California’s Neighborhoods Are Under Assault
by Two Main Forces:
New Laws and New Regulations
Sacramento lawmakers have passed over 400 laws in the last eight years alone, stripping away local control over development and allowing large developers to bypass nearly all local rules. That’s right — over 400 laws! These laws supersede local authority almost entirely. There is literally nothing cities can do.
Second, through the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) process (pronounced “ree-nah”), state regulators are forcing – yes, forcing – cities to build high-end apartments and condos that communities don’t need or want. If cities don’t comply, they risk losing all local control.
Sacramento has failed. There are two main weapons in the assault on California’s neighborhoods: New laws and new regulations.
First, Sacramento lawmakers have enacted more than 400 laws in just the last eight years that take away local decision making over development, and enable big developers to ignore virtually all local rules. 400!!!
Second, through a process called the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA, pronounced “ree-nah”) process, regulators are coercing your local leaders into building new market rate and luxury apartment buildings and condos your city neither needs nor wants, radically transforming neighborhoods for the worse, all under threat of your city losing ALL control to state bureaucrats. You can read details about RHNA here.
To be clear: The ONLY purpose of RHNA is to overwhelm local authority and provide a pretext for forced upzoning – which creates unbounded development-investor opportunity free-for-all. RHNA accelerates gentrification, destroys communities, and makes housing MORE expensive. Again,the evidence is all around the state.
Unfortunately, every single grassroots effort to push back has failed. Sacramento bulldozes (literally) local opposition, and overturns the rare court win with new laws. Even electing new legislators hasn’t worked, as many are influenced by special interests with deep pockets. The system is rigged. Too many lawmakers are bought and paid for by those special interests who can outspend and overwhelm local groups. The fix is in.
A ballot initiative is truly the only hope. The ONV initiative will amend the California State Constitution, the only source of law that can trump Sacramento’s mandates and penalties that are destroying communities.
Find out more in our FAQs and Lies vs. Reality pages.