Why fight state housing policy?

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Declaring a “housing crisis at all levels" has allowed our state government to focus on market rate housing while ignoring the real needs of Californians -- homes regular people can afford. Our policy creates housing by  giving private for profit developers unimpeded rights in our communities to build out of scale  projects at market rate, by adding a small percentage of “affordable” units. 

Using an unsubstantiated claim that the California will grow by 7.5 million residents by 2031,  2.5 million units of new housing have been distributed statewide, one size fits all, requiring about 15% growth per city, regardless of circumstance. The California Department of Finance projects a stable population out to 2060. This is ignored. 

Blamed for lack of housing and high prices, cities have been stripped of the ability to control zoning and planning, regardless of whether this is true. Stewardship is out. Private industry, unfettered, is now the arbiter of how a city will grow. Hundreds of new laws give cities no leeway to use discretion and knowledge of local condition. 

Cities that don’t comply fast enough by upzoning every area for housing density, or not approving unwise developments quickly  can be sued, fined, and lose the last shreds of control they have left in planning for livability and safety. The state has a Housing Strike Force to carry these threats out, as if cities were criminals.

Policy favors density, and the for-profit industry is rewarded with automatic approval of out of scale projects. Density bonuses, elimination of height, mass, and setback restrictions are just some of the perks offered. On-site parking requirements are eliminated, forcing cars to the street.

Aesthetics are out — too subjective. Only objective standards apply. Historic buildings can be replaced by faceless stack and pack monstrosities. Neighborhood character — the literal existing built environment — is derided as exclusionary. Developers are encouraged to break up long-standing communities carefully developed over time as if they have no value. 

Single family neighborhoods are legislated away, and towering developments can stand between homes. Instead of helping create ownership opportunities at affordable scale, existing single family homes are demonized as "racist," although people of all races want aceess to them. Homeownership is key for a better future for all people, but it’s going away — replaced by a permanent rental society. 

Planning, impact studies, and our local democracy are at stake. State overreach  silences residents and their elected officials, who are often forced to approve terrible projects. Site poles have been eliminated, along with public noticing. You won’t know a project’s going up until construction begins. 

Environmental studies are blamed as holding up progress. The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), which has safeguarded so much, is being eliminated. The Coastal Commission is blamed for lack of affordable housing along our fragile coastline, even though their ability to approve it ended in the 1980’s. If we don't fight, our beautiful coastal will turn into Miami Beach.