California YIMBY

The Housing Strategy That Has California NIMBYs in a Corner

"Brian Hanlon, chief executive of California YIMBY, a group that pushes for more housing, referred to the builder’s remedy as 'the NIMBY sword of Damocles.' Just the threat of it has prompted cities to accept more housing than they had in decades."

Shoutout to our co-hosts, YIMBY Dems of San Diego and @circulatesd.bsky.social for helping bring this community together.

Town halls like this, and the dedication of grassroots YIMBYs, are building real momentum for the year ahead.

Several dozen pro housing activists looking very cool and stylish.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the San Diego Legislative Town Hall. Your energy, ideas, and commitment made the conversation productive and the day a real success.

We look forward to working with the Pro Tem to address our housing crisis and ensure California is an affordable place to live, work, and raise a family.

California YIMBY proudly congratulates Senator Monique Limón on making history as the first Latina and first mother to serve as the State Senate’s President pro Tempore.

Los Angeles desperately needs new housing. So why are its politicians still fighting SB79? OPINION: “By halting the development of new homes and fighting the state’s attempts to reform zoning, L.A. officials risk repeating mistakes from the past,” Justin Ray writes.

“By halting the development of new homes and fighting the state’s attempts to reform zoning, L.A. officials risk repeating mistakes from the past — only this time, with half a million more people needing a place to live.”

"'Places with tons of high-paying jobs and a massive housing shortage, they’re not going to do that themselves,' @hanlon.bsky.social says. 'You need to do that at a higher level.'"

Great point! Ownership is a major focus of our 2026 policy agenda. Stay tuned!

Will the YIMBY ‘Holy Grail’ Deliver an LA Building Boom? Supporters of the California zoning reform bill SB 79 say it will unleash a wave of multistory apartment buildings. In low-rise-loving Los Angeles, that could be a tall order.

Great piece about where the post-SB 79 housing policy conversation is headed: reducing costs, speeding permitting, easing financing, and making new apartment buildings more beautiful for the neighbors and livable for their residents.

We need to build more homes in the places people want to live.

Street view of the site, prior to development. The site was vacant, with a large mature tree.

Site after development, from the real estate listing. A triplex is now located on the site and the tree remains.

Parking was one of the more controversial aspects to Portland's Residential Infill Project.

This newly built triplex at SE 16th & Morrison is a good example of how eliminating parking requirements allowed a mature tree to be saved. www.redfin.com/OR/Portland/...

Though they are usually well intentioned, unfunded inclusionary zoning requirements make housing less affordable by increasing the cost of building new homes, which worsens the housing shortage and drives up rents.

An incomplete list of cities where housing abundance was a major campaign issue & pro-housing candidates held or expanded majorities:
- Bozeman, MT
- Cambridge, MA
- Durham, NC
- Kalispell, MT
- Littleton, CO
- Manchester, NH
- Missoula, MT
- Salt Lake City, UT
- Seattle, WA
- Wilmington, NC

💪

Yesterday's other big theme, besides how much the electorate hates Trump, is that voters really want more housing built.

Some good news for housing in California:

The Impact of Fees: Rethinking Local Revenues for More Multifamily Housing - California YIMBY Dive into in-depth research reports commissioned by the California YIMBY Education Fund on on housing policy, advocacy, and legislation.

The average impact fee on a multifamily unit in California is $21,703, nearly triple the national average of $8,034. cayimby.org/reports/the-...

California housing advocates throw San Francisco party. What did they celebrate? “This was the year that it feels like housing policy broke through,” one attendee said.

The Bee wrote an article about @cayimby.bsky.social's San Francisco Victory Party!

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

If you don’t have tickets yet, you can get them online and show us your receipt at the door. See you soon!

Be part of California YIMBY’s SF Victory Celebration! Join us in San Francisco on October 30.

There’s still time to grab a ticket to our SF victory party on Thursday!

secure.actblue.com/donate/sfvp-...

Be part of California YIMBY’s SF Victory Celebration! Join us in San Francisco on October 30.

California YIMBY is having our big annual party this Thursday and YOU are invited. Come through!

secure.actblue.com/donate/sfvp-...

Come to this party, all of the cool kids will be there

Read the report: cityofpaloalto.primegov.com/viewer/previ...

Housing Development Economic Feasibility and Implementation Analysis prepared for the City of Palo Alto

Table explaining development cost results for various types of projects.

Palo Alto just released a financial feasibility analysis of development in its downtown. Key takeaways:

-Nothing is feasible under current market conditions

-Removing impact fees—which are over $100/square foot and ~15% of TOTAL cost for midrise housing—would have a huge impact

For the record, we are not sponsoring all the bills in the fast track housing package. We just host the website.

Close examination by The Pew Charitable Trusts and the Center for Building in North America finds no evidence of safety risks for single-stairway buildings with sprinklers. From 2012 to 2024, fire death rates in modern single-stairway four-to-six-story apartment buildings in New York City were no different from those in other residential buildings; not one death in which the exit (or lack of a second exit) played a role was recorded in a modern four-to-six-story single-stair building in Seattle or New York City during that same 12-year period. Research from the Netherlands-where single-stairway buildings taller than three stories are common-also confirms that these buildings are safe.

Second, single stair midrise buildings are just as safe as other types of housing. www.pew.org/en/research-...

Modern Multifamily Buildings Provide the Most Fire Protection A large body of research has demonstrated that apartment buildings and other types of multifamily housing can provide many benefits to a community, especially when built in high-demand areas where hou...

First, if you’re worried about fires, modern apartment buildings are dramatically safer than any other type of housing. www.pew.org/en/research-...

Tell the State Fire Marshal: Legalize Single-Stair Buildings in California! Improve California's building code so that more families can afford homes in our cities.

Back in 2023 we helped pass AB 835, a single stair reform study bill. That study is almost done, and we need your help to make sure the final report is grounded in sound evidence by emailing a public comment. It’ll only take a minute, and it makes a real difference!

California YIMBY's Building Blocks Happy Hour: New Home Deposits Mix, mingle, and learn. A happy hour series connecting Sacramento leaders to build California’s housing future. Wednesday, October 22 5:30-7:30 PM Smic's Bar Sacramento, 1200 K St. Suite 8, Sacrament...

Sacramento: we are hosting a happy hour TONIGHT from 5:30-7:30 PM at
Smic's Bar. Come through! docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...

Be part of California YIMBY’s SF Victory Celebration! Join us in San Francisco on October 30.

San Francisco: we are having a party next Thursday and you should come! secure.actblue.com/donate/sfvp-...