The Economy & Governance program focuses on issue areas affecting all Californians—from housing and land use, to transportation and voter resources. Some of the recent key projects from this program include an analysis of how well California jurisdictions are doing in meeting their housing goals, as well as a look at what type of housing we need to build and where in order to meet our housing needs without compromising our climate goals. While housing has become a pressing priority for the state and, likewise, for Next 10—we also continue to produce more broadly relevant economy and governance tools, including the California Choices website. This nonpartisan online platform provides in-depth election information and resources to help voters make informed decisions in the voting booth. Through civic engagement and in-depth analyses of some of the state’s most pressing problems, we hope Californians will become empowered to affect change in their communities.
Missing the Mark: Examining the Shortcomings of California's Housing Goals
New brief finds California's housing goals are exacerbating the housing crisis, and at the current pace of development, certain jurisdictions in California will not meet their low-income housing production targets for more than 1,000 years.
The brief grades the state’s 539 jurisdictions on progress toward meeting their current Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) goals. RHNA targets, updated every five to eight years, determine the amount of housing units at each income level that every California jurisdiction needs to permit each cycle. The study finds most regions are chronically behind on permitting new housing units, and 100 of the 539 jurisdictions have not been participating in the reporting process at all. The jurisdictions are separated into four Council of Governments (COGs) and four broader regions.