Feature


Activists sue Marin cities over housing plans

By WILL HOUSTON and GIUSEPPE RICAPITO

Two Marin cities are facing lawsuits over their handling of housing plan updates.
In two separate suits filed in Marin Superior Court on Wednesday, Novato and Belvedere are accused of violating state law by failing to give the state time to review their adopted plans to accommodate more homes.


It Can’t Happen Soon Enough 3

By Tom Campbell

Last February, Catalysts hosted a Zoom conversation with highly regarded state and national politician Tom Campbell. We talked about California housing policy, and he described his goal to improve government policy and services by creating a Common Sense Party.

As you’ll read in his update, the Common Sense Party is picking up steam. Many of us have changed party affiliation in support of Tom’s vision and commitment to common sense.


STATE USURPING KEY POWERS FROM CITIES

BY THOMAS D. ELIAS
All over California last fall, hundreds of the civic minded spent thousands of hours and millions of dollars running for posts on city councils and county boards.

Some of them may now be wondering why they bothered. For over the last three years, state government has gradually usurped almost full jurisdiction over one of the key powers always previously held by locally elected officials: The ability to decide what their city or county will look like and feel like over the next few decades.


RHNA v. Reality 2

By Bob Silvestri
On June 21, 2021, the Orange County Council of Governments (OCCOG) filed a Petition for Writ of Mandate (“Petition”) in Superior Court, to which the cities of Redondo Beach, Lakewood, Torrance, Cerritos, Downey, and Whittier were subsequently added as petitioners, alleging that the California Department of Housing and Community Development’s (HCD) determination of regional housing needs administered by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) was incorrect,.