Ben Christopher
@frombenc.bsky.social
Housing reporter @calmatters.org. Occasional dad tweets. Tell me things: Ben@calmatters.org / signal: BenC.2017
Good overview of the coming legislative fight over the future of California's signature climate change policy: www.kqed.org/news/1209340...
Inside the Fight for the Future of California’s Climate Dollars | KQED
Changes to the state’s cap-and-invest program could leave billions of dollars less for housing, transit or high-speed rail — forcing lawmakers to make tough spending choices.
kqed.org
I did so much work on this piece about Prop 38, its $8 billion, and the nonprofit that seemingly stands to gain billions of taxpayer dollars. Dig in. calmatters.org/politics/ele...
Is this proposition a $4 billion giveaway to a billionaire’s LA research center?
Proposition 38 will award $4 billion to one unnamed research center. Under the very specific criteria, only one center seemingly qualifies.
calmatters.org
ICYMI In the battle over whether SB9 ought to apply in the LA fire storm burn areas, Malibu and Pasadena agreed to let the state law to go into effect, settling a lawsuit filed by @yimbylaw.bsky.social LA County, LA City and the state of California fight on. calmatters.org/housing/2026...
Two cities burned in LA fires settle YIMBY lawsuit
Two California cities agreed to allow multiplex development in single-family neighborhoods after a YIMBY nonprofit sued.
calmatters.org
Maybe you thought California has the second lowest homeownership rate of any state, coming in behind New York. Well, according to this new homeownership rate measurement from the Minneapolis Fed, we're actually the lowest. Take that, New York! www.minneapolisfed.org/community-de...
Homeowners-to-Population Data | Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
A portal for accessing the data and calculations behind the homeowners-to-population ratio, or HPOP, an alternative measure of homeownership
minneapolisfed.org
In this latest installment from California, Tech Capital of the Planet, a story about how state prisons are using fire safety methods pioneered during the early days of the Roman Empire: calmatters.org/justice/2026...
Repairing fire alarms is too expensive. Now California prisons are paying staff to keep watch
'We wouldn’t let anyone else live in a place that doesn’t have a smoke detector," one prison safety expert said about California falling behind on replacing its fire alarm systems.
calmatters.org
In the race between California's reforestation efforts and megafires, megafires are winning and it's not even close. calmatters.org/environment/...
California is losing its forests faster than it can replant them — and no one has enough seeds, staff, or money to catch up
California needs to ramp up reforestation to keep pace with wildfires — instead, funding and staff keep shrinking.
calmatters.org
An interesting (in the wild!) example of how upzoning can affect land values. Here's a comparable home for sale, also in the Palo Alto Caltrain station's SB79 zone, selling for 1/4 as much. Unless I'm missing something, the difference is the first one vested its SB 79 app before the window closed.
Next door in Silicon Valley@nextdoorsv.bsky.social · 2w ago"Ownership has filed an SB79 application to develop a 3-story, 6-luxry condo project" Well... there you have it. SB79 is gentrifying Palo Alto out of affordability.
A disproportionate and growing share of the liability facing California's fire insurer of last resort is centered in some of the state's most affluent zip codes, coverage that's being subsidized by all home insurance customers. www.bloomberg.com/news/article...
Luxury Homes Are Raising Risks for California’s Insurer of Last Resort
The state FAIR Plan’s liability exposure is concentrated in some of the wealthiest neighborhoods.
bloomberg.com
Federal agencies that terminated more than a thousand research grants at the University of California admitted that they used keywords related to diversity to screen for projects. It’s an admission that lawyers for the researchers say is proof the agencies illegally cancelled nearly $2b in grants.
DEI keyword search led to billions in cancelled California university grants
The Trump administration cancelled $2 billion of research grants to UC professors. Their legal team says it has proof that was unconstitutional.
calmatters.org
CommunityScale mapped out the est winners/losers of a new change in fed law that increases/decreases certain federal economic development grant funding based on local housing production trends. Can't speak to the methodology, but a lot of red across SoCal. maps.communityscale.io?level=munici...
Barring an 11th hour, unexpected veto, the largest federal housing bill to come out of Congress in a generation is about to become law. The legislation doesn't do one big thing, but lots of little things. Here are a few that could make a difference in California calmatters.org/housing/2026...
Here’s what the 'once-in-a-lifetime' federal housing bill means for California
The federal housing bill does a lot of little things. Supporters hope it will put a dent in California and the nation's housing shortage.
calmatters.org
"As of Wednesday morning, Palo Alto has seen five applications come in..." www.paloaltoonline.com/palo-alto/20...
Palo Alto sees wave of housing projects as state law kicks in
In just the first week of a new state law that allows denser housing developments near public transit, Palo Alto has seen a flurry of applications — and the three latest ones propose new apartments do...
paloaltoonline.com
Should Altadena get a temporary reprieve from two density-boosting state housing laws? At its core, the debate over SB 1090 is over who and what gets prioritized when a community is rebuilt after a natural disaster in California. calmatters.org/housing/2026...
Their town burned to the ground. Should they get a pass from California's new housing laws?
A bill to shield Altadena from two density-boosting housing laws is meant to let the town rebuild on its own terms.
calmatters.org
Putting an anti-climactic cap on the Great California Transfer Tax Debate of 2026: LA city council voted NOT to put a measure on the Nov ballot to exempt new multifamily construction from the city's "mansion tax."
I cannot comprehend saying this like it's a bad thing.
David Roberts@volts.wtf · last mo.... dumping a giant, 20lb. bag of mayonnaise into a big green bucket, adding a quart of buttermilk & a packet of spices, & mixing. I had never really given ranch dressing much thought. For some reason it was a revelation to me -- & not a good one -- that it's basically ... mayonnaise.
Q: So are all the Democratic legislators who voted last week to put a Lite version of the Jon Coupal-backed tax-buster on the ballot (in exchange for getting HJTA to withdraw the Original Flavor one) now politically-, legally- or honor-bound to support the measure in November? A:
Buffy Wicks@buffywicks.bsky.social · last mo.But here's the important part: Just because ACA 22 got the more dangerous measure off the ballot *doesn't* mean ACA 22 should pass on the ballot. You should vote No on ACA 22.
If you're wondering how the tax-chopping "Taxpayer Protection Act" got pulled California's November ballot at the last minute, how the deal was "pretty pleasing" to anti-tax advocate Jon Coupal or why anything about transfer taxes got left on the legislative floor: calmatters.org/housing/2026...
Real estate tax-cut proposal pulled from ballot in last-minute deal
The final deal puts a stripped-down tax-cut measure to voters in November but doesn't touch real-estate transfer taxes.
calmatters.org
Wherein I say for ~ 1,001st time that water provision in mobile home parks is bad. Among a broader set of challenges and associated costs stemming back to utility-related infrastructure, but also mitigating and adapting to growing environmental hazards, such as heat. calmatters.org/housing/2026...
California extended a lifeline to some of its aging mobile home parks. What happened next?
California gave an old mobile home program a new name, a new focus and millions more to spend. The results are starting to come in.
calmatters.org
Added the following bit to last night's story with this response from the carpenters: calmatters.org/housing/2026...
A bill that would have included a new minimum wage for construction workers on streamlined townhouse projects has had the wage provision stripped out. This was the latest clash between the state carpenters' union and the state building trades. A W for the trades. calmatters.org/housing/2026...
A California housing bill would raise wages to $28. Why do some unions hate it?
The California trades unions and the carpenters union are at odds again over a minimum wage provision in a housing bill.
calmatters.org
The high cost of home repair is a challenge across the country, but California's mobile home parks are a particularly tough case. Here's a story I wrote about a state program aimed at revitalizing one of California’s most overlooked sources of affordable housing: calmatters.org/housing/2026...
California extended a lifeline to some of its aging mobile home parks. What happened next?
California gave an old mobile home program a new name, a new focus and millions more to spend. The results are starting to come in.
calmatters.org
Wild stuff here. In unrelated news, I had the most shockingly unpleasant experience at the offices of my new dentist, Dr. Ouchiemouth. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/18/u...
California voters are overwhelmingly Democratic and have been for a generation. So why is it so rare for two Dems to end up on the general election ballot statewide? From me and @jeannereporter.bsky.social on why the state just can't quit partisan match ups. calmatters.org/politics/202...
The top-two primary promised to change California politics. Voters say: meh
California's top-two primary was designed to create moderate candidates and reduce partisanship. Instead, November races are as partisan as ever.
calmatters.org
When is a minimum wage hike of more than $11 per hour actually a pay cut? The latest spat between two rival California construction unions over the future of California housing policy. calmatters.org/housing/2026...
A California housing bill would raise wages to $28. Why do some unions hate it?
The California trades unions and the carpenters union are at odds again over a minimum wage provision in a housing bill.
calmatters.org
Money can't buy you love, an end to Democrats' shutout concerns and a dispiriting night for California state lawmakers looking for other employment opportunities. Those and other takeaways from California's election: calmatters.org/politics/202...
Five things to know about California’s election, from Congress to the governor’s race
You won't see a Republican vs. Republican matchup in the California governor's race as Democrat Xavier Becerra and Republican Steve Hilton hold the top two spots.
calmatters.org
For anyone else still inexplicably awake and dwelling on vagaries of California's weird ass electoral system, take a moment to consider the political life of Maria Alvarado-Gil. Back in 2022, Alvarado-Gil ran for state Senate but, objectively, it was a bit of a crazy thing to do. For one...
