March 2024 California State Pro-Housing Voter Guide

Buffy Wicks showed Californians what true grit looks like when she took personal risk during shelter-in-place to show up on the Assembly floor with her newborn and speak up for SB 1120. From her first year in the Assembly, Assemblymember Wicks has led on housing issues, with keen insight on policy details that have an outsized impact on housing. Combined with the courage to move forward on important bills even when they face resistance, Buffy Wicks has become a crucial housing champion in Sacramento. She has authored and co-authored powerful bills on a broad range of housing issues, including a state-wide rental registry, housing element strengthening and important permit streamlining legislation, and dozens more. We need more legislators like Assemblymember Wicks, who see the human cost of our housing crisis, give it the attention it deserves, and fight to build the homes we need at a scale that counts.

Since arriving in Sacramento, Assemblymember Matt Haney has immediately gotten to work to champion housing. In addition to strong votes, he carried an important bill, AB 1114, to close loopholes abused by San Francisco to delay housing. Haney has also worked on office-to-housing conversions and prioritized limiting the cost burdens for renters, bringing his perspective as one of the few renters and chairing the California Legislative Renters’ Caucus.

Mia Bonta is a consistent vote for housing, focused on the deep need for subsidized affordable housing and strong tenants protections. In her questionnaire, Mia told us:

One might assume that the Supervisor representing wealthy neighborhoods like Pacific Heights and the Marina would be a NIMBY against housing. However, we are excited to endorse Supervisor Catherine Stefani who far exceeds expectations. While she may not be the loudest pro-housing voice, Supervisor Stefani stands for the rule of law and consistent standards applied to housing. Although the San Francisco Board of Supervisors is majority anti-housing, Catherine Stefani has bravely voted for housing projects and against baseless appeals. She voted in support of headline housing projects like 469 Stevenson Street (the Nordstrom parking lot project) and 1151 Washington Street.

We expect Catherine Stefani to continue her pro-housing goals in the Assembly, a body that is much more supportive of housing. She explicitly supports more housing in her Assembly District. She also writes unambiguously in our questionnaire “we need to prioritize building all types of housing in exclusionary communities.” Further, she writes “I am also committed to ensuring that cities and counties across the state do their fair share in terms of building housing, and if they don’t, hold them accountable through closing loopholes within the Housing Accountability Act. “

We encourage Supervisor Stefani to sponsor legislation in the Assembly that aligns with her good-governance ethos, such as strengthening the Housing Accountability Act where it may conflict with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

Marc Berman is a proud, full-throated supporter of landmark housing legislation to end exclusionary zoning. With roots in Palo Alto, Assemblymember Berman understands that it is not sustainable for communities to keep saying ‘no’ to new housing as the housing crisis continues. Assemblymember Berman believes in supporting cities to build the homes their communities so desperately need.

Assemblymember Berman has supported and co-authored bills that generate new funding for affordable housing, that streamline the approval process of certain urban infill projects, and that set baseline standards for zoning. With his in-depth technical expertise and legislative skill, Assemblymember Berman is helping the state make huge strides in ending the housing crisis.

Alex Lee continues to bring much-needed perspective as a renter and a Gen Z leader in the Assembly. Legislative wins in the last year include AB 835, which allows the state to explore single-stair buildings, a successful prototype for affordable missing middle homes all over the world that currently isn't allowed per the California Building code.

He is a champion for all of the above strategies, from bills to improve housing production to social housing.

Esmeralda Soria has been a strong vote for housing in the Central Valley, having previously worked to address the housing shortage in Fresno as a member of the City Council prior to being elected to the legislature in 2022. We are impressed by her commitment and reminded the housing shortage affects all Californians and we have work to do to ensure housing abundance throughout the state

Gail Pellerin joined the state assembly in 2022 after many years serving as the Santa Cruz County Clerk. She is committed to finding policy solutions to create more housing for the middle class, increase funding for low-income and supportive housing, and improve public transit and active transportation infrastructure to make our cities more climate friendly.

Speaker Robert Rivas is a true housing champion in the Legislature. He has prioritized and championed housing since taking over as Speaker and has consistently been a strong voice for housing abundance in his time in Sacramento. He is deeply committed to safe, affordable housing for all of his constituents from middle-class families to farmworkers.

YIMBY Action is proud to endorse Jed Leano. He is committed to solving the housing shortage and has made it front and center in his campaign for State Assembly. Jed is a champion currently serving on the Claremont City Council. His endorsements include strong YIMBYs such as State Senator Scott Wiener, State Assemblymember Alex Lee, and San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu, as well as fellow pro-housing organizations including Abundant Housing Los Angeles and the Housing Action Coalition.

Rick Chavez Zbur has brought his deep experience on statewide and local issues to Sacremento and taken crucial votes in committee to support housing legislation to expanding housing statewide by supporting bills such as SB4 which allows production of affordable housing on religious land and SB423, which expands one of the most productive housing bills of the past decade both in scope for the next decade plus.

Jessica Caloza will bring her experience at the California Department of Justice and the Housing Strike Force to bring housing abundance to the state while protecting vulnerable tenants. We look forward to the experience she will contribute in Sacramento on Day 1.

YIMBY Action is proud to endorse Dulce Vasquez for California Assembly District 57. She is a proven housing leader endorsed by fellow housing orgs including Affordable Housing Los Angeles, the Housing Action Coalition, and California YIMBY

Clarissa Cervantes has worked in the City of Riverside where she serves on the City Council to bring more housing options for all in her community, including leading the way with building housing in her district. She will bring the same vision of delivering more housing of all types for Californians in the Assembly

From her years as a public school teacher, Assemblymember Sharon Quirk-Silva has seen the impacts of housing instability and homelessness on kids and families. As the parent of young adults, she knows the challenge of launching them into independence when there is no affordable place for young professionals just starting out. These experiences have made Sharon Quirk-Silva a true champion for housing! She states:

Assemblymember Ward has led the way on housing in his time in the Assembly. He was recently named the Chair of the Assembly Housing Committee where he will continue to bring his forward-thinking vision of housing abundance to the California Assembly

Colin Parent has long been a housing champion, working on state-wide housing policy for the last decade, responsible for creating the 50% density bonus, and sponsoring its extension statewide. He has worked locally and statewide to bring more homes to California, and is endorsed by the likes of State Senator Scott Wiener as well as other pro-housing organizations in San Diego and statewide

Assemblymember Alvarez has gotten to work quickly in the Assembly to address the housing shortage, including carrying important priority YIMBY bills in the last session like Assembly Bill 1287. We look forward to him continuing to tackle our housing shortage head-on with more great bills in future sessions.

Scott Wiener continues to be an exemplary leader on housing. He has passed numerous bills in the recent session, including SB423, extending and expanding upon one of the most productive affordable housing bills of the past decade, SB35, as well as SB4 (YIGBY), which will allow for affordable housing on religious properties, opening up tens of thousands of acres for new housing. We are also now seeing the dividends of his early work to strengthen state law and put teeth into the RHNA process by strengthening the Housing Element process, meaning jurisdictions all over California have to build the housing they say they will or face consequences from the state.

Julie Lythcott-Haims has been a been a strong voice for housing, calling it one of the social justice issues of our days, as a community leader in Santa Clara County and as a member of council in Palo Alto. As a Palo Alto councilmember, Julie has worked to raise height limits, increase density and FAR in some neighborhoods, and expanded the city's safe parking program. As a member of Congress, Julie will fight for legislation that advances the housing/transit/climate nexus, expands housing vouchers, and increases the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program.

Congressman Garcia has quickly established himself as a leading voice on national housing legislation and ideas in his first session in Congress as the sponsor of the People Over Parking Act, prioritizing the radical idea that we should spend more energy on housing for people instead of cars. As the YIMBY caucus grows in Congress, he will continue to lead on this crucial issue of national importance