This bill has been hailed a ‘landmark’ victory for California YIMBYs. But it only narrowly escaped defeat Sen. Scott Wiener’s bill survived more than a dozen amendments, two hostile committee chairs and a near-failure on the Senate floor, showcasing both his persistence and divisions among Democrats wh…

Wiener’s transit-near-housing bill, #SB79, survived more than a dozen amendments and two hostile committee chairs, showcasing both his persistence and the divisions among Democrats on adding density w/in CA's cities.

Here's how the bill came together:
www.mercurynews.com/2025/10/03/w...

More here on some of the workarounds the industry has used to keep commissions in place: www.mercurynews.com/2025/09/21/r...

“There’s a convention that’s been in place for a long time,” one home seller told me. “The more you try to buck against that standard, the more potential problems you create for yourself.”

But one year later — home sellers and buyers are largely paying the same fees as before. Some feel they've been pressured into it by the industry, worried that if they don't pay the usual fees, they could lose out on a sale.

The standard fees for homesellers — 5% to 6%, split between the buyer's and seller's agents — was supposed to give way to a new era of separate negotiations, with the potential to reduce commissions for everybody.

A big Realtors settlement could have led to lower agent commissions. They haven’t changed. To settle allegations of price-fixing, the National Association of Realtors agreed to new rule changes meant to change how agents were paid. But a year later, commissions have barely budged.

A year ago, the National Association of Realtors made a series of rule changes to resolve allegations of fixing agents' commissions.
www.mercurynews.com/2025/09/21/r...

Newsom says he’s working on Bay Area transit loan deal — but details being hashed out in secret Governor’s office signals that it will work with legislators on deal to avoid a funding gap for transit. But they may have to give him something in return

Newsom says he’s working on deal to advance $750M loan to Bay Area transit agencies — but details being hashed out in secret www.mercurynews.com/2025/09/08/n...

Newsom holding up a $750 million lifeline to Bay Area transit agencies, advocates say A budget deal promised to keep BART and Muni afloat. But with days left in the session, the money has become entangled in political bargaining

A $750 million loan to the Bay Area’s transit agencies to stave off major service cuts this year may be on the rocks.

www.mercurynews.com/2025/09/04/n...

The new report outlines several alternatives to the 171-mile segment between Merced and Bakersfield.

Notably, some of the alternative routes propose skipping Merced, home of the newest UC campus, and heading straight to Gilroy after Madera.

California High Speed Rail: Central Valley line alone won’t be profitable. Building to Gilroy could be A new report shows the Central Valley line is unlikely to pay for itself. Officials are weighing more expensive options to reach population centers.

New estimates from CA High Speed Rail show that when the Central Valley segment opens to riders in 2032, it would run at an operational deficit.
But building to Gilroy/Palmdale concurrently—then opening the whole line in '38—could be profitable, CAHSR says
www.mercurynews.com/2025/08/22/c...

California High Speed Rail: Central Valley line alone won’t be profitable. Building to Gilroy could be A new report shows the Central Valley line is unlikely to pay for itself. Officials are weighing more expensive options to reach population centers, though it could risk aband

California High Speed Rail: Central Valley line alone won’t be profitable. Building to Gilroy could be trib.al/CerM6Ga

California high-speed rail boss courts private investors with proposals for AI, energy revenue The rail authority CEO is looking to ways to milk the bullet train for revenue as he tries to lure private capital.

To lure private investment to #cahsr, there's been talk of "commercializing" the railway. But what does that mean?

The new CEO is courting private investors with ideas like selling off excess solar power the rail generates + leasing the right of way. More:
www.mercurynews.com/2025/08/10/c...

Are you a Bay Area homeowner who's tried (successfully or unsuccessfully) to build an ADU? I want to talk to you for a story! I'm at ktalerico@bayareanewsgroup.com

The Bay Area has hundreds of below-market rate apartments sitting vacant Some new moderate-income units offer little discount to market-rate rents. Some question whether we should prioritize building them at all.

But California will have to decide if subsidizing this group brings enough benefits to justify the potential loss of taxes to the state. My previous reporting shows that mod-income housing sometimes doesn't provide much of a difference from market-rate: www.mercurynews.com/2025/05/18/m...

Neither passed, but these ideas are likely to come back to the legislature in some way (both bills have appeared in previous sessions.) Developers say that they can't build for this income level w/o subsidies.

Two solutions to subsidize middle-income housing were put forth this year, with different goals:
- SB 336/@scottwiener.bsky.social, would have extended the welfare prop. tax exemption to mod-income rentals
- AB 595/Juan Carrillo, would have created a new tax credit for mod-income home builders

To keep the middle class in California, should developers build homes to rent? Or own? Middle-income households may struggle less to afford rent — but they often are forced to the peripheries of the Bay Area, or beyond, if they want to buy.

Almost all income-restricted housing built is for rent.

But when you talk to middle-income renters, the choice is often stay here/pay more in rent, or move somewhere cheaper to buy.

To keep the middle class in CA, build more opportunities to own, some argue:
www.mercurynews.com/2025/06/08/m...

To keep the middle class in California, should developers build homes to rent? Or own? Middle-income households may struggle less to afford rent — but they often are forced to the peripheries of the Bay Area, or beyond, if they want to buy.

When we talk about policies build more affordable housing, that policy almost always focuses on subsidizing *rental* housing. But what would it look like to create more affordable homeownership opportunities in California? My latest: www.mercurynews.com/2025/06/08/m...

Senate passes bill to allow housing up to seven stories near public transit Scott Wiener has been trying to get a version of his ‘transit-oriented development’ bill passed since 2018.

Scott Wiener is one step closer to getting the transit-oriented development bill he's advocating for since 2018: www.mercurynews.com/2025/06/04/s...

Are you a renter? Have you signed a lease on a new spot in the last few months? And would you be down to chat with me about your apartment hunt? Hit me up for a story! I'm at ktalerico@bayareanewsgroup.com

When Facebook committed $1B to affordable housing in 2019, it made headlines at the major national news outlets.

None of them have followed up to see if the company has kept its promise.

But I talked to sources who say the company has largely abandoned the pledge halfway through t.co/wWAwahOTDr

Meta promised $1 billion for affordable housing. Then it quietly walked away The pledge has been whittled down significantly as the Silicon Valley tech company has faced layoffs and shifting priorities.

MY LATEST: In 2019, Meta unveiled an ambitious pledge to spend $1B to help ease CA's affordable housing crisis.

Yet not even halfway through its 10-year commitment, it has largely abandoned its work on the initiative, sources tell me.
www.mercurynews.com/2025/05/20/m...

Do you receive a Section 8 voucher? Or live in public housing? I'd love to talk to you for a story about how Trump's proposed budget cuts will impact these programs! Shoot me a DM.

Do you live in a condo in the Bay Area? Have your HOA fees been rising? I'd love to talk to you for a story TODAY! Shoot me an email, I'm at ktalerico@bayareanewsgroup.com

Bay Area homebuyers’ dilemma: As Trump tariffs swing stock market, hold off? Or ‘buy the dip’? Many buyers liquidate their stock portfolios to help purchase a new home. With market volatility, many wonder if they should cash out this spring, or wait.

Many Bay Area buyers liquidate their stock portfolios to help purchase a new home. With market volatility, many wonder if they should cash out this spring, or wait
www.mercurynews.com/2025/05/05/t...

If Trump really wants to reopen Alcatraz, he’ll have to go through California’s environmental laws As it goes for so many real estate developers here, President Donald Trump’s dreams of building in California could get derailed by regulations.

there's always a ceqa angle www.mercurynews.com/2025/05/04/c...

Mark Zuckerberg’s charity quietly cuts funding for affordable housing, homelessness groups Many Bay Area housing orgs were caught up in the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative’s push to end ‘social advocacy’ grants in the wake of DEI scrutiny.

I spent hours today on the phone with folks at housing organizations who are set to see funding from
@chanzuckerberg.bsky.social end.

Many suspect it's part of the charity's pullback from DEI-related initiatives: www.mercurynews.com/2025/05/01/m...

I'm looking to speak with folks who have been house-hunting or bought a home in the last few months! Shoot me an email if you'd be down to talk about your search: ktalerico@bayareanewsgroup.com

A California environmental law makes it ‘too damn hard’ to build. But do Democrats have the will to reform it? The law is a favorite tool among the trade unions, which threaten developers with it to extract concessions. Any CEQA reform is likely to require the unions’ stamp of approval.

A California environmental law makes it ‘too damn hard’ to build. But do Democrats have the will to reform it?

The CEQA graveyard: Projects delayed by California’s powerful environmental law CEQA challenges have paralyzed major housing and infrastructure projects around the Bay Area — including apartments located within steps of transit stations, student housing projects and California…

The CEQA graveyard: Projects delayed by California’s powerful environmental law