Californians started this year with a major change in housing development. On Jan. 1, a new state law began allowing property owners to build at least duplexes on nearly all residential parcels, ending the dominance of single-family home-only zoning that has shaped the state’s building patterns.
What will happen in housing this year? On this episode of “Gimme Shelter: The California Housing Crisis Podcast,” we discuss Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plans to pump $2 billion more into homelessness prevention efforts, why lawmakers might turn away from further zoning changes and how the COVID-19 pandemic is continuing to affect tenants and landlords in Los Angeles and elsewhere.
Our guest is Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland), who is the new chairwoman of the Assembly Committee on Housing and Community Development. Wicks discusses her priorities and how she plans to shape the state’s response to its affordable housing challenges.
“Gimme Shelter,”a biweekly podcast that looks at why it’s so expensive to live in California and what the state can do about it, features Liam Dillon, who covers housing affordability issues for the Los Angeles Times, and Manuela Tobías, housing reporter for CalMatters.
You can subscribe to “Gimme Shelter” on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Soundcloud and Google Podcasts.