During the 2024 California Legislative Session, which closed on August 31, the State Legislature again passed many bills seeking to ease the state’s housing crisis. This post focuses on key housing-related bills that are, at...more
In late October, we reported on a number of California, San Francisco, and regional propositions, including measures impacting real estate and other taxes, rent control, affordable housing, permits, and governance. At the...more
11/11/2020
/ Ballot Measures ,
California ,
Commercial Property Owners ,
Election Results ,
Property Tax ,
Reassessments ,
Rent Control ,
Residential Real Estate Market ,
State and Local Government ,
State Elections ,
Tax Assessment
San Francisco voters will again confront a formidable ballot on November 3, 2020, with 13 San Francisco propositions to consider in addition to state and federal offices and measures. The local propositions address an array...more
10/14/2020
/ Affordable Housing ,
Ballot Measures ,
General Elections ,
Land-Use Permits ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Local Ordinance ,
San Francisco ,
State and Local Government ,
State Elections ,
State Taxes ,
Tax Rates
Like so much of this unprecedented year, the 2019-2020 California Legislative Session ended with unexpected twists and pointed disappointments as the Assembly and Senate wrestled with the coronavirus pandemic, social...more
SB 50, Senator Scott Wiener’s bill to boost housing production near transit and job centers, has been defeated. The vote fell three votes short on Wednesday, and Wiener was unsuccessful in his reconsideration request...more
On March 3, San Francisco voters will consider Proposition E (“San Francisco Balanced Development Act”), which links the City’s “Proposition M” office allocation scheme, originally approved by voters in 1986, to affordable...more
1/31/2020
/ Affordable Housing ,
Ballot Measures ,
Capacity Allocation ,
County Planning Commissions ,
Housing Market ,
Low Income Housing ,
Low-Income Issues ,
Municipalities ,
Office Space ,
Real Estate Development ,
San Francisco ,
State and Local Government ,
Urban Planning & Development
The Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee announced that Senator Wiener’s SB 50 is now a two-year bill, which means that it will not be eligible for vote until January. ...more
On April 24, Senator Scott Wiener’s SB 50 passed the Senate Governance and Finance Committee with bipartisan support, incorporating amendments that limit the bill’s scope. ...more
Last spring, we reported on Senator Scott Wiener’s SB 827, which proposed major increases in height and density for qualifying housing developments....more
On September 30, Governor Brown signed AB 2923, which could pave the way for BART to develop up to approximately 20,000 residential units, plus about 4.5 million square feet of office and commercial uses, on about 250 acres...more
Assemblyman David Chiu has unveiled his long-promised legislation to establish a modified version of the state’s former redevelopment program, aimed at creating major state funding for affordable housing, transit, and other...more
3/27/2018
/ Affordable Housing ,
Construction Industry ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Housing Market ,
Infrastructure ,
Neighborhood Revitalization ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Real Estate Development ,
Redevelopment ,
State and Local Government ,
State Funding ,
Surface Transportation ,
Urban Planning & Development
Following more than six years of planning and public outreach, the City initiated the formal approval process for the Central SoMa Plan (Plan) at the Board of Supervisors and Planning Commission on February 27 and March 1,...more
3/26/2018
/ Density Bonus ,
General Plan ,
Historical Landmarks ,
Housing Market ,
Mixed-Use Zoning ,
Municipalities ,
Real Estate Development ,
San Francisco ,
State and Local Government ,
Urban Planning & Development ,
Zoning Maps
Building on the state’s major housing legislation from 2017, Senator Scott Wiener’s SB 827 proposes major increases in height and density for qualifying housing developments....more
3/20/2018
/ Affordable Housing ,
Ballot Measures ,
Density Bonus ,
Housing Developers ,
Housing Market ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Low Income Housing ,
Low-Income Issues ,
Proposed Legislation ,
State and Local Government ,
Urban Planning & Development
The State Density Bonus law has been in effect for almost 40 years, but it has required a prolonged housing crisis to push San Francisco to adopt a local implementing ordinance. Last year the Board of Supervisors adopted the...more
Shortly after being sworn in as California State Senator on Monday, former San Francisco Supervisor Scott Wiener introduced SB 35, placeholder legislation addressing barriers to housing production. The legislation currently...more