I am pleased to announce that Tiyesha Watts has joined the California Housing Partnership as our new Associate Director of Policy Advocacy. Tiyesha previously directed government relations strategy for the 11,000-member California Academy of Family Physicians and worked as a legislative aide to former Senator Dr. Richard Pan. Tiyesha holds a bachelor’s in political science from UC Davis and a Read More
California has a reputation for being at the vanguard of environmentalism and climate change. The state’s creation of the Cap-and-Trade Program is a prime example. It sets limits on the emission of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and uses market forces to achieve those limits in the most cost effective way. The proceeds from the sale of emission licenses are then invested Read More
The California Housing Partnership and the nonprofit and local government housing agencies we work with are among the biggest users of the state’s affordable housing finance programs and know all too well the delays, costs, and inefficiencies of the current fractured system. New research by the Partnership has now put a price tag to those inefficiencies. Using a comprehensive multiple Read More
In early January, multiple wildfires erupted across Los Angeles County causing devastating losses. More than 50,000 acres of land have burned, thousands of homes and businesses have been damaged or completely destroyed, and at least 29 people have lost their lives to these fires, with more than 180,000 people forced to evacuate. As communities continue on the long path towards Read More
A little known schedule of estimated utility costs paid by renters and published by public housing authorities (PHAs) is threatening California’s progress in decarbonizing affordable rental housing, a goal that is important not only because of its climate benefits but also because of the need to lower renter utility costs. Utility allowances, or UAs as we call them, are supposed Read More
Proposition 5 on California’s November 2024 statewide ballot would set the voter threshold to approve local general obligation (GO) bonds for public infrastructure and affordable housing investments at 55%, provided those bonds include strong accountability and transparency requirements. The same was done for school bonds when voters approved Proposition 39 in 2000. The California Housing Partnership cares about this measure Read More
Proponents of California Proposition 36, which would undo many of the reforms brought by voter approval of Proposition 47 in 2014, are claiming that voter approval of this new measure would reduce homelessness in our state. As a Sociologist with the California Housing Partnership, I can tell you these claims are patently false. Here’s why: What Did Proposition 47 Do Read More
While state leaders ultimately decided not to approve any new long-term funding for affordable housing production this year beyond the narrowly-focused resources included in Proposition 1 approved by voters in March, they did pass more than a dozen laws that should be helpful to affordable housing providers and low-income renters to varying degrees in the coming years. The California Housing Read More
Housing advocates, agencies, policymakers, and developers in California understand that we need to build more – much more – to meet current and future housing needs, particularly affordable homes for those with low incomes. At the same time, the State’s housing production goals can feel so large and daunting that they stand apart from the day-to-day practices of housers working Read More
With the Governor’s signature yesterday on the main state budget bill (a few others remain pending), the Partnership is pleased to summarize the outcomes of this year’s difficult budget process. Facing a budget deficit of more than $45 billion, the Governor and lawmakers made many cuts to affordable housing programs but, importantly, spared those programs most critical to the continued Read More