The Davis City Council has deferred ballot action on Measure J/R/D, instead focusing on affordable housing production and climate-related standards, and has not yet decided on a timeline for any future changes.
The Davis City Council is considering changes to Measure J to address the city’s growing housing needs, but the process is complicated by political and economic factors, and the city is bracing for the possibility of a legal challenge.
Sacramento County Supervisor Rodriguez has been criticized for her lack of compassion towards the homeless, as she has supported the destruction of their shelters and has not offered any alternative housing solutions.
The Davis City Council is discussing potential amendments to Measure J/R/D, a voter-approved ordinance that requires citywide elections before agricultural or open space land can be converted to urban use, with the goal of exempting certain types of projects, such as affordable housing, and potentially reducing costs by placing the measure on the November 2026 general election ballot.
The Davis City Council is being recommended to maintain the Daytime Respite Center at its current location and transition to an in-house staffing model, which is projected to cost $505,534 per year and is the lowest-cost approach that maintains existing service levels.
Declining school enrollment in Davis is a result of Measure J, which has made it difficult to build housing for families, leading to a lack of balance in the community and a need for responsible development to sustain the city’s future.
The Davis City Council has sent a clear message that the Village Farms project will not move forward unless it delivers firm, enforceable commitments on affordable housing, housing mix, farmland restoration, and transparency.
State Senator Scott Wiener has announced his decision to run for Congress to represent San Francisco, emphasizing the need to defend democracy, rebuild federal capacity, and address national challenges on housing, healthcare, and climate policy.
California has quietly shifted its housing policy over the past five years to favor housing production, with CEQA reform, SB 423’s continued streamlining, Prohousing incentives, and an empowered HCD now working to strip away red tape and encourage more housing production.
The City of Davis needs additional housing, but the proposed Village Farms project includes a fourth fire station and a downpayment assistance program that could add to the city’s deficit spending and not benefit low-income residents, so the commission should recommend that the fire station proposal be dropped and the downpayment assistance program be either dropped or administered by a private entity.
Housing and civil rights advocates have criticized the growing criminalization of homelessness, calling it a moral failure and a counterproductive public policy, and urging instead for investments in supportive services and housing.
Senate Bill 634 would hold cities accountable for addressing homelessness by preventing them from banning supportive services and ensuring that those services reach people experiencing homelessness.
The fractured nature of American government has created a major obstacle to solving the nation’s housing crisis, but the ROAD to Housing Act, which introduces a framework for federal incentives for zoning reform, could help to reshape how the federal government influences housing.
Donald Trump attacked California Governor Gavin Newsom without evidence, alleging the state is in the “final stages of approval to build Low Income Housing in Pacific Palisades”, while fact-checks and state records show no evidence of any state plan to approve such housing.
Cities must prioritize people and transit over cars in order to make transit-oriented development successful and create vibrant, livable communities.
California lawmakers have passed two significant housing bills, SB 79 and CEQA reform, which loosen zoning restrictions and reduce opportunities for legal challenges, but Davis is unlikely to be affected due to its Amtrak station not being a Tier 1 or Tier 2 transit stop and Measure J requiring voter approval for major projects.
The Torrance City Council is considering an ordinance that would make it illegal for homeless people to refuse shelter, while also considering the creation of military-style camps with tents to expand temporary housing.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve a settlement with the Coalition on Homelessness that requires the city to follow its bag-and-tag policy and creates oversight measures to protect the belongings of unhoused residents.
The San Francisco Chronicle editorial board has called on California lawmakers to take meaningful action on housing, supporting Senate Bill 79, which would require local governments to approve mid-rise apartment buildings near transit stops, and warning that the state’s reluctance to build more homes threatens its long-term political clout in Washington.
California YIMBY and labor unions have agreed to amendments to SB 79 that require strong labor standards for new homes built under the bill, securing support from UNITE HERE and a neutral position from the State Building and Construction Trades Union.