Pro-housing designation eligibility tied exclusively to exceeding RHNA pace year by year, or perhaps being in top 10% of RHNA pace relative to other jurisdictions.
Condition (road maintenance?) funds to meeting RHNA pace.
Tie everything to actual performance.
Condition (road maintenance?) funds to meeting RHNA pace.
Tie everything to actual performance.
June 29, 2026 at 6:03 PM
Pro-housing designation eligibility tied exclusively to exceeding RHNA pace year by year, or perhaps being in top 10% of RHNA pace relative to other jurisdictions.
Condition (road maintenance?) funds to meeting RHNA pace.
Tie everything to actual performance.
Condition (road maintenance?) funds to meeting RHNA pace.
Tie everything to actual performance.
You are reminded that SF needs to break ground on a project of this size every two weeks to satisfy their RHNA goals.
Listen, I know the housing shortage is killing a great American city, but that really is one of our most historically significant Safeways www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/s...
Marina’s reaction to Safeway tower plans: ‘Along comes this behemoth right on the waterfront’
Plans to put a 25-story apartment complex on San Francisco’s Marina district sparked concerts about a future where the city’s waterfront is ringed by tall housing structures.
www.sfchronicle.com
December 5, 2025 at 2:40 PM
You are reminded that SF needs to break ground on a project of this size every two weeks to satisfy their RHNA goals.
builder's remedy tied to RHNA performance.
If you're not meeting RHNA, and are more than 10% below the top 1/3 of RHNA performing jurisdictions, you get builder's remedy.
If you're not meeting RHNA, and are more than 10% below the top 1/3 of RHNA performing jurisdictions, you get builder's remedy.
June 29, 2026 at 6:54 PM
builder's remedy tied to RHNA performance.
If you're not meeting RHNA, and are more than 10% below the top 1/3 of RHNA performing jurisdictions, you get builder's remedy.
If you're not meeting RHNA, and are more than 10% below the top 1/3 of RHNA performing jurisdictions, you get builder's remedy.
You would have fulfilled your RHNA obligations years ago!
September 28, 2026 at 8:08 PM
You would have fulfilled your RHNA obligations years ago!
California cities: progress toward RHNA...
San Diego: 29% ... highest vacancy rate in 15 years, rents falling
Los Angeles: 18% ...
San Francisco: 5% ... rock bottom vacancy rate, fastest rising rents in the country
www.costar.com/article/5467...
San Diego: 29% ... highest vacancy rate in 15 years, rents falling
Los Angeles: 18% ...
San Francisco: 5% ... rock bottom vacancy rate, fastest rising rents in the country
www.costar.com/article/5467...
www.costar.com
April 8, 2026 at 9:13 PM
California cities: progress toward RHNA...
San Diego: 29% ... highest vacancy rate in 15 years, rents falling
Los Angeles: 18% ...
San Francisco: 5% ... rock bottom vacancy rate, fastest rising rents in the country
www.costar.com/article/5467...
San Diego: 29% ... highest vacancy rate in 15 years, rents falling
Los Angeles: 18% ...
San Francisco: 5% ... rock bottom vacancy rate, fastest rising rents in the country
www.costar.com/article/5467...
RHNA is about a 2.3% growth rate.
And we're failing terribly at that low minimum.
And we're failing terribly at that low minimum.
March 12, 2026 at 8:25 PM
RHNA is about a 2.3% growth rate.
And we're failing terribly at that low minimum.
And we're failing terribly at that low minimum.
The whole RHNA framework depended on everyone politely pretending to comply, and now a court has very politely pointed out that the emperor has no clothes.
www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/emil...
www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/emil...
November 2, 2025 at 8:52 PM
The whole RHNA framework depended on everyone politely pretending to comply, and now a court has very politely pointed out that the emperor has no clothes.
www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/emil...
www.sfchronicle.com/opinion/emil...
Barbara from LA agrees, and is similarly upset about the builder's remedy! She says that RHNA numbers don't take into account things like tariffs, as well as reduced demand from...what for it...immigration sweeps!
Absolutely incredible.
Absolutely incredible.
July 12, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Barbara from LA agrees, and is similarly upset about the builder's remedy! She says that RHNA numbers don't take into account things like tariffs, as well as reduced demand from...what for it...immigration sweeps!
Absolutely incredible.
Absolutely incredible.
RHNA is a failure. State land use reform is necessary.
In 2024, Berkeley acquired a parking lot and handed it over to a private corporation. Aside from being an unambiguous violation of the Surplus Lands Act, I believe sabotaging a "likely site" of the Housing Element also violated the state's "no net loss" provision of SB 166...
January 6, 2025 at 11:05 PM
RHNA is a failure. State land use reform is necessary.
RHNA requires us to have enough vacant parcels w/adequate zoning to meet housing needs. (This does not require us to develop them, and the city still has permitting authority/oversight…unless they don’t meet their RHNA requirements 🥰.)
September 29, 2026 at 2:20 AM
RHNA requires us to have enough vacant parcels w/adequate zoning to meet housing needs. (This does not require us to develop them, and the city still has permitting authority/oversight…unless they don’t meet their RHNA requirements 🥰.)
Every eight years, California cities spend a total of more than $100 million on writing RHNA housing elements
Most are glorified book reports.
That the RHNA process sucks is probably the one thing YIMBYs, NIMBYs, and the League of CA Cities agree on.
Most are glorified book reports.
That the RHNA process sucks is probably the one thing YIMBYs, NIMBYs, and the League of CA Cities agree on.
October 24, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Every eight years, California cities spend a total of more than $100 million on writing RHNA housing elements
Most are glorified book reports.
That the RHNA process sucks is probably the one thing YIMBYs, NIMBYs, and the League of CA Cities agree on.
Most are glorified book reports.
That the RHNA process sucks is probably the one thing YIMBYs, NIMBYs, and the League of CA Cities agree on.
Extremely common RHNA L
August 20, 2026 at 6:13 PM
Extremely common RHNA L
California’s Housing Element process more or less required every jurisdiction in the state to adopt an IZ ordinance to hit their lower income RHNA.
At this point I think it’s fairly safe to say RHNA did more harm than good.
At this point I think it’s fairly safe to say RHNA did more harm than good.
New academic study: Inclusionary zoning costs renters $800k per affordable unit created. This is more than the per-unit cost for the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program. While LIHTC which is largely funded by the rich via income taxes, IZOs are regressive because they place the burden on renters.
August 14, 2026 at 1:58 PM
California’s Housing Element process more or less required every jurisdiction in the state to adopt an IZ ordinance to hit their lower income RHNA.
At this point I think it’s fairly safe to say RHNA did more harm than good.
At this point I think it’s fairly safe to say RHNA did more harm than good.
Diane from Placer County is going on a long rant about RHNA, and says the state auditor's report from a few years ago found that the numbers and requirements were completely overblown.
Folks: this is what we call "a lie"
Folks: this is what we call "a lie"
July 12, 2025 at 5:28 PM
Diane from Placer County is going on a long rant about RHNA, and says the state auditor's report from a few years ago found that the numbers and requirements were completely overblown.
Folks: this is what we call "a lie"
Folks: this is what we call "a lie"
please revise to a quadruple (or more) goal.
Tripling doesn't even get LA to RHNA pace, let alone make up for the shortfall of the beginning of the cycle. Quadrupling would be RHNA pace at least.
Tripling doesn't even get LA to RHNA pace, let alone make up for the shortfall of the beginning of the cycle. Quadrupling would be RHNA pace at least.
March 26, 2026 at 6:16 PM
please revise to a quadruple (or more) goal.
Tripling doesn't even get LA to RHNA pace, let alone make up for the shortfall of the beginning of the cycle. Quadrupling would be RHNA pace at least.
Tripling doesn't even get LA to RHNA pace, let alone make up for the shortfall of the beginning of the cycle. Quadrupling would be RHNA pace at least.
Two things being cited as "legitimate economic research:"
-A bunch of local electeds bitching about RHNA
-A substack post by a person who calls themselves "Harlo Pippenger"
-A bunch of local electeds bitching about RHNA
-A substack post by a person who calls themselves "Harlo Pippenger"
February 2, 2026 at 5:28 PM
Two things being cited as "legitimate economic research:"
-A bunch of local electeds bitching about RHNA
-A substack post by a person who calls themselves "Harlo Pippenger"
-A bunch of local electeds bitching about RHNA
-A substack post by a person who calls themselves "Harlo Pippenger"
Someone on Reddit was defending Matt Mahan and San Jose as being pro-housing.
Nope...
San Jose is on track to meet 22% of their RHNA (about half of what the apparently "good" big cities are doing, namely Sacramento and San Jose). RHNA rate is itself, about 70% of Austin's rate over last 9 years.
Nope...
San Jose is on track to meet 22% of their RHNA (about half of what the apparently "good" big cities are doing, namely Sacramento and San Jose). RHNA rate is itself, about 70% of Austin's rate over last 9 years.
RHNA is about a 2.3% growth rate.
And we're failing terribly at that low minimum.
And we're failing terribly at that low minimum.
March 23, 2026 at 4:28 PM
Someone on Reddit was defending Matt Mahan and San Jose as being pro-housing.
Nope...
San Jose is on track to meet 22% of their RHNA (about half of what the apparently "good" big cities are doing, namely Sacramento and San Jose). RHNA rate is itself, about 70% of Austin's rate over last 9 years.
Nope...
San Jose is on track to meet 22% of their RHNA (about half of what the apparently "good" big cities are doing, namely Sacramento and San Jose). RHNA rate is itself, about 70% of Austin's rate over last 9 years.
Fuck around and find out: RHNA edition. la.urbanize.city/post/judge-o...
Judge orders Beverly Hills to process 19-story Builder's Remedy development
A Los Angeles Superior Court Judge has ruled that Beverly Hills must process a proposed Builder's Remedy high-rise just south of Wilshire Boulevard.
la.urbanize.city
August 16, 2025 at 1:00 AM
Fuck around and find out: RHNA edition. la.urbanize.city/post/judge-o...
Only five of California's 539 local jurisdictions are on track to hit their 2020s housing permitting goals. (The exceptions being San Diego and a lot of sprawl.) I think it's high time we admit that RHNA hasn't really worked and start thinking about what comes next. calmatters.org/housing/2026...
August 12, 2026 at 4:59 PM
Only five of California's 539 local jurisdictions are on track to hit their 2020s housing permitting goals. (The exceptions being San Diego and a lot of sprawl.) I think it's high time we admit that RHNA hasn't really worked and start thinking about what comes next. calmatters.org/housing/2026...
You should vote for Raman.
But let's put her triple housing production into context.
LA is on pace for hitting 25% of their RHNA. Tripling doesn't get them to RHNA pace, let alone make up for the shortfall in the beginning of the current cycle.
But let's put her triple housing production into context.
LA is on pace for hitting 25% of their RHNA. Tripling doesn't get them to RHNA pace, let alone make up for the shortfall in the beginning of the current cycle.
March 26, 2026 at 5:59 PM
You should vote for Raman.
But let's put her triple housing production into context.
LA is on pace for hitting 25% of their RHNA. Tripling doesn't get them to RHNA pace, let alone make up for the shortfall in the beginning of the current cycle.
But let's put her triple housing production into context.
LA is on pace for hitting 25% of their RHNA. Tripling doesn't get them to RHNA pace, let alone make up for the shortfall in the beginning of the current cycle.
Parcel on the right with all the trucks is part of Marin’s housing plan (RHNA). Another parcel on the far side of the bridge has permitted multiunit affordable housing to be built at grade. We are still digging the hole deeper.
December 8, 2025 at 6:00 AM
Parcel on the right with all the trucks is part of Marin’s housing plan (RHNA). Another parcel on the far side of the bridge has permitted multiunit affordable housing to be built at grade. We are still digging the hole deeper.
Meanwhile the whole state has produced only 15% of its above mod RHNA
May 27, 2025 at 7:05 PM
Meanwhile the whole state has produced only 15% of its above mod RHNA
The process of states evaluating local zoning for redevelopment potential is extremely fraught. I'm not encouraged that states including Montana and Colorado are following California down the RHNA path!
Let’s take a look at the highest-realistic-capacity sites in LA’s draft list of rezoned Housing Element sites.
I understand the city is working on an updated list, but as it stands, things are not looking great...
I understand the city is working on an updated list, but as it stands, things are not looking great...
December 17, 2024 at 3:42 PM
The process of states evaluating local zoning for redevelopment potential is extremely fraught. I'm not encouraged that states including Montana and Colorado are following California down the RHNA path!
The Eaton Fire substantially destroyed the whole area of Altadena that was solely responsible for meeting RHNA targets via upzoning, according to L.A. County Housing Element. But now the authors of same want to roll it all back. They were never sincere about this.
January 25, 2025 at 6:10 PM
The Eaton Fire substantially destroyed the whole area of Altadena that was solely responsible for meeting RHNA targets via upzoning, according to L.A. County Housing Element. But now the authors of same want to roll it all back. They were never sincere about this.
