Equity

New Berkeley Terner Center Database Gives ‘Road Map’ for Local Housing Reform

Local municipalities around the U.S. now have a road map to pursue housing reform through a first-of-its kind database created by the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley. It catalogs state incentives and programs that legislators can emulate to produce more local housing. As part of Berkeley’s College of Environmental Design, the Terner Center’s database sorts 144 pro-housing policies from 20 states by factors related to affordability and equity.

Published

2 years ago

March 21, 2023

Oakland Post

The first-of-its kind database sorts pro-housing policies from 20 states by factors related to affordability and equity. View of San Francisco. (Photo by Mike McBey via Flickr)

By Ivan Natividad

Berkeley News

As part of Berkeley’s College of Environmental Design, the Terner Center’s database sorts 144 pro-housing policies from 20 states by factors related to affordability and equity. This can serve as a resource to help policymakers and housing advocates implement effective housing policy in their local contexts, said Shazia Manji, a Terner Center research associate.

“It is clear that state action is needed to overcome local resistance to housing production; what is less clear, however, is the road map to shift policy,” Manji said. “This database and typology are a first effort to catalog what states across the country have done to advance home-building.”

To capture the breadth of state pro-housing laws across the country, Terner Center researchers scanned published research of state laws that were designed to produce more local housing production. A legal search engine was also used to identify laws that may have not been included in academic research studies.

The final report focuses on laws passed by state legislatures, and approved by governors, that impact local planning and zoning decisions.

Manji said the data shows that state legislation typically employs several policies at a time to put the necessary pressure on localities to produce more housing. The development of these state pro-housing tools often occurs through years of work.

“While legislation can, and sometimes does, implement new and novel approaches, the majority of the laws we reviewed made changes to try and improve upon existing laws and requirements,” said Manji. “… This report sets the stage for a much-needed and more comprehensive effort to compile and characterize what states have already done to intervene in local housing policy and practice.”

For the full report, go to https://ternercenter.berkeley.edu/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/State-Land-Use-Report-Final-1.pdf

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Oakland Post: Week of May 7 – 13, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 7 – 13, 2025

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Gov. Newsom Approves $170 Million to Fast Track Wildfire Resilience

AB 100 approves major investments in regional conservancies across the state, including over $30 million each for the Sierra Nevada, Santa Monica Mountains, State Coastal, and San Gabriel/Lower LA Rivers and Mountains conservancies. An additional $10 million will support wildfire response and resilience efforts.

Published

2 weeks ago

April 28, 2025

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Courtesy of California Governor Gavin Newsom’s Facebook page.

By Bo Tefu
California Black Media

With wildfire season approaching, last week Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill (AB) 100, unlocking $170 million to fast-track wildfire prevention and forest management projects — many of which directly protect communities of color, who are often hardest hit by climate-driven disasters.

“With this latest round of funding, we’re continuing to increase the speed and size of forest and vegetation management essential to protecting communities,” said Newsom when he announced the funding on April 14.

“We are leaving no stone unturned — including cutting red tape — in our mission to ensure our neighborhoods are protected from destructive wildfires,” he said.

Newsom also signed an executive order suspending certain regulations to allow urgent work to move forward faster.

This funding builds on California’s broader Wildfire and Forest Resilience Action Plan, a $2.7 billion effort to reduce fuel loads, increase prescribed burning, and harden communities. The state has also launched new dashboards to keep the public informed and hold agencies accountable.

California has also committed to continue investing $200 million annually through 2028 to expand this effort, ensuring long-term resilience, particularly in vulnerable communities.