As goes California, so goes the nation? House Democrats launch YIMBY Caucus for housing
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THE U.S. HOUSE GETS A YIMBY CAUCUS
Via Gillian Brassil...
Some California Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives have said “Yes In My Back Yard.”
Members of the newly-launched YIMBY Caucus want to boost affordable housing nationwide by pushing policies aimed at boosting the construction of those homes.
“The cost of rent is far too high. We must act to expand affordable housing options,” said Rep. Robert Garcia, D-Long Beach, a co-chair of the caucus. “This is a long-term, structural problem requiring us to take bold steps to create the new homes our community needs.”
“Embracing YIMBY-ism, building more housing units, and embracing mixed-use zoning will increase our housing supply and drive down costs for Americans,” said Garcia, the former Long Beach mayor turned rising progressive House voice.
Mixed-use zoning involves plots of land used for multiple purposes, such as commercial and residential.
The bipartisan caucus now has eight co-chairs, including California’s Garcia and Rep. Scott Peters, D-San Diego, and 17 members, including Reps. Sara Jacobs, D-San Diego, and Ro Khanna, D-Fremont.
The pro-housing movement is in contrast to NIMBYism, or “Not In My Back Yard,” where individuals oppose certain new builds in their neighborhoods. YIMBYism took shape in San Francisco about a decade ago due to the area’s high cost of rent, and gained national traction.
California has some of the nation’s highest housing and rent prices and a severe shortage of affordable housing. The state has one of the highest rates of homelessness nationwide.
CARBAJAL GETS LEADERSHIP POSITION IN NEW DEMOCRAT COALITION
Via David Lightman...
Rep. Salud Carbajal won a second term last week as a vice chair of the New Democrat Coalition, a group of pragmatic Democrats who seek bipartisan support for legislation.
Republicans will control the House that convenes in January, but only by a few votes. That could make Democratic votes pivotal.
Carbajal, whose district includes the San Luis Obispo area, told a news conference last week that “While we will work with anyone to find common ground on legislation in the 119th Congress, from taxes to trade, infrastructure to international relations, we will always stand up for our Democratic values.”
In the current Congress, Carbajal helped develop different policy proposals, including one to help train workers.
It issued a “Jobs Action Plan” that would have increased the number of apprenticeships across the country, make it easier for people to get apprenticeships and use federal tax credits to help small businesses employ apprentices and others.
Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Illinois, will chair the Coalition. Carbajal is one of four vice chairs. The group is expected to include at least 108 of the House’s Democrats.
Twenty-three freshmen were inducted, including Rep.-elect Gil Cisneros of Los Angeles County.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Trump won the election, but it was absolutely not a ‘landslide,’ as his supporters like to claim. He does not have a mandate for the deranged, radical changes he’s proposing.”
- Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, via Bluesky. President-elect Donald Trump won 312 electoral votes to Vice President Kamala Harris’ 226. According to the latest results from Associated Press on Friday morning, Trump had 76.7 million votes (50%) while Harris had 74.2 million (48.4%), a difference of 1.6 percentage points.
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