Over the years, a number of cities have stood in the way of housing production. But as California’s housing crisis has spiraled, they’ve also become a convenient scapegoat for the state. Over the past few years, a burst of legislation and lawsuits has put the onus for fixing the crisis on our municipalities. But the truth is that many cities are already stepping up on housing. What they need is more support from the state.
In an op-ed for CalMatters, League of California Cities CEO Carolyn Coleman goes over some of the recent accomplishments by cities:
- Around 700 new single-family homes per year and 400 multifamily units over three years in Merced
- Hundreds of new dwellings in Irvine, including 140 affordable housing units
- Over 8,500 housing units (double the requirement) in Manteca over the last eight years
- 24,000 housing units planned for Sacramento
- An additional 8,500 approved homes being developed in Banning
“These are just a few examples of cities and towns throughout the state that are successfully planning and zoning for more housing,” Coleman writes. “And they are succeeding despite the state’s annual barrage of overreaching housing bills, and the absence of any long-term funding to incentivize housing production.”
Yet another round of bills putting pressure on cities to build is not going to ease the crunch, says Coleman. If the state wants to increase the housing supply, cities need “an ongoing funding commitment to support housing production, subsidize affordable housing and invest in supportive infrastructure.”
Read the full op-ed here.