California

https://www.berkeleyside.org/2025/08/01/housing-south-berkeley-2655-shattuck-approved

The Guardian, being a UK publication, describes Pacific Grove, on Monterey Bay, as "Southern California" but otherwise gets things right.

Archived copies of the article:

• archive.today
• web.archive.org
• ghost.archive.org - missing photos

California is facing the WORST housing crisis in the United States

Visible homelessness is out of control.

One of the reason California is in this mess? Most cities use zoning to require single family homes. Multi-story housing is significantly cheaper to build than single family homes. Yet most California cities ban multifamily housing.

Take for instance Los Angeles. The pink area is single-family homes ONLY:

That's right. The second biggest US city doesn't allow multi-story housing in a majority of its land.

Texas is run by a bunch of religious weirdos. Yet they don't have a housing crisis. You know why? Because these religious weirdos are building housing at over twice the rate of California:

In 2020, a California state senator named Senator Scott Wiener introduced a bill to change zoning rules

His bill would have automatically allowed multi-story housing near train stations, metro stations, bus lines and schools. This is not a radical proposal. This is common sense.

California politicians killed the bill.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/30/business/economy/sb50-california-housing.html

Today, he is trying again.

Bill SB-79 will make it legal to build more multi-family housing near rail stations and rapid bus lines, including in areas where such homes are currently illegal.

https://calmatters.digitaldemocracy.org/bills/ca_202520260sb79

Housing experts support the bill 🏘️

Transit agencies support the bill 🚍

Amtrak supports the bill 🚆

Yet some angry homeowners are now calling their politicians, urging them to kill this bill again 🤦

https://www.kqed.org/news/12042670/controversial-housing-near-transit-bill-advances-to-next-stop-in-legislature

Take for instance columnist Steve Williams:

https://redstate.com/steve-williams/2025/07/21/sb-79-sacramentos-plot-to-shove-high-rises-into-your-neighborhood-and-shut-you-up-about-it-n2191881

Recently, powerful Senator Josh Becker - who represents Menlo Park, Mountain View and Palo Alto - said he changed his mind. His constituents want to kill affordable housing:

https://www.paloaltoonline.com/housing/2025/06/11/despite-advancing-fate-of-housing-bill-sb-79-remains-uncertain/

Why is LA spending money to build metro stations in the middle of fucking nowhere 🤨?!

More housing near transit is a great idea.

If bill SB-79 is killed, this will be a huge defeat from the transit system and affordable housing.

https://calmatters.org/housing/2025/04/committee-chairs-housing-policy/

There is a fucking housing WAR happening right now. If you don't fight this war, young people, renters, transit users, and new home buyers will lose.

Please call your representatives. Tell them to support Bill-S79:

https://www.assembly.ca.gov/assemblymembers

I'll note the context here:

• The federal government is restricting renewables
• And also threatening to open up drilling in populated areas (with the associated health risks)
• The cost of plugging existing unplugged wells in California is likely to be only about 1/3 of the future oil industry profits in the state

I believe the single-most important bill right now in California is SB 79.

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB79

This bill would be a real game changer for housing, transit, and the environment.

Many transit stations are surrounded by zoning rules that ban apartment buildings. Bill SB 79 would force all California cities to legalize walkable multi-family housing near transit stops.

https://laist.com/news/transportation/denser-housing-near-transit-sb-79

This would be a huge win in many cities.

Rich people in Palo Alto and Menlo Park are protesting against the bill🤦

https://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/2025/04/22/proposed-housing-bill-raises-height-limits-and-alarms-in-palo-alto/

https://www.paloaltoonline.com/housing/2025/06/11/despite-advancing-fate-of-housing-bill-sb-79-remains-uncertain/