Matt Haney supported SB 9, ending single-family zoning and legalizing duplexes on all lots statewide, and supports further strengthening state minimum zoning standards. Haney supports more housing process streamlining: he supported streamlining for local business permitting under Prop H November 2020, and he authored a local bill to streamline CEQA environmental appeals for city transportation projects. And Haney recognizes that we have too much local control when it comes to housing. Haney recognizes that market-rate housing helps reduce rents.

Voters have a clear choice in this election: should the new Assemblymember continue the leadership of their predecessor, David Chiu, to advance policies that promote housing abundance and opportunity for all? Or should they reverse Chiu’s wins and accelerate the exodus of the working class and middle class from California? We must progress and fight for housing affordability. YIMBY Action endorses Matt Haney for Assemblymember.

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Endorsed by San Francisco YIMBY, Streets for People, Urban Environmentalists, Northern Neighbors, Grow the Richmond, Southside Forward, Progress Noe Valley, and YIMBY Action.

Assemblymember Phil Ting has been a supporter of pro-housing policies in the Assembly for years. As a co-author on the groundbreaking SB 50 and a champion of ADUs, Ting has been ready to take hard votes in support of building more homes. His steady support for policy change, while representing a district that has historically fought housing production, is notable.

Endorsed by San Francisco YIMBY, Peninsula for Everyone, Northern Neighbors, Grow the Richmond, and YIMBY Action.

Shawn Kumagai will bring a strong pro-housing voice to Sacramento. His substantive policy chops are matched with a passion for building housing for all, which will make him an exceptional leader on housing in the State Legislature.

“We need more homes in communities across California. We need an all-of-the-above strategy, including permanant supportive housing for previously unhoused or at-risk individuals, affordable by design, middle income rental units and more. Every community needs to step up to build the inclusive future we want for California.”

“We need more homes in communities across California. We need an all-of-the-above strategy, including permeative supportive housing for previously unhoused or at-risk individuals, affordable by design, middle income rental units and more. Every community needs to step up to build the inclusive future we want for California.”

Endorsed by Tri-Valley YIMBY (EVOLVE), East Bay YIMBY, and YIMBY Action.

In his time in the California State Assembly, David Chiu was a fierce and determined housing advocate who fought for housing production, housing preservation, and tenant protection. As chair of the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee, Chiu shepherded groundbreaking housing legislation towards meaningfully increasing the housing supply. We are glad to see David Chiu in the City Attorney’s office to advise city officials on complying with state housing laws and meeting obligations to provide homes to people.

Endorsed by San Francisco YIMBY and YIMBY Action.

San Francisco requires a robust public transportation system in order to support our vision for more housing. We need to continue investing in our transportation infrastructure like our subways, trains, bus yards, and bike lanes so that people can depend less on cars, garages, and parking, which compete with housing for building space.

Endorsed by San Francisco YIMBY and YIMBY Action.

The Department Building Inspection (and its accompanying Building Inspection Commission) inspects that buildings are up to code for health and safety. We appreciate that Prop B will expand the pool of potential commissioners by removing unnecessary qualifications. And we support that Prop B would have the Director of Building Inspection directly report to the Mayor. However, we are deeply concerned by the provision that all commissioners will require approval by the Board of Supervisors, which is often skeptical of the process reforms that SF YIMBY advocates for to streamline housing approvals. The approval requirement will make it harder for the Mayor to appoint qualified candidates that will take streamlining seriously.

We agree that the Department of Building Inspection needs reform to be more nimble, transparent and law-abiding. While Prop B has some good things, its changes do not address the root issues. We believe its net effect is lukewarm at best, and erecting more barriers at worst. We have No Endorsement on Prop B.

For alternatives:
Read SPUR’s Yes on B argument
Read GrowSF’s No on B argument

Some businesses that contract with the city have their contracts approved by the Board of Supervisors. Prop E would forbid Supervisors from soliciting these contractors for donations to third parties (in this case, the contractor is donating to the third party at the “behest” of the Supervisor).

SF YIMBY is concerned that these laws will make it harder for city housing & homelessness initiatives and low-income housing providers (all of whom have contracts with the city) to raise private money for building more housing. Supervisors often fundraise for low-income housing and homelessness programs through their donor networks. Because so many people contract with the city, and because it is difficult to determine who is or is not a contractor, Supervisors would be more reluctant to reach out and fundraise for housing initiatives. Prop E could have a chilling effect on private donations to fund low-income housing and homelessness.

We are also concerned that Prop E makes the policy substantially harder to amend, in case these laws need to be tweaked in the future. We wish this legislation curtailed corruption and blocked the most common form of “behested payments”—when Supervisors demand housing developers pay off various neighborhood groups in order to obtain housing permits, but it doesn’t.

Opposed by San Francisco YIMBY and YIMBY Action.