SF law expert: Washington/Oregon don't have CEQA. Why should CA?
For the LA Times, UC Davis land use law professor Chris Elmendorf analyzes Newsom's all-bark-and-no-bite approach to reforming California's Environmental Quality Act. Rather than begging judges to move faster, Newsom should look to Washington (which no longer does environmental review for urban housing projects) and Oregon (which uses urban growth boundaries in lieu of onerous approval processes). Big surprise: These states' housing projects aren't as “paralyzed” by NIMBYism and constrained supply.
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☆ Experts wonder if right-to-housing CA'n amendment “mere rhetoric,” Woke performativity
Opp Now exclusively spoke with seven urban policy profs, analysts, and housing providers to get to the bottom of proposed constitutional amendment ACA 10: which guarantees residents an equitably distributed “right to housing.” While some think ACA 10 is a step forward in combating neighborhood NIMBYism, others question if the amendment—vague, impractical, and tipped in local courts' hands—would truly benefit the Bay Area's housing market. Their perspectives (and alternative plans of action) below.
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9th circuit judges: Gov't “shirked its most basic responsibilities” to ensure safe public spaces
Few deny that local leaders are failing our community when it comes to dealing with homelessness. However, as CA'n judges clarify in a recent dissent, a cogent—yet overlooked—consequence of progressive homelessness laws is increasingly unsafe streets. By fighting for unrestricted shelter rights on sidewalks and near schools, the Left endangers public welfare, as many unhoused individuals face substance abuse challenges. From the LA Times.
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☆ Educational researcher: CA should be analyzing why some charters succeed and others fail
Stanford University's 2023 National Charter School Study spells out encouraging news for California charter schools, in which historically disadvantaged students perform better than their trad zip-code school “twins.” But their findings only tell half of the story, says the University of Illinois' Paul Bruno (an experienced researcher of CA charter schools). In this Opp Now exclusive, Bruno unpacks Stanford's results, and why we should study the factors behind large disparities between charters.
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☆ Oliverio: Absurdly long new hire onboarding process contributes to SJ City's labor woes
Are local unions saber-rattling over a potential strike, or is it just an oblique way to throw hair at a mayor who beat their chosen candidate last fall? Planning Commissioner and former CM Pierluigi Oliverio chats on the phone with Opp Now about the latest skirmish between City management and unions over new contracts. An Opp Now exclusive.
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SF case study: PSH doesn't (shouldn't) stand the test of time
As SJ leaders squabble over prioritizing quick vs. long-term homeless housing, the Hoover Institution points out why Permanent Supportive Housing has largely failed in SF. It's expensive; bureaucratic; and “barrier-free” generally translates to unsanitary, violent, overwhelming living conditions. Not to mention, many PSH tenants stay long term in tax-funded housing or return to homelessness.
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☆ Former SJ CM: Ortiz & Torres & Candelas out of line intimidating local business to unionize
A quick quiz: if you were a local businessperson, and you received a letter on city stationery saying you should unionize, would you feel a little, you know, coerced? Former CM Pete Constant weighs in on the hijinks of Ortiz, Torres, and Candelas in their efforts to bully local business Premier Recycle Company into unionizing. An Opp Now exclusive.
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☆ Waite: To break SJ City/Labor impasse, consider 18-month, instead of 3-year, contracts
Contract negotiations hit an impasse. Much posturing from Labor ensues. Strike threats loom. Pat Waite, chief of Citizens for Responsibility, offers a Third Way to call a halt to the Kabuki-like maneuvering: shorter contracts. An Opp Now exclusive.
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LA perspective: Oppressive zoning restrictions keep unhoused people unhoused
If local pols continue labeling homelessness as fundamentally a housing problem, it's time they address our restrictive zoning laws, says USC prof/housing expert Benjamin Henwood. These policies constrain housing supply, failing to meet market demand while ridiculously driving up homebuying costs—and this further complicates solutions for folks in the homelessness cycle. Originally from LAist.
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Insight: Even LA's progressive City Council vouches for CARE Court
CARE Court, passed statewide with “bipartisan and near-unanimous approval,” permits judges to send severely mentally ill/substance addicted individuals to compelled treatment. While many praise the bill as a step forward for local street safety, others like Supe Ellenberg are more dubious. Justin Gordon remarks on Twitter (below) that support for CARE Court is wide ranging, including even the far-left LA City Council when expediting the adoption process earlier this year.
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☆ Real estate prof: “Right to housing” amendment can't wave a wand and make housing scarcity disappear
CA isn't the first state to attempt to legally codify the access to housing (see ACA 10 perspectives here): for instance, if we look at NY's '80s-established “right to shelter.” Brooklyn Law School Real Estate Finance professor David Reiss discusses how local housing shortages are exacerbated by zoning codes that constrain and discourage new construction. He emphasizes our need for comprehensive, long-term strategies to increase housing supply—which are more effective than top-down controls, like laws guaranteeing shelter rights. An Opp Now exclusive.
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SJ City sets record straight on labor negotiations status
All sorts of wild claims are (predictably) emanating from the Labor Left about the impasse the City has reached with some unions regarding new contracts. The City's fact-based review of the current situation appears below.
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