Housing Policy

YIMBY group sues Newsom over SB 9 pause in L.A. wildfire zones

California Gov. Gavin Newsom gave the state’s “yes-in-my-backyard” coalition celebrated wins this year on housing legislation. Those same pro-housing activists have now sued him over an August executive order that exempts fire-ravaged areas in Los Angeles from a 2021 state law — Senate Bill 9 — that paved the way for higher density on single-family […]

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House committee is set to review Senate-approved housing bill

The ROAD to Housing Act wasn’t included in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) released on Sunday, despite speculation that it might sneak in as an attachment to the more urgent priority $900 billion defense spending bill.  Still, the bipartisan housing legislation, which enjoys widespread support in both parties, could be signed into law next

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Center for American Progress outlines plan to reduce housing costs

Center for American Progress outlines plan to reduce housing costs

The Center for American Progress (CAP) recently put out a plan aimed at lowering housing costs nationwide by increasing construction and making homebuilding more affordable through federal efforts. The “Build, Baby, Build” proposal, published by CAP on Nov. 17, targets the nation’s estimated housing shortage of 2 million units, which the group says has contributed

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Root causes: housing shortage driven by policy, not big builder concentration

I’ve been reading more articles arguing that our housing shortage is artificially created—that it’s caused by the increasing concentration of homebuilders and the decline in private homebuilders. The theory suggests that public builders are “hoarding” lots to drive prices up when they could be selling more homes and lowering prices. I initially dismissed this narrative.

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It’s time for a federal housing policy reset

I’ve been involved in federal housing policy for more than 50 years, beginning my career at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in the 1970s and later serving on the staff of the U.S. House Committee on Banking, Finance and Urban Affairs — now the Financial Services Committee — from 1983 to

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RAND study reveals key strategies to boost housing voucher effectiveness

RAND and the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at the University of California at Berkeley have released a joint report examining how local housing agencies can more effectively use federal housing vouchers. The study, funded by the Cooper Housing Institute, found that while the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program — popularly known as Section 8

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LISC appoints Valerie White to lead national housing strategy

The Local Initiatives Support Corp. (LISC) has appointed Valerie White to lead its national housing team — expanding her role beyond her current position as senior executive director of LISC New York. White will oversee the organization’s national housing investments — which total $30.4 billion to date — with a focus on expanding access to

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Democrats put housing front and center in NYC mayoral debate

With the next race for the mayor of America’s largest city in full swing — and as a city that has consistently elected Democrats for the position for much of the past century — the first Democratic primary debate for the 2025 election was rife with attacks and sweeping policy promises. Nine candidates were on

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MBA brings on Kaitlin Hildner in policy role

The Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) announced on Friday afternoon that Kaitlin Hildner has joined the association, taking on the role of Associate Vice President of Loan Administration Policy. In her role, Hildner will help lead the development and implementation of MBA’s strategy on legislative, regulatory and other industry issues related to loan administration and mortgage

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