Walters: California's pro-housing laws have failed to raise new home numbers

"California YIMBY, an organization founded eight years ago to promote housing construction in response to an ever-increasing gap between demand and supply, held a victory party in San Francisco recently. Welcome to the most victorious of California YIMBY's victory parties, Brian Hanlon, founder and CEO of the organization, told attendees. Its acronym (Yes In My Backyard) symbolizes its years-long battle with NIMBYs (Not in My Backyard), people and groups who have long thwarted housing projects by pressuring local governments that control land use."

"YIMBY's party marked the passage of several pro-housing legislative measures this year, two of which have long been sought by housing advocates. Assembly Bill 130 exempts many urban housing projects from the California Environmental Quality Act, while Senate Bill 79 makes it easier to building high-density housing near transit stations in large cities. 2025 was a year, Hanlon gleefully declared."

"That goal was wildly unrealistic, as Newsom should have known, but he did push hard for legislation to remove barriers to housing development. His housing agency also ramped up pressure on local governments to remove arbitrary hurdles that YIMBY-influenced officials had erected and to meet quotas for identifying land that could be used for housing. However, the celebration omitted one salient factor: Pro-housing legislative and administrative actions have failed to markedly increase housing production."

California YIMBY, founded eight years ago to promote housing construction amid a growing demand-supply gap, held a victory party in San Francisco after recent legislative wins. The group's name stands for Yes In My Backyard and opposes NIMBY opposition that blocks projects through local land-use pressure. Recent measures include Assembly Bill 130, exempting many urban projects from CEQA, and Senate Bill 79, easing high-density building near transit in large cities. The legislative push followed Gov. Gavin Newsom's 2017 pledge and increased state pressure on local governments to identify housing land. Despite these efforts, housing starts remain near 100,000 annually, showing limited production gains.

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