A house divided? California YIMBYs disagree on Prop. 45
Does more housing mean more sprawl? Traditional supporters of building more homes are split over a ballot measure that backers say would create more California homes.
As CalMatters’ Ben Christopher explains, Proposition 45 would limit environmental reviews under the California Environmental Quality Act. It would help developers advance projects they deem as “essential” faster and easier by subjecting reviews to time limits, among other things.
While pro-housing advocates agree that California should build more housing, the rift over Prop. 45, however, comes down to where housing should expand.
Recent legislation to turbocharge housing construction has mostly applied to urban areas where homes and other infrastructure already exist, known as infill development. But Prop. 45 applies to all types of housing projects, including low-density housing located at the edge of metro areas, oftentimes referred to as sprawl.
Critics of sprawl argue that this type of land use houses fewer people over larger tracts of land, renders residents car dependent and has a bigger negative effect on the environment by requiring more freeways and water infrastructure. Bay Area pro-housing advocates Eastbay for Everyone and the Greenbelt Alliance are against Prop. 45.
But not everyone views sprawl as a bad thing, and some Prop. 45 proponents argue that California can’t build its way out of its housing crisis on infill development alone.
- Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, an Oakland Democrat and supporter of Prop. 45: “I’m an ‘all of the above’ person when it comes to housing, I think we need housing of all different types, shapes and sizes.”
More on the election: If you want to learn about the other propositions on the ballot, check out our last-minute guide on all 14 propositions here. Those proposals also include $44 billion across three bond measures, and for a rundown on those, read our explainer here.
We’re bringing our voter guide to life through VotingMatters events across California, in collaboration with on-the-ground partners. We’re holding two events today: In Los Angeles at the LADWP Crenshaw Customer Service Center and South Lake Tahoe at Lake Tahoe Community College.
Other Stories You Should Know
The wheelchair basketball team that’s changing lives inside prison
Today we’re publishing a story and visual essay that takes you somewhere that few people can go: A wheelchair basketball program inside a California state prison.
Our friends at the Marshall Project and Catchlight gained access to the team at California Medical Facility in Vacaville and met men who said the prison program helped them turn their lives around.
- Steven “Scooby Doo” Davis, team co-captain: “For them to hug me and tell me that they see the good in me and I’m a good person, it made me go harder in wheelchair basketball.”
California is leaning into the rehabilitative potential of sports. On Sept. 30, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the Second Chance Sports Act, directing the state’s prison system to come up with a plan to expand sports programming.
Spending big on CA’s insurance commissioner race
Influential outside groups related to the insurance industry are pouring millions of dollars into California’s insurance commissioner race, report CalMatters’ Levi Sumagaysay and Jeremia Kimelman.
Political action committees have spent a record-high of more than $6 million on the race. More than half of that spending, $3.2 million, has been in support of state Sen. Ben Allen. Some of the PACs’ funders include companies from the insurance industry, and those same groups have spent more than $1.5 million to oppose his opponent, former San Francisco supervisor Jane Kim.
PACs are not directly affiliated nor can coordinate with candidate campaigns. Allen cannot control who gives to PACs on his behalf, and he said his vow not to take money directly from the insurance, utility and fossil fuel industries still stands.
- Allen: “I didn’t ask for this and don’t welcome it.”
Nevertheless, Kim is raising alarm over these contributions, arguing that they are “a reflection of what the (insurance) industry believes is the best outcome for them.”
And lastly: What do you want public health officials to know?
Have an opinion on what health issues should be prioritized in California? CalMatters is partnering with Your Local Epidemiologist to make the real concerns and questions from Californians heard by public health officials and journalists.
Every Monday, we’ll ask about health topics affecting Californians, and it’ll only take two minutes to answer.
This week, we’re asking more about Medi-Cal changes and questions you have on California’s ban on single-use vapes, which will go into effect in January. Take the survey.
Thank you to the hundreds of WhatMatters readers who responded last week. As we dig into your answers each week, we’ll combine what we’ve learned from your answers, and share it back with you each month.
California Voices
The gubernatorial race takes on a new layer of notability because, as part of a major power shift, California’s governor will now appoint the person responsible for carrying out state education policy, writes Heather Hough, an independent consultant.
Other things worth your time:
Gen Z has very different views on taxes than Boomers, but one generation votes more often // CalMatters (free)
LA chemical plant on short leash from state regulators as neighbors continue to protest its operations // CalMatters (free)
CA election officials frustrated, rattled by DOJ demand to sequester ‘noncitizen’ ballots // AP News (free)
Trump’s deployment of CA National Guard amid protests was likely illegal, court says // The Sacramento Bee (paywall)
FDR made it a blue bastion — now it’s Trump’s stronghold in CA. Is it forever lost? // The Guardian (free)
Trump wants to strip CA of coastal protections unless state yields to list of demands // Los Angeles Times (paywall)
GOP congressman in CA swing-district race defends vote for Medicaid cuts // KFF Health News (free)
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