Taking it State Wide: Senator Scott Wiener

On this episode of Infill, YIMBY Law’s Executive Director Sonja Trauss speaks with Richard Kahlenberg, author of Excluded: How Snob Zoning, Nimbyism, and Class Bias Build the Walls We Don't See. The pair discuss how U.S. housing policy segregates our neighborhoods by creating barriers to allowing folks of all incomes to live in high-resource communities through exclusionary zoning.

According to Kahlenberg, class segregation has doubled since the 1970s. Although there are laws that prohibit explicit racial discrimination, many communities avoid legal repercussions by instead excluding potential neighbors based on income–  disproportionately impacting Black and Brown people.

How does Kahlenberg believe we can correct this class-based exclusion in housing? One idea of his is a National Economic Fair Housing Act to give people the ability to sue communities that exclude them based on income. Tune in to hear more thoughts from Kahlenberg on what kinds of policies he believes will integrate our neighborhoods, lower the cost of housing, and dismantle barriers to creating more homes in all communities.

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The United States' efforts to provide accessible and affordable homes for all individuals have fallen short. The Kelsey, a disability rights advocacy group, is pioneering disability-forward housing solutions that are accessible and inclusive.

In this episode, Laura Foote, executive director of YIMBY Action sits down with Allie and Hunter from the Kelsey to discuss the VITAL Act, a piece of federal pro-housing legislation. The passage of this act provides a powerful solution to increasing access to secure, affordable, and inclusive housing for individuals with disabilities and senior citizens.

Learn more about YIMBY Action: https://yimbyaction.org/

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Learn more about the Kelsey: https://thekelsey.org/

Follow The Kelsey on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheKelseyMore

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Affordable housing is absolutely essential, but there are so many obstacles that prevent it from being funded and built. In this episode, YIMBY Action Executive Director sits down with Congressman Maxwell Frost to talk about how he’s working to remove those obstacles at the federal level.

Congressman Frost is the first Gen Z candidate to get elected to Congress! Before being elected, he helped lead our Orlando Chapter, Orlando YIMBY. Both YIMBY Action and Orlando YIMBY endorsed him in 2022, and we’re excited to have another YIMBY in Congress!

If you're ready to get involved in the pro-housing movement, join YIMBY Action as a Member! Members get access to a vibrant online community with thousands of advocates and experts. Members also get access to exclusive events, trainings, and other perks! Plus, if you join in August 2023, you get a free shirt 🙌

Become a Member by volunteering or donating $35 or more: https://bit.ly/yimbymembership2023

Links:

Learn more about YIMBY Action: https://yimbyaction.org/

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Follow Rep. Maxwell Frost on X: https://x.com/RepMaxwellFrost

Follow Rep. Maxwell Frost on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@repmaxwellfrost

Follow Rep. Maxwell Frost on Instagram: https://instagram.com/repmaxwellfrost

Hear from YIMBY Action's Alex Melendrez and Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California's Abram Diaz as they discuss updates on California pro-housing legislation and their work in the fight for abundant, affordable housing.

Learn more about YIMBY Action: https://yimbyaction.org/

Follow YIMBY Action on X (formerly known as Twitter): https://twitter.com/yimbyaction/

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One of our fastest-growing Chapters, YIMBYs of Northern Virginia, recently celebrated the legalization of "missing middle" housing in Arlington, Virginia. This means that multifamily buildings with up to six homes were legalized in neighborhoods that had previously only allowed single-family detached homes.

In this episode, Jane Natoli, our SF Organizing Director, sits down with two Leaders from the YIMBYs of Northern Virginia, Jane Green and Alex Goyette. They discuss what it took to win in Arlington and how they plan to apply what they learned to a new opportunity to advocate for more homes in Alexandria.

Links:

Learn more about YIMBYs of NoVA: https://www.yimbysofnova.org/home

Read about the win in Arlington: https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2023/03/22/arlington-missing-middle-vote-zoning/

Read about the projects that are already being proposed under the missing middle program: https://www.arlnow.com/2023/07/06/new-more-than-a-dozen-missing-middle-permit-applications-are-in-the-works-so-far/

Learn more about YIMBY Action: https://yimbyaction.org/

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What if we could preserve the environment, increase housing affordability, and reduce car dependency all at once? That's exactly what Urban Environmentalists advocate for. In this episode, our Environmental Director Joanna Gubman sits down with Urban Environmentalist Leader Robert Spragg and Chicago Alderman Matt Martin. They discuss the importance of Urban Environmentalism, the uniqueness of what the movement looks like in Chicago, and what's next for their advocacy.

Links:

Learn more about Urban Environmentalists: https://www.urbanenvironmentalists.org/

Read a recent Op-Ed from our Chicago Chapter Leaders about what's possible for housing affordability in the city:

https://www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/commentary/ct-opinion-chicago-housing-crisis-adu-three-flat-20230602-cdsfnykx4ndndazxxxq627iqcq-story.html

Follow Urban Environmentalists on Twitter: https://twitter.com/UrbanEnviroIL

Learn more about YIMBY Action: https://yimbyaction.org/

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Kylie Clark wrote an email to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) to alert them about an anti-housing referendum in the town where she worked. The Town Council's reaction was extreme and illegal. Listen to Kylie's story as she sits down with our National Chapter Manager, Alex Melendrez.

Links:

Read about the censure: https://losgatan.com/council-censures-commissioner-over-white-anti-housing-men-comment/

Read about the censure being revoked: https://losgatan.com/censure-of-clark-reversed-after-aclu-threat/

https://www.redbluffdailynews.com/2023/03/09/aclu-calls-censure-of-los-gatos-commissioner-unconstitutional/

Learn more about housing elements and our campaign to make them fair and equitable: https://www.fairhousingelements.org/

Learn more about YIMBY Action: https://yimbyaction.org/

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In March, we assembled some of California state legislature’s most powerful pro-housing champions to discuss their latest legislative efforts to alleviate California’s housing shortage and affordability crisis.

Hear from Assembly Housing Committee Chair Buffy Wicks, Senate Housing Committee Chair Scott Wiener, and Assembly Social Housing Select Committee Chair Alex Lee on their plans to help get more homes built in California. They discussed CA legislation that aims to streamline housing production, particularly for affordable housing, make it easier for non-profits and religious institutions to build housing, and create mechanisms to support social housing in the state for residents at all income levels.

Learn more about how state leaders in California plan to tackle the housing shortage, help supply more affordable housing, and organize pro-housing advocates to work together to support key legislation.

Learn more about YIMBY Action: https://yimbyaction.org/

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Learn more about SB 423: https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/article275357451.html

Learn more about SB 4: https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2022-12-06/california-churches-nonprofit-colleges-could-build-homes-on-their-land-with-new-bill

Learn more about AB 309: https://milpitasbeat.com/assemblymember-alex-lee-wants-to-bring-social-housing-to-california/

https://www.californiasocialhousing.org/

There are an estimated 2.4 million farmworkers in the United States. Farmworkers across the country are doing some of the most essential work in our society, but they are not given access to acceptable housing options. Challenges in supply, affordability, and safety are posing a huge threat to farmworkers.

On Cesar Chavez Day YIMBY Action's Alex Melendrez had a conversation with Rudy Espinoza, YIMBY Action Board Member and longtime housing and farmworker activist, and Veronica Z. Garcia who is the Chief Real Estate Development Officer with Peoples Self Help Housing in San Luis Obispo, CA. They spoke about the landscape of farmworker housing in California and nationally, how systemic barriers are impacting farmers as they seek to find safe and affordable housing, and what YIMBYs can do to mobilize for more farmworker housing.

Learn more about YIMBY Action: https://yimbyaction.org/

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For 40 years, California has analyzed upcoming housing needs based on populations across its cities and required all local governments to submit plans to illustrate how they will contribute more housing in their areas to help the State meet its housing goals. This is called the California housing elements process. Despite the fact that submitting a compliant housing element is part of state law, NIMBY cities have continued to lie about where they plan to build housing in their plans—  or have decided to not attempt to submit a plan at all. Now, YIMBYs have stepped in.

With the growing set of eyes on each city to help alleviate the housing shortage, YIMBY Action and YIMBY Law are inviting all property owners to take matters into their own hands using a tool called the Builder's Remedy. The Builder's Remedy is a California state law that forces cities with non-compliant housing elements to automatically approve any housing project as long as at least 20% of the homes are low-income or 100% of them are moderate-income.

Get a deep dive from our Executive Directors, Laura Foote and Sonja Trauss, and Emeryville Vice Mayor Courtney Welch about how California cities have been handling their housing elements processes, the consequences for noncompliant cities, and how property owners can take advantage of this open season on state zoning policies.

Learn more about the Builder's Remedy: https://www.yimbylaw.org/buildersremedy

Follow Vice Mayor Courtney Welch: https://twitter.com/cw4emeryville

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Learn more about YIMBY Action: https://yimbyaction.org/

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