"Demographic change—not population growth—is the main driver of housing demand. And while the surge in new construction [in California] is welcome, it has not yet translated into meaningful relief for households struggling with high costs." www.ppic.org/blog/has-add...
Just released paper from @urbaninstitute.bsky.social examining upzonings in New York and Philadelphia argues that upzonings can lead to a major increase in housing production, particularly in areas with strong demand www.urban.org/research/pub...
Neighborhood scale upzonings increased housing production in many NYC neighborhoods
Upzoned block faces saw significant increases in housing unit permits in Philadelphia
How do upzonings impact housing supply?
In brand-new research published today @urbaninstitute.bsky.social, we show that big upzonings in New York City & Philadelphia had large, statistically significant effects on supply & permitting with several years of reforms.
www.urban.org/research/pub...
Graphic showing faster rebuilding in Santa Rosa and Paradise than Altadena and Pacific Palisades
Fifteen months after the Los Angeles wildfires, rebuilding is lagging behind other disasters. "There’s certainly no chance of them being this outlier of fast recovery. It’s not physically possible at this point." www.politico.com/news/2026/04...
Waffle chart showing half of destroyed properties don't have an application to rebuild after the 2025 LA wildfires
The record recovery that isn't. Rebuilding after last year's wildfires in Los Angeles lags behind other recent natural disasters in California www.politico.com/news/2026/04...
it's not where it starts, it's where it ends
right. i'm not denying these aren't hard questions. but this is supposed to be a three month scenario and once it turns into an indeterminate, one-year scenario you can see why this presents real problems
Undoubtedly a hard problem. Attacking it through an expensive, dramatic expansion of temporary shelter again improves lives and cleans up encampments but without housing on backend it’s understandable why the system ultimately breaks
Description of strict rules for people living in Inside Safe
Like no wonder that people chafe at living under these rules for a year (plus no outside guests!) and end up violating them and getting kicked out or otherwise leaving
Excellent piece filled with nuance on LA Mayor Karen Bass’ signature homelessness program. TLDR at great cost it’s improved the circumstances of many but takes too long to find people housing and lots end up back on the streets www.latimes.com/california/s...
The most constant complaint I've heard from LA wildfire survivors struggling to rebuild has been about problems with their insurance
In my reporting on wildfire recovery in California, I've learned so much from Katie Simmons who has dealt with disaster after disaster in Butte County over the past decade. So excited to read her new book www.amazon.com/Three-Fire-M...
I read this as Mrs. Doubtfire and can’t stop laughing
thankfully mark-paul gosselaar makes the cut
Measure ULA committee press release
For the Measure ULA heads. The LA City Council’s committee that aims to recommend a new local measure for the November ballot will be chaired by DTLA Councilmember Ysabel Jurado with Valley councilmembers John Lee and Imelda Padilla also on the panel.
![Just as the city provides certainty for developers who know what zoning rules allow when they plan projects and for tenants in rent-stabilized apartments, the same should be true for homeowners, said Maria Pavlou Kalban, vice president of the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association.
“I think [the principle] also applies to homeowners that buy into a neighborhood and assume that's what they bought into,” Pavlou Kalban said.
“Now, all of a sudden, that's changed,” she said, referring to the fallout from SB 79.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:kf7wovquyycgxbezaxwnvn72/bafkreiczxpyha43wfgqyqa2t5vrtahvhr5h37klovdhy5pe3yftnbwgjim)
Just as the city provides certainty for developers who know what zoning rules allow when they plan projects and for tenants in rent-stabilized apartments, the same should be true for homeowners, said Maria Pavlou Kalban, vice president of the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Association. “I think [the principle] also applies to homeowners that buy into a neighborhood and assume that's what they bought into,” Pavlou Kalban said. “Now, all of a sudden, that's changed,” she said, referring to the fallout from SB 79.
I was struck by this homeowner advocate's stance that buying a house in a single-family-home neighborhood means you should have a kind of "vesting" in that neighborhood remaining single-family — the same as a developer with zoning for their projects subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2026...
Across New Jersey, both residents and officials find themselves on the front lines of a “vicious” battle over future growth that is rooted in a landmark 1970s law to stamp out racial segregation.
Last year, the Los Angeles City Council voted to keep apartments out of single-family-home neighborhoods. A new state law is forcing councilmembers to change their minds. For @politico.com PRO subscribers: subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2026...
I'm moderating a panel on wildfire recovery in Los Angeles on Thursday afternoon, talking to key community leaders from Altadena, Pacific Palisades and Malibu. Should be informative! www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticket...
One update here. I've confirmed the LA city council ULA committee will have "up to five" members not three h/t @futureis.la
Thank you. Harris-Dawson’s office today gave me no update on that
For all the LA "mansion tax" watchers out there, the LA city council created a three-member committee today to recommend changes to the initiative for a possible new local vote on the Nov ballot. Comes as a potential Nov statewide initiative threatens to wipe out the tax.
Housing markets price access to reproductive health care. Post-Dobbs total abortion bans reduced rents by 2.2 percent and increased rental vacancy rates by 1.1 percentage points, from Daniel L. Dench, Kelly Lifchez, Jason M. Lindo, and Jancy Ling Liu www.nber.org/papers/w34921
NEW: The Trump plan to take over LA's wildfire rebuild is over before it started. www.politico.com/news/2026/03...
From the weekend: Why it makes sense that housing is where Trump and Mamdani can find common cause and how Mamdani and LA's Nithya Raman and seeking to upend a half century of urban housing politics and a decade-long fight on the left. www.politico.com/news/2026/03...
Moses Kagan tweet saying Nithya Raman was trying to "destroy" LA from 2023
Kagan tweet from 2026 saying he went to a Raman for mayor event
Want to understand why a Los Angeles apartment owner/real estate influencer would say that Nithya Raman was trying to "destroy" the city 2.5 years ago yet now is Raman-curious in the upcoming mayoral election? Buddy, do I have a story for you. www.politico.com/news/2026/03...
Two rising leaders in New York and Los Angeles are pushing for a fundamental revolution in urban housing politics: A unified progressive movement centered on renters instead of homeowners www.politico.com/news/2026/03...
A lot of things here. You could frame YIMBY inside progressive if you want. But regardless their view is more "free market" than the older, lefty homeowners they're reacting against. But by ignorning all this, the author doesn't frame or understand the housing debate here correctly.
