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

There are nearly 40k “near construction” affordable units stuck in financial purgatory, according to a new report. California has seen gridlock in affordable housing production before, but the precise location of the traffic jam has changed over time. calmatters.org/housing/2026...

An especially happy first night of Daylight Savings Time to the manufacturers of child-grade melatonin gummies.

"Put succinctly: The sale of an apartment costing more than half a million dollars seems to have created a vacancy at a homeless shelter." www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...

The report from the State Fire Marshal stresses that IF state legislators want to raise the single stair maximum, they should go no higher than four stories. Meanwhile, @votealexlee.bsky.social has a spot bill to allow single-stair apts "with 4 or more stories." calmatters.org/housing/2026...

Two months past its statutory deadline, the state fire marshal's assessment of single-stair regulations, is now live! (Reposting with a url that hopefully actually works this time; thanks @annepaulson.bsky.social) 34c031f8-c9fd-4018-8c5a-4159cdff6b0d-cdn-endpoint.azureedge.net/-/media/calf...

A federal program providing housing assistance to more than 900 San Francisco households will expire sooner than expected. While the city has proposed a transition plan, families say they have little clarity, or control, over what comes next. www.sfpublicpress.org/im-going-to-...

Asm. Alex Lee, who passed California's single-stair study bill in 2024, has a spot (placeholder) bill, AB 2252, to enact the reform. The state fire marshal was supposed to release their single-stair report almost two months ago, but has not. leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNa...

Took a little detour from my typical housing policy coverage to work on this story with @gauchoesque.bsky.social about the tension between California's ambitious climate/decarbonization goals and our punishingly high electricity prices. calmatters.org/environment/...

Congrats to BART rider and Oakland legend Alysa Liu on winning a gold medal at the Olympics and making the Bay Area proud!

Redlining across Los Angeles predicts bird segregation half a century later! Racial segregation is for the birds.

For a possible story...Do I have any homeowners following me who have recently installed a heat pump (or seriously looked into doing so and then opted not to)?

Is this going to be the Year of the Housing Factory in California? calmatters.org/housing/2026...

"I am very tired, very stomachy & hate nearly the whole world" is almost, verbatim, something my four-year-old says on a regular basis.

"By withdrawing its own so-called 'endangerment finding,' the EPA is abandoning its justification for federal tailpipe standards, power plant rules and fuel economy regulations. California...is expected to sue over the decision." calmatters.org/environment/...

In 2023, the state's fire marshal was tasked with putting together a report with recommendations on if/how the state should change its building code to allow for taller single stair apartments. The deadline was Jan. 1. Still waiting... calmatters.org/housing/2026...

I appreciate the journalistic effort here, but don't let Newsom off easy here. We need PRAs. www.politico.com/newsletters/...

ah yes, this old chestnut: "The latest push to become a charter city was started by a coalition of Atherton residents working on the town’s housing element, hoping to avoid some housing requirements imposed by the state." www.almanacnews.com/atherton/202...

Measure ULA* is here to stay for now. And so our state once again turns its eyes to the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association... calmatters.org/housing/2026...

Sometimes it takes a bit for national (or really, any) media to catch up with a story but now the New York Times is noting the video did not show Alex Pretti brandishing a gun as ICE has claimed. www.nytimes.com/live/2026/01...