Infill: A YIMBY Podcast

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.

Get the Book: https://www.rjjulia.com/yimby

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

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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/

Follow YIMBY Action on Twitter: https://twitter.com/yimbyaction/

Follow YIMBY Action on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yimbyaction/

Follow YIMBY Action on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yimbyaction/

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

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

Follow The Kelsey on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekelseymore

Follow The Kelsey on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thekelseymore

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/

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

Follow YIMBY Action on Instagram: https://instagram.com/yimbyaction/

Follow YIMBY Action on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@yimbyaction

Follow YIMBY Action on Facebook: https://facebook.com/yimbyaction/

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/

Follow YIMBY Action on Instagram: https://instagram.com/yimbyaction/

Follow YIMBY Action on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@yimbyaction

Follow YIMBY Action on Facebook: https://facebook.com/yimbyaction/

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/

Follow YIMBY Action on Twitter: https://twitter.com/yimbyaction/

Follow YIMBY Action on Instagram: https://instagram.com/yimbyaction/

Follow YIMBY Action on Facebook: https://facebook.com/yimbyaction/

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/

Follow YIMBY Action on Twitter: https://twitter.com/yimbyaction/

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Follow YIMBY Action on Facebook: https://facebook.com/yimbyaction/

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/

Follow YIMBY Action on Twitter: https://twitter.com/yimbyaction/

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Follow YIMBY Action on Facebook: https://facebook.com/yimbyaction/

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/

Follow YIMBY Action on Twitter: https://twitter.com/yimbyaction/

Follow YIMBY Action on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yimbyaction/

Follow YIMBY Action on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yimbyaction/

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/

Follow YIMBY Action on Twitter: https://twitter.com/yimbyaction/

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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

Follow YIMBY Law on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Yimby_Law

Follow YIMBY Law on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/YIMBYLaw

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

Follow YIMBY Action on Twitter: https://twitter.com/yimbyaction/

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Follow YIMBY Action on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yimbyaction/

In January 2023 California Assembly Member Alex Lee introduced Assembly Bill 309, a Social Housing Bill that aims to increase access to housing for all Californians. But how does social housing help solve the housing shortage? 

Our Executive Director, Laura Foote, recently spoke with Assembly Member Lee and Darrell Owens, Policy Analyst for California YIMBY about the California Social Housing Bill. They talked through the big picture for Lee’s Social Housing Bill, discussed the history of social housing in the U.S. and abroad, and answered some common questions about how social housing works in practice.

Learn more about AB 309: https://www.californiasocialhousing.org/

Follow Assembly Member Lee on Twitter: https://twitter.com/alex_lee

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

Follow YIMBY Action on Twitter: https://twitter.com/yimbyaction/

Follow YIMBY Action on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yimbyaction/

Follow YIMBY Action on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yimbyaction/

Last month, we voted for dozens of pro-housing candidates across the country. The YIMBY voting bloc continues to grow, and we’re seeing that growth in dozens of pro-housing wins this year. NIMBY voices are losing their influence.

YIMBY Action Board Member Anthony Dedousis recently spoke with Councilmember-elect Jesse Zwick of Santa Monica, and Councilmember-elect Chelsea Byers of West Hollywood. They both got involved in local government to help tackle homelessness. Now, they’re sharing insights on how running pro-housing campaigns helped them win their races and how they plan to push pro-housing policies in their City Council roles.

About Chelsea Byers:

Chelsea is a social impact strategist and community organizer. She currently serves as a Human Services Commissioner in the City of West Hollywood. She is also an appointee to the 6th Cycle Housing Element Task Force in West Hollywood.

About Jesse Zwick:

Jesse is a public policy and communications advisor, a renter advocate. Before getting involved in local politics, Jesse was a journalist for DC’s The New Republic Magazine and was a director and screenwriter. He worked on projects such as Nashville, Parenthood, and About Alex.

Links:

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

Follow YIMBY Action on Twitter: https://twitter.com/yimbyaction/

Follow YIMBY Action on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yimbyaction/

Follow YIMBY Action on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yimbyaction/

Many local governments in California exacerbate the housing shortage by ignoring state-mandated requirements for new housing projects— especially when it comes to affordable housing. The CA Builder's Remedy, a consequence of state housing law noncompliance, might be the key to getting more housing built anyway.

In California, if a city does not plan for the number of homes required by the state, the city has to approve any housing project as long as at least 20 percent of the homes are low-income or 100 percent of them are moderate-income. This process is what we call the Builder's Remedy.

YIMBY Law spoke with Dave Rand, a land use lawyer who is working on several builder’s remedy projects in Southern California, most notably in Santa Monica. Get Dave's insights into how the Builder's Remedy may be a pathway to new, affordable housing units in California, what challenges threaten Builder's Remedy projects, and how we can overcome those challenges.

Links:

More on the Builder's Remedy: https://www.yimbylaw.org/buildersremedy

More on Santa Monica vs The Builder's Remedy: https://www.yimbylaw.org/law-journal/whos-afraid-of-some-extra-height

Learn more about YIMBY Law: https://yimbylaw.org/who-we-are/

Follow YIMBY Law on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Yimby_Law

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

Follow YIMBY Action on Twitter: https://twitter.com/yimbyaction/

Follow YIMBY Action on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yimbyaction/

Follow YIMBY Action on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yimbyaction/

The housing shortage has impacted communities across the country. But have you ever wondered how it has affected specific groups? Or how those most impacted by the housing shortage have responded to its consequences? YIMBY Action’s Organizing Manager Alex Melendrez spoke with Irving Torres and Noelia Corzo about how leaders in the Latinx community have been pushing the pro-housing movement forward.

Irving is the Director of Community Engagement at All Home, an organization focused on creating economic mobility opportunities for extremely low-income (ELI) people. Noelia was a YIMBY Action-endorsed candidate for San Mateo County Supervisor, and serves as a Board Trustee for the San Mateo-Foster City School District.

Get insights into how Irving and Noelia got started in pro-housing advocacy, their takes on how the housing crisis impacts the Latinx community, and what these leaders are doing to create change.

Links:

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

Follow YIMBY Action on Twitter: https://twitter.com/yimbyaction/

Follow YIMBY Action on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yimbyaction/

Follow YIMBY Action on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yimbyaction/

When a Los Angeles developer attempted to build a multi-family apartment building, the LA City Government illegally denied the project. That’s when YIMBY Law stepped in. 

In this episode, you’ll hear from YIMBY Law’s Executive Director Sonja Trauss, and YIMBY Law legal counsel Ryan Patterson about the details of the lawsuit and why it has implications for zoning across California.

Links:

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

Follow YIMBY Action on Twitter: https://twitter.com/yimbyaction/

Follow YIMBY Action on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yimbyaction/

Follow YIMBY Action on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yimbyaction/

Dozens of pro-housing laws were passed in California this year, but how will they impact the future of housing in the state? In this episode, our Policy Director Rafa Sonnenfeld sits down with Steve Wertheim to talk about the top pro-housing bills of the year and how they will help address the housing shortage that drives up prices in communities across the state. 

Steve is a Senior Consultant with the California Assembly Housing Committee. He works with Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, who is the Chair of the Housing and Community Development Committee and a housing champion for the YIMBY movement.

Links:

Read YIMBY Action's top 10 list of California housing bills: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1BIuVU3pF6ynomyqoLhmBCAnbpFRNdCra/view?usp=sharing

Learn more about Buffy Wicks' work on housing: https://buffywicks.com/record/housing-homelessness/

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

Follow YIMBY Action on Twitter: https://twitter.com/yimbyaction/

Follow YIMBY Action on Instagram: https://instagram.com/yimbyaction/

Follow YIMBY Action on Facebook: https://facebook.com/yimbyaction/

Come meet our Orlando chapter! 

In this episode, our Volunteer Podcast Producer Ed sits down with Austin Valle who co-founded our chapter Orlando YIMBY. Austin talks about why he cares about housing and how Orlando YIMBY is fighting for abundant, affordable housing in Orlando. He shares what it was like to start a chapter, how his personal story drives his activism, and how his group is working with their neighbors to welcome even more people to the community they love. 

Links: 

Learn more about Orlando YIMBY: https://www.moreneighborsdallas.org/ 

Follow Austin Valle on Twitter: https://twitter.com/austinvalle

Follow Orlando YIMBY on Twitter: https://twitter.com/OrlandoYIMBY

Follow Orlando YIMBY on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OrlandoYIMBY/

Follow Orlando YIMBY on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/orlandoyimby/

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

Follow YIMBY Action on Twitter: https://twitter.com/yimbyaction/ 

Follow YIMBY Action on Instagram: https://instagram.com/yimbyaction/ 

Follow YIMBY Action on Facebook: https://facebook.com/yimbyaction/

Why must the good die young?

This year, California Assemblymember Alex Lee introduced the California Social Housing Act (AB 2053). YIMBY Action sponsored the bill, organized in support of it, and worked with fellow supporting organizations to get it passed.

The bill got through several hurdles but ultimately died in the legislature several months ago. In this episode of Infill, Sonja Trauss, one of the founding members of the YIMBY movement, sits down with Paul Williams, founder of the Center for Public Enterprise. They discuss social housing, details about the California Social Housing Act, and why the bill died.

Links:

Read about the California Social Housing Act: https://www.californiasocialhousing.org/

Read the full Social Housing Bill: https://trackbill.com/bill/california-assembly-bill-2053-the-social-housing-act/2226585/

Follow Paul Williams on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PEWilliams_

Follow the Center for Public Enterprise on Twitter: https://twitter.com/PubEnterprise

Learn more about the Center for Public Enterprise: https://www.publicenterprise.org/

Follow Sonja Trauss on Twitter: https://twitter.com/SonjaTrauss

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

Follow YIMBY Action on Twitter: https://twitter.com/yimbyaction/

Follow YIMBY Action on Instagram: https://instagram.com/yimbyaction/

Follow YIMBY Action on Facebook: https://facebook.com/yimbyaction/

Come meet the founders of our Dallas chapter!

In this episode, our National Chapter Manager Jes sits down with DeDe and Adam who founded our chapter More Neighbors Dallas.

The two of them share why they care about housing and how they're fighting for abundant, affordable housing in Dallas. They share what it was like to start a chapter, how their previous experiences help drive their activism, and how they're working with their neighbors to welcome even more people to the community they love.

Links:

Learn more about More Neighbors Dallas: https://www.moreneighborsdallas.org/

Follow More Neighbors Dallas on Twitter: https://twitter.com/NeighborsDTX

Follow More Neighbors Dallas on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NeighborsDTX

Follow More Neighbors Dallas on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/moreneighborsdallas/

Follow More Neighbors Dallas on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@moreneighborsdallas

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

Follow YIMBY Action on Twitter: https://twitter.com/yimbyaction/

Follow YIMBY Action on Instagram: https://instagram.com/yimbyaction/

Follow YIMBY Action on Facebook: https://facebook.com/yimbyaction/

The first draft of San Francisco's housing plan was released last week and guests Chris Elmendorf and David Broockman talk about what it means for the city as well as the state overall.

Cities across California are creating housing plans (aka "housing elements") that will be in effect for the next eight years. YIMBYs have successfully advocated for laws that help make sure this process is especially impactful. Because of these laws, the housing element process can potentially add millions of homes in communities across the state.

The California State Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) plays an important role in making sure that cities comply with these laws. This is in contrast to the housing element process just a few years ago, when there were few methods in place to ensure housing plans were practical and ultimately implemented. Now, there are several consequences for submitting a non-compliant plan.

Chris Elmendorf is a UC Davis law professor and David Broockman is a professor at UC Berkeley.

Links:

Learn more about housing elements: https://yimbyaction.org/rhna/

Volunteer to help make housing plans fair across the state: https://www.fairhousingelements.org/volunteer

Learn more about 2700 Sloat: https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/S-F-s-next-west-side-housing-battle-will-be-on-16710991.php

https://sfrichmondreview.com/2022/03/08/new-housing-proposed-on-sloat-blvd-between-45th-46th-aves/

Learn more about Shawn Kumagai: https://www.shawnkumagai.com/

Follow Shawn Kumagai on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ShawnKumagai

Follow Chris Elmendorf on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CSElmendorf

Follow David Broockman on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dbroockman

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

Follow YIMBY Action on Twitter: https://twitter.com/yimbyaction/

Follow YIMBY Action on Instagram: https://instagram.com/yimbyaction/

Follow YIMBY Action on Facebook: https://facebook.com/yimbyaction/