its annual update on the state's progress towards housing goals, highlighting each jurisdictions' applications, entitlements, building permits and completions. Currently, plans for 14,761 very low income units have been submitted, and 4,943 very low income units are complete. That number increases by income breakdown, with 197,195 above moderate income units submitted, with 79,149 above moderate income units completed. Los Angeles leads the above moderate units currently in construction, and nearly meets San Francisco's very low income unit production at 554 units. The release highlights the jurisdiction compliance with state housing element compliance, finding that 37.92% of the state is out of compliance for the current housing element cycle.
Audits Reveal Inefficient Spending on Homelessness
A pair of statewide audits on California's homelessness spending found a lack of transparency and accountability in spending, without clear metrics on the effectiveness of state programs, particularly for cities including San Jose and San Diego. San Diego city officials spent over $128 million on homelessness programs in a three year span from 2020 to 2023 but did not define any goals or preferred outcomes, including occupancy goals. The state's audit found that, despite allocating $24 billion over five years, the state overall struggles to outline outcomes and costs. The audit concluded Newsom's Homekey initiative's appears promising while many other programs lack sufficient data. Lawmakers call for increased transparency, but opinions differ on whether to halt spending as the homelessness crisis continues.
Notorious San Francisco Project Results in Financial Hit to YIMBY Group
Housing advocacy group YIMBY Action will pay $32,000 in legal costs to San Francisco following a lawsuit filed in 2022 over the city's handling of a housing project at 469 Stevenson St. The lawsuit accused officials of violating state laws by delaying the 495-unit housing proposal. The settlement also includes the group dropping its plans to appeal the suit. San Francisco's YIMBY movement, which advocates for increased housing development, has taken other cities to court over similar issues. The 469 Stevenson St. project, although eventually approved, faced significant delays and garnered national media attention. Despite criticism from some officials, YIMBY Action considers the controversy surrounding the development a victory, citing legislative changes in Sacramento as a result of the lawsuit.
Report Finds Major Shortfall in Affordable Housing Funding Statewide
The California Partnership's 2024 California Affordable Housing Needs Report finds that, despite doubling the production of new affordable homes in the last five years, California is only providing funding for 12% of the required amount to meet its goals. Additional key findings include the discovery that the state allocates over twice as much financial support to homeowners compared to renters, with only 23% of resources for renters being permanent, contrasting with the 98% permanence in support for homeowners and median rent has surged 37% since 2000 while median household income has only increase 7% (adjusted for inflation). Policy suggestions include prioritizing sustainable funding for affordable housing, including supporting a $10 billion bond (AB 1657) and making the Low-Income Housing Tax Credits permanent. Additionally, the study suggests integrating the Multifamily Housing Program into the baseline budget with incremental funding increases and reducing development costs through tax exemptions, state funding during construction and capping monitoring fees.
California Cities Score Highly in Ranking of Transportation Sustainability
StreetLight Data, Inc.'s recent ranking of transportation climate performance among major US metro areas highlights notable trends within California cities. While regions like San Jose, San Francisco and San Diego lead in factors such as vehicle miles traveled and electric vehicle penetration, they also excel in biking activity, reflecting a growing trend towards alternative modes of travel. San Jose emerges as a top performer overall despite its lower transit ranking, showcasing the significance of factors like fuel economy and EV adoption rates. Conversely, areas like Bakersfield and Sacramento face challenges, ranking lower in overall climate impact due to fewer fuel-efficient vehicles and alternative transportation options. The ranking underscores the importance of regional disparities and the need for targeted interventions to address transportation emissions within California's diverse urban landscapes.
CP&DR Legal Coverage: CEQA Applies to Completed Projects; Huntington Beach Forced to Process Housing Applications
A California Environmental Quality Act challenges to the expansion of a gun club on land owned by the City of Ukiah in unincorporated Mendocino County isn’t moot simply because the expansion has been completed, an appellate court has ruled. The club alleged a wide range of errors on the part of both the city and the county and asserted that the project was not exempt from CEQA. However, Vichy never requested that construction of the expansion be stopped and it is now complete, which led the city and the county argued that the legal challenge was moot. The case will now return to Mendocino County Superior Court for more action. In a separate case, a Superior Court judge has ordered the City of Huntington Beach to continue processing a wide variety of housing applications and suspended the city’s ability to knock down the density on projects identified in the housing element, pending resolution of a lawsuit from the state.
Quick Hits & Updates
The Los Gatos Town Council voted to rescind parts of the 2040 General Plan rather than putting it on the November ballot, opting to delay further discussion until the Housing Element is certified, following an appeal by the Los Gatos Community Alliance. The decision, made almost two years after the plan's approval, reflected concerns about the complexity of land use issues and the desire to wait for the Housing Element's approval before making further decisions.
Santa Ana City Council unanimously passed an urgency ordinance banning short-term rentals, with supporters arguing that such rentals impact residents' quality of life and exacerbate housing shortages. Despite some dissent, the council voted to clarify the city's existing ban on short-term rentals, with many officials suggesting that regulations may be considered in the future to address concerns about residents who rely on short-term rental income.
San Francisco will implement red-light right-turn bans at approximately 200 intersections in and around downtown, extending upon the successful pilot project in the Tenderloin area. The project aims to improve pedestrian safety by keeping crosswalks clear of turning vehicles, with plans to complete installation by August 2025.
A new policy brief by SPUR analyzes the support the city of San Francisco should offer small businesses to help revitalize downtown, concluding the city should make the First Year Free program permanent, reduce licensing fees, improve the permitting processes and explore creative public financing strategies to fill vacant spaces.
The Oakland Athletics are reportedly finalizing plans to temporarily move the team to Sacramento next season, as owner John Fisher moves forward with his plan to relocate the A's to Las Vegas. The team's Coliseum lease expires after this season, and while no lease extension was reached with Oakland and Alameda County officials, Sacramento has shown more positive feedback, potentially allowing the A's to share Sutter Health Park with the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats for three seasons.
A new report from the UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies and published by the UC Berkeley Terner Center, explores the impacts of Inclusionary Zoning on housing production and affordability, with a focus on Los Angeles’ Transit Oriented Communities program. LA’s TOC program was implemented beginning in 2017 with a goal of boosting housing production, including below-market rate units, near bus and train stations.
A recent study led by researchers at Stanford University and the Mexico Autonomous Institute of Technology reveals a significant increase in the average distance between workers' homes and their jobs, nearly tripling from 10 miles in 2019 to 27 miles in 2023, with over 5% of workers living over 50 miles from their employers. This trend, particularly pronounced among high-income Millennial tech workers, is attributed to the rise of remote work, impacting employee demographics and commuting patterns across various industries.
A new study investigates grocery store visit patterns among residents in under-resourced neighborhoods east and northeast of Downtown Los Angeles using spatially aggregated population mobility data from 2021. It found that residents made frequent visits to grocery stores, with only a small percentage of visits within their home census tracts, and that visit frequency was associated with neighborhood sociodemographics and grocery store accessibility. The research highlights the utility of mobility data in understanding grocery store use and identifies factors that may facilitate or hinder store access, emphasizing the limitations of geographically constrained metrics like food deserts.
The Conrad Prebys Foundation is providing $303,000 to support San Diego's Civic Center redevelopment project, aiming to revitalize six city-owned blocks downtown. With assistance from the Downtown San Diego Partnership, the foundation has hired U3 Advisors to explore redevelopment options, focusing on creating a mixed-use hub with affordable housing units.
The city of Los Angeles will make significant bus, bike and walk upgrades to Hollywood Boulevard, aiming to improve safety and attract visitors to the iconic area. The project includes improvements along two stretches of the boulevard, with LADOT focusing on protected bike lanes and BOE implementing bus lanes and pedestrian enhancements. Despite challenges like traffic congestion and homelessness, the project aims to create a more inviting and accessible environment for residents and tourists alike, with construction expected to begin later this year and completion set for the first half of 2025.
The Los Gatos Town Council voted to rescind parts of the 2040 General Plan rather than putting it on the November ballot, opting to delay further discussion until the Housing Element is certified, following an appeal by the Los Gatos Community Alliance. The decision, made almost two years after the plan's approval, reflected concerns about the complexity of land use issues and the desire to wait for the Housing Element's approval before making further decisions.
Santa Ana City Council unanimously passed an urgency ordinance banning short-term rentals, with supporters arguing that such rentals impact residents' quality of life and exacerbate housing shortages. Despite some dissent, the council voted to clarify the city's existing ban on short-term rentals, with many officials suggesting that regulations may be considered in the future to address concerns about residents who rely on short-term rental income.
San Francisco will implement red-light right-turn bans at approximately 200 intersections in and around downtown, extending upon the successful pilot project in the Tenderloin area. The project aims to improve pedestrian safety by keeping crosswalks clear of turning vehicles, with plans to complete installation by August 2025.
A new policy brief by SPUR analyzes the support the city of San Francisco should offer small businesses to help revitalize downtown, concluding the city should make the First Year Free program permanent, reduce licensing fees, improve the permitting processes and explore creative public financing strategies to fill vacant spaces.
The Oakland Athletics are reportedly finalizing plans to temporarily move the team to Sacramento next season, as owner John Fisher moves forward with his plan to relocate the A's to Las Vegas. The team's Coliseum lease expires after this season, and while no lease extension was reached with Oakland and Alameda County officials, Sacramento has shown more positive feedback, potentially allowing the A's to share Sutter Health Park with the Triple-A Sacramento River Cats for three seasons.
A new report from the UCLA Lewis Center for Regional Policy Studies and published by the UC Berkeley Terner Center, explores the impacts of Inclusionary Zoning on housing production and affordability, with a focus on Los Angeles’ Transit Oriented Communities program. LA’s TOC program was implemented beginning in 2017 with a goal of boosting housing production, including below-market rate units, near bus and train stations.
