Even before the bill was defeated, it exposed a major generational divide between anti-development environmentalists and their pro-density, pro-housing heirs.
Last week, the controversial California housing bill known at SB 827 died "quickly" but "not quietly" after a single hearing of the state senate housing and transportation committee.
But not before it drew enormous attention to a general divide, as Scott Lucas wrote in a lengthy San Francisco Magazine piece published the same day, and "cleaved the California environmental movement in two."
“On one side sits an older generation, forged in the small-is-beautiful battles of the ’60s and ’70s. On the other sits a younger group galvanized by fears over global warming and housing affordability. “
The article is worth reading despite the bill’s defeat, both because Scott Weiner—the author—has vowed to bring another version to legislature, and because the conflict at the core of the controversy will play out many more times as California (and to some extent, the rest of the nation) struggles with a serious housing shortage and meeting ambitious goals for reducing emissions.
FULL STORY: A Green House Divided
Updated: Statewide Upzoning Falls Short Again in California
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It received a lot of press, but ultimately California's Senate Bill 827 went nowhere. Now, the state senator who introduced the bill is working with advocates who opposed it on another version that just might have better chances.
Defeating SB 827 Did Not Discourage the YIMBY Movement
Though the California housing bill was a high-profile failure for pro-development activists, there are initiatives all over the country that carry its spirit.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Chicago’s Ghost Rails
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Ohio Forces Data Centers to Prepay for Power
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MARTA CEO Steps Down Amid Citizenship Concerns
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Silicon Valley ‘Bike Superhighway’ Awarded $14M State Grant
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