By Markos Moulitsas
In the News
A California bill meant to replace the FCC's repealed Obama-era net neutrality rules is on its way to becoming law.
Senate Bill 822, written by state Sen. Scott Wiener, a Democrat from San Francisco, made it through its first vote before the state Senate's Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee on Tuesday. The committee voted 8-3 along party lines to support the bill with only minor amendments. The next vote will be before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
San Francisco Chronicle: Mission housing project invokes law to exchange review for affordable units
The project is the third in California to seek to invoke SB35. The first, in West Berkeley, is a 260-unit building on a parking lot across the street from the historic Spenger’s restaurant. The second is a proposal to replace an antiquated shopping mall near the Apple campus in Cupertino with a 2,400-unit residential complex.
Wiener said the three projects are proof that the law is working.
"When people first interact with Toni, what they see is a very unassuming, low-key person who has a bit of an earth mother affect about her," said Sen. Scott Wiener, a San Francisco Democrat. "People sometimes mistake that for weakness. But what they don't see is right underneath that surface is pure steel. She is tough as nails. But she has a huge heart."
“We can have all the electric vehicles and solar panels in the world, but we won’t meet our climate goals without making it easier for people to live near where they work, and live near transit and drive less,” Mr. Wiener said.
If Broadband providers thought that they'd be subject to fewer regulations after the Federal Communications Commission voted in December to jettison its net neutrality protections, they could be disappointed.
By Andrew Bowen
As local governments in San Diego County work to encourage more housing production to alleviate the region's housing crisis, lawmakers in Sacramento are debating changes to a long untouchable facet of California law: local control over housing and land use.
At the heart of our housing crisis is a simple fact: California has been growing for decades without adding nearly enough new housing to absorb that growth. Experts estimate our state’s housing deficit at nearly 4 million homes. That deficit grows by 100,000 each year, as the state adds less than half the new homes we need annually.
The unfortunate answer is that too many California cities and counties impose zoning restrictions that make it practically impossible to build low-cost, walkable housing. For decades, state leaders have allowed these local zoning policies to proliferate, to the point that the state now faces a severe housing shortage.
In response, state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, has introduced landmark legislation to encourage more housing near transit. Senate Bill 827 would increase allowable density, eliminate minimum parking requirements and modestly raise height limits, depending on the location.