We welcomed Jodie Medeiros from Walk SF and Dylan Fabris from San Francisco Transit Riders for a conversation about making San Francisco’s streets safer and ensuring public transit remains accessible, reliable, and fully funded.

This year, we have an incredible opportunity to advocate for more housing in California by voting in a critical (but often low-turnout) upcoming election called ADEM (Assembly District Election Meetings). These elections determine the delegates who will shape the Democratic Party’s platform, endorse candidates, and decide which ballot measures to support.

In December, San Francisco Chronicle Housing Reporter JK Dineen wrote an article titled “S.F. has the same housing goals as New York City — which is 10 times its size.” The piece covers how New York recently passed a plan to encourage the construction of 82,000 new housing units over the next 15 years.

As we close out 2024, the Housing Action Coalition 501(c)(4) is proud of the work we did for endorsed candidates around the state. In total, 71 of the 90 HAC-endorsed candidates were successful in their races this November. 4 of the 6 ballot measures we endorsed were also successful, including an important defeat for Proposition 33 (a victory for pro-housing).

This October is an exciting time for the Housing Action Coalition. There are three important things we’re working on that I want to make sure you’re following…

August was an intense month for the housing world. There was the good: Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Barack Obama embraced a pro-housing agenda, with Harris declaring the importance of ‘ending America’s housing shortage’. And there was the normal sausage-making at the end of the legislative session in Sacramento with multiple HAC-sponsored bills moving to the Governor’s desk.

Prepare to cast your votes in November and check out our list of endorsements for the state of California and county elections.

With HAC's coverage of this annual event, you can learn:

• How we can decrease rent costs in the Bay Area

• The policy amendments needed to jumpstart housing production

• Why homebuilders, elected officials, and labor leaders need to work together

• How we can make San Francisco a more inclusive city

• And more!

This past Wednesday morning, HAC hosted our Regulatory Committee across the Bay in Oakland featuring Mayor Sheng Thao and several members of her administration to give updates on major Oakland housing policies and processes.

The last few years have posed significant challenges to homebuilders. Inflation, soaring interest rates, and high construction costs have made it increasingly difficult to finance housing projects. 

While the state of the market is out of our control, we can reform state and local housing policies to help create more favorable conditions for housing production.

As a housing advocacy group, HAC constantly monitors cities, elected officials, and neighbors to know who is and isn’t supporting more housing creation. This year, we made a list (and checked it twice) to chronicle some of the pro- and anti-housing actors from across the region. And with the holiday season upon us, there is no better time to unveil HAC’s running catalog of housing advocates and antagonists — informally referred to as our ‘Naughty or Nice’ list. 

You better watch out. You better not cry. Read on to learn who has been naughty and who has been nice in 2023. 

On Wednesday, October 18th the Housing Action Coalition was proud to host our 21st Annual Housing Heroes at the Salesforce Transit Center. Here’s a recap of the event:

To create pro-housing change we need bold pro-housing leaders who are committed to solving our state’s severe housing shortage, affordability, and displacement crisis.

To that end, here are the pro-housing candidates in critical local and state races HAC is proud to endorse for the March 5 election.

Updates to project agreements + councilmember activity.

In our recent Regulatory Committee meeting, Judson True and Matt Gelfand offered insightful presentations on accelerating housing development and illuminating discussions on Builder’s Remedy lawsuits in La Canada Flintridge , respectively. Below we delve into the valuable takeaways from these discussions.

California homebuilders have a reason for optimism. In July, Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) signed an MOU with the California Building Industry Association (CBIA) to make a series of process improvements to help housing projects get completed faster. The MOU comes after homebuilders across the state expressed their growing frustration with PG&E’s failure to efficiently connect their housing projects to the power grid. 

Fehr & Peers’ Principal Matt Goyne and Transportation Engineer Nina Price presented about the intersection of transportation, housing, and the climate crisis. Their presentation focused on how higher density housing goes hand-in-hand with more public transportation access, less parking, and less vehicle miles traveled (VMT).

This month, HAC hosted our quarterly Members Only Breakfast Briefing, where Executive Director Corey Smith shared an overview of the organization’s progress and priorities. Throughout the year, HAC has been active with multiple pieces of legislation making its way through Sacramento. HAC Sponsored Bills Assembly Bill 281 (permit review timelines), Assembly Bill 1114 (ministerial building permits), and Assembly Bill 1485 (clarifying AG’s ability to intervene in housing lawsuits) are all still alive and we expect them to be signed into law. On the other hand, HAC sponsored bills Senate Bill 83 (timelines for utilities), Assembly Bill 990 (streamlining protections), and Assembly Bill 1630 (ministerial approval + density bonus for off-campus student housing) did not proceed this session.