Terrific reporting here. calmatters.org/justice/2026...

CommunityScale mapped out the est winners/losers of a new change in fed law that increases/decreases certain federal economic development grant funding based on local housing production trends. Can't speak to the methodology, but a lot of red across SoCal. maps.communityscale.io?level=munici...

Barring an 11th hour, unexpected veto, the largest federal housing bill to come out of Congress in a generation is about to become law. The legislation doesn't do one big thing, but lots of little things. Here are a few that could make a difference in California calmatters.org/housing/2026...

"As of Wednesday morning, Palo Alto has seen five applications come in..." www.paloaltoonline.com/palo-alto/20...

Should Altadena get a temporary reprieve from two density-boosting state housing laws? At its core, the debate over SB 1090 is over who and what gets prioritized when a community is rebuilt after a natural disaster in California. calmatters.org/housing/2026...

Putting an anti-climactic cap on the Great California Transfer Tax Debate of 2026: LA city council voted NOT to put a measure on the Nov ballot to exempt new multifamily construction from the city's "mansion tax."

I cannot comprehend saying this like it's a bad thing.

Q: So are all the Democratic legislators who voted last week to put a Lite version of the Jon Coupal-backed tax-buster on the ballot (in exchange for getting HJTA to withdraw the Original Flavor one) now politically-, legally- or honor-bound to support the measure in November? A:

If you're wondering how the tax-chopping "Taxpayer Protection Act" got pulled California's November ballot at the last minute, how the deal was "pretty pleasing" to anti-tax advocate Jon Coupal or why anything about transfer taxes got left on the legislative floor: calmatters.org/housing/2026...

Wherein I say for ~ 1,001st time that water provision in mobile home parks is bad. Among a broader set of challenges and associated costs stemming back to utility-related infrastructure, but also mitigating and adapting to growing environmental hazards, such as heat. calmatters.org/housing/2026...

Added the following bit to last night's story with this response from the carpenters: calmatters.org/housing/2026...

A bill that would have included a new minimum wage for construction workers on streamlined townhouse projects has had the wage provision stripped out. This was the latest clash between the state carpenters' union and the state building trades. A W for the trades. calmatters.org/housing/2026...

The high cost of home repair is a challenge across the country, but California's mobile home parks are a particularly tough case. Here's a story I wrote about a state program aimed at revitalizing one of California’s most overlooked sources of affordable housing: calmatters.org/housing/2026...

Wild stuff here. In unrelated news, I had the most shockingly unpleasant experience at the offices of my new dentist, Dr. Ouchiemouth. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/18/u...

What a loss. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/04/w...

California voters are overwhelmingly Democratic and have been for a generation. So why is it so rare for two Dems to end up on the general election ballot statewide? From me and @jeannereporter.bsky.social on why the state just can't quit partisan match ups. calmatters.org/politics/202...

When is a minimum wage hike of more than $11 per hour actually a pay cut? The latest spat between two rival California construction unions over the future of California housing policy. calmatters.org/housing/2026...

Money can't buy you love, an end to Democrats' shutout concerns and a dispiriting night for California state lawmakers looking for other employment opportunities. Those and other takeaways from California's election: calmatters.org/politics/202...

For anyone else still inexplicably awake and dwelling on vagaries of California's weird ass electoral system, take a moment to consider the political life of Maria Alvarado-Gil. Back in 2022, Alvarado-Gil ran for state Senate but, objectively, it was a bit of a crazy thing to do. For one...

Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton were leading in the race for California governor in early returns Tuesday night, a nailbiter befitting the most unsettled gubernatorial race in recent memory. Data was updated June 2, 2026 at 11:26 PM. cal.news/43KLYbO

lol www.sacbee.com/news/politic...

I am so emotionally invested in this.

Local and state pro-development laws seem to be quietly putting Oakland's Planning Commission out of business. oaklandside.org/2026/05/19/o...

On my beat, this is a big deal. Cap-and-invest funds one of the few remaining ongoing sources of affordable housing dollars in California. calmatters.org/environment/...

Roughly 600,000 Californians still lack access to safe and reliable drinking water supplies. The problem will cost billions to fix. So why is the Newsom administration considering a climate overhaul that could gut a key source of funding?

"...we are on borrowed time as we run down inventories." calmatters.org/environment/...

I was on KQED Forum this morning talking about our new @calmatters.org investigation into Homekey -- Gov. Newsom's hallmark program to turn hotels into homeless housing. @kqedforum.bsky.social You can listen here: tinyurl.com/yeyvu88s

The crowded race to become California’s next governor may still be unsettled with no dominant front runner among a half dozen plausibly viable Democrats and two Republicans, but one clear victor has emerged: The Yes In My Backyard movement. calmatters.org/politics/202...

Prior to tonight’s California governor candidates housing forum, @politico.com published a comprehensive take on the leading Democrats’ housing plans. Some are making huge promises with shaky foundations. Here are some highlights and some context: (1/10) www.politico.com/news/2026/05...

This is very fun www.sfchronicle.com/projects/202...

Not even Hiram Johnson, one of modern California’s political founding fathers, knew what makes a good treasurer. The job, he said in 1911, is “merely clerical” and its “qualifications naturally can not be well understood.” So, uh, good luck deciding, California. calmatters.org/politics/202...

It's what you've all been waiting for ... CalMatters' Voter Guide has arrived! See the candidates, take the quiz, look up races here: calmatters.org/california-v...

TIL that Hiram Johnson, forefather of direct democracy in California, actually thought the election of the attorney general, treasurer, secretary of state and superintendent of public instruction was pretty dumb. (He did like voting for controller fwiw). governors.library.ca.gov/addresses/23...

If I understand the upshot of this analysis correctly, a "silver tsunami" isn't coming to the rescue of California's tight housing market. eyeonhousing.org/2026/04/the-...

A new double barrelled tax blaster sponsored by the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association is now officially headed for California's Nov ballot. Here's why LA's "mansion tax" is at the center of the coming fight. calmatters.org/housing/2026...

“People want a personality...You have to either be the loudest, you have to have gimmicks, you gotta do what you gotta do to get attention. I got no gimmicks.” calmatters.org/politics/202...

Last fall, CA legislators made it legal to build mid-rises in big metros near major transit stops. But SB79, which goes into effect on July 1, gave local govs wiggle room over the where, when and how of the new law. My story on how cities are starting to wiggle: calmatters.org/housing/2026...

Since 2020, California's density bonus law has been used to entitle "10 times as many homes" as SB 35, AB 2011, SB 6 and SB 9 combined, according to Circulate's analysis of state housing data. timesofsandiego.com/housing/2026...

Last year, I covered a legal dispute between a Carlsbad condo owner and his homeowners association over his right to turn his garage into an ADU. On Friday, a San Diego County judge ruled for HOA. (reposting with the right link this time!) calmatters.org/housing/2026...

Last year, I covered a legal dispute between a Carlsbad condo owner and his homeowners association over his right to turn his garage into an ADU. On Friday, a San Diego County judge ruled for HOA. lnkd.in/gsdf7qnz

The Takes giveth and the Takes taketh away.

AB 2166, part of a new package of bills aimed at boosting factory-built housing, represents (as far as I can tell) a first-of-its-kind policy idea for this state — and maybe any state. It would have taxpayers backstop construction insurance contracts. calmatters.org/housing/2026...

If you squint at this chart you can just make out the modest uptick in Meta's California lobbying spend in 2025 calmatters.org/politics/202...

Confirming my scoop from last week, Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced this deal with TotalEnergies today. Story w/ @bradplumer.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/2026/03/23/c...

Scott Wiener is known for being unusually good at passing bills and for his focus on housing policy, especially land use and permitting issues. Congress isn't known for either. My story on why California’s most prolific YIMBY lawmaker still wants to run for Congress calmatters.org/housing/2026...

really just overwhelmingly shaken by the bravery of these women to tell their stories, despite it all. plus the careful & brave investigation by these reporters www.nytimes.com/2026/03/18/u...

oh. calmatters.org/housing/home...

Get thee behind me, Satan