Focus
S.F. proposal poised to spread rent control in city, but the choice is up to California voters
San Francisco Chronicle – September 10
This fall, California voters will decide whether the state should continue prohibiting cities and counties from enacting or expanding rent control. If they vote “yes” in November, San Francisco could be ready to extend the caps to many of the city’s renters. Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin has introduced an ordinance to expand the city’s rent control ordinance, which caps annual rental increases for residential units in buildings constructed before 1979. The ordinance would extend the cap to multifamily properties built between June 13, 1979, and Nov. 5, 2024.
News
A plot of land in Southern California could be a game-changer for the housing crisis
Vox – September 12
Soaring prices put purchasing homes out of reach for most people, but building new housing is slow and expensive. So far, most solutions to this housing crisis have focused on subsidizing prospective buyers. But what if there were a way to make housing cheaper at every step of the process: cheaper to build, cheaper to buy, and still affordable for the next resident? In San Bernardino, a first-of-its-kind experiment, involving factory-built housing, ADUs, and community land trusts, is underway to test these ideas on a single plot of land.
Landmark Bay Area regional plan to combat sea-level rise unveiled
KQED – September 16
The Bay Conservation and Development Commission on Monday released a plan to protect the Bay Area region from the impacts of sea-level rise. Regulators estimate it will cost $110 billion to construct all the seawalls, levees, marshes, and other adaptation projects to protect the 400 miles of bay shoreline. But they believe it would cost the region far more, $230 billion, if it did nothing. The state agency’s plan outlines eight regional priorities, one of which is reducing contaminated sites.
Governor Newsom’s office critiques Norwalk’s extension of homeless shelter ban
Whittier Daily News – September 17
Governor Gavin Newsom’s office on Wednesday rebuked the Norwalk City Council’s decision the night before to extend its ban on homeless shelters and supportive housing by just over 10 months. Council members, without discussion, voted 5-0 Tuesday night to extend the moratorium. Newsom said on Monday that the California Department of Housing and Community Development issued a notice of violation to the city warning of impending legal action should the city not reverse course.
2025 California energy code updates aim to drive heat pump adoption, save nearly $5B in energy costs
Smart Cities Dive – September 17
The California Energy Commission has adopted updates to the state’s Building Energy Efficiency Standards, or energy code, to support the state’s clean energy, public health, and climate goals. If approved by the California Building Standards Commission, the 2025 update would take effect Jan. 1, 2026. The energy code updates encourage installing heat pumps in new homes and certain nonresidential buildings and establishing electric-ready requirements for commercial kitchens and some multifamily buildings, among other changes.
Long Beach offers zero-interest loans for homeowners to build backyard housing units
KTLA – September 13
The City of Long Beach is launching a pilot program that will award up to 10 residents no-interest loan financing to construct an accessory dwelling unit on their property. The goal of the Backyard Builders Program is to incentivize and make it easier for homeowners in the city to create an affordable rental unit on their property by assisting with financing, designing, construction, and the permitting process.
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