Land Use in California

Housing is foundational to the California Dream, yet it has become one of the primary obstacles to livability in nearly every region of the state. From rising costs that push millions into poverty and result in longer commute times to new home production challenges, the inability of California to solve its housing crisis is negatively impacting opportunities to prosper, especially during a pandemic fueled recession that has crippled the financial security of millions of Californians and their communities. Released by CA FWD with support from Wells Fargo, “Regions Build Together – A Housing Agenda for All California” provides a regions-up housing agenda consisting of 14 practical actions that can relieve the state’s persistent housing crisis. The report looks at the state through nine regional housing markets to identify the current state of affordability, distinct challenges, and opportunities that can be replicated or scaled up at a state level.

Bay Area decision-makers face a critical challenge: to support continued inclusive economic growth while still maintaining a balance of open space that makes the Bay Area such a unique and beautiful region. This report provides a roadmap for those seeking to balance these goals.

As San Francisco grapples with its housing affordability crisis, short-term rentals—like those facilitated by homesharing sites Airbnb, FlipKey, and HomeAway—have come under heavy scrutiny from housing advocates and policymakers. Short-term rentals, or the concept of homesharing, have been subject to numerous attempts at regulation. They were first regulated in San Francisco in 2015 when the Board of Supervisors passed a law limiting homesharing to 90 days per year when the host is not present.

Housing affordability in San Francisco has reached a crisis point. With rents and home prices spiraling upward since the Great Recession, there has been no shortage of policy proposals envisioned to alleviate the city’s affordability problem. This analysis is the first to evaluate these proposals alongside each other using a consistent and comprehensive method to gauge their impact on affordability for individuals and families.

It has now been about a decade since California passed the Global Warming Solutions Act in 2006 and followed it with the supporting Sustainable Communities and Climate Protection Act in 2008. These landmark pieces of legislation, AB 32 and SB 375, set goals for the reduction of greenhouse gases statewide and for improving the ways in which we plan our communities. Yet California is falling short of its climate goals...