Ben Christopher

Ben Christopher

@frombenc.bsky.social

Housing reporter @calmatters.org. Occasional dad tweets. Tell me things: Ben@calmatters.org / signal: BenC.2017

1.2K followers548 following259 posts

Ben Christopher
@frombenc.bsky.social

"Both the left/liberal and right/conservative ends of the spectrum are generally more in favor of housing densification than those in the political center." www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

tandfonline.comNuancing NIMBYism: How regulatory preferences shape public acceptance of housing densificationHousing densification has become a key urban policy strategy in cities worldwide. However, its implementation often sparks political debates and local contestations. Our study uses data from a surv...
Ben Christopher
@frombenc.bsky.social

For years pro-development advocates have wanted to overhaul CEQA to clear the way for more housing construction. Now Prop. 45 is on the ballot, which supporters say would overhaul CEQA to clear the way for more housing construction. So why are YIMBYs divided? calmatters.org/housing/2026...

calmatters.orgWhy are pro-housing groups split on Proposition 45?Proposition 45 is intended to make it easier to build. But some pro-housing groups think it will create sprawl, which they don't like.

Ben Christopher reposted

CalMatters
@calmatters.org

The science research institute that would likely receive $4.2 billion in public taxpayer money if voters approve Proposition 38 this November had only three employees as of last month — far fewer than the 51 staffers it planned to have hired by last year. cal.news/4shghlR 📸 Brian van der Brug

Ben Christopher
@frombenc.bsky.social

“Whether a victory for pro housing advocates or local control advocates, this is going to be a decision that will have big ripple effects." www.sfchronicle.com/realestate/a...

sfchronicle.comExclusive: Developer sues Menlo Park, setting up high-stakes showdown over California housing lawThe developer of a major high-rise plan that has stirred controversy in Menlo Park has sued the city, asking a judge to force the project’s approval in a test of California’s housing laws.
Ben Christopher
@frombenc.bsky.social

In his final batch of 2026 bill signings, @governor.ca.gov signs SB 1090 into law, writing: “While extraordinary recovery challenges may warrant targeted adjustments, such measures should be carefully considered, narrowly tailored, and responsive to demonstrated local conditions.”

Ben Christopher@frombenc.bsky.social

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...

calmatters.orgTheir 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.

Ben Christopher reposted

CalMatters
@calmatters.org

Breaking: It was illegal for Sheriff Chad Bianco's office to seize ballots from the Riverside County registrar, rules California Supreme Court. cal.news/4AqYEnz 📸 Noah Berger, AP

Ben Christopher reposted

Mikhail Zinshteyn
@mzinshteyn.bsky.social

His "job is a mostly under the radar, but often indispensable, fixture of California’s urban housing market: He helps people get their building projects approved. "So-called land-use consultants and permit expediters are wayfinders of bureaucracy, sherpas of red tape." By @frombenc.bsky.social

calmatters.orgHow do you get a housing permit in California? He can hook you up, for a feeThere are some people for whom their whole job is guiding others through California's housing permitting bureaucracy.
Ben Christopher
@frombenc.bsky.social

Sometimes a story grow up out of a single quote. “In a perfect world, my job would not need to exist.” Meet the wayfinder of red tape who navigates one of the state's most infamously Byzantine housing approval bureaucracies. calmatters.org/housing/2026...

calmatters.orgHow do you get a housing permit in California? He can hook you up, for a feeThere are some people for whom their whole job is guiding others through California's housing permitting bureaucracy.
Ben Christopher
@frombenc.bsky.social

“Across the country, I’d lectured about how educational inequality is systemic, but that this fact did not absolve each of us of our individual choices. And in the end, I could not even sustain the cause within my own family.” www.nytimes.com/2026/09/20/m...

nytimes.comIn Fighting for Every Black Child, Did I Betray My Own?A decade ago, I made a decision about my daughter’s education that I hoped would challenge New York City’s separate and unequal school system. Now 16, she thinks I made the wrong choice.
Ben Christopher
@frombenc.bsky.social

Me, driving back from the space port after spending $43 million on a private rocket launch into orbit: "Happy birthday, kiddo. What was your favorite part?" My kid: "When I got to watch Bluey in the car."

Ben Christopher
@frombenc.bsky.social

A question I always have when walking around the East Bay and wondering how it's possible that an eye-wateringly valuable lot in one of the most in-demand job centers in the country is sitting empty but for the weeds. Very nice work here. www.sfchronicle.com/projects/202...

sfchronicle.comSan Francisco land is worth a fortune. There are still more than 2,000 parcels sitting undevelopedDespite being in one of the most expensive cities in the world, some parcels of land in San Francisco have sat empty for years. Here's where they are.
Ben Christopher
@frombenc.bsky.social

AB 1903 made its way through the legislature without a single "no" vote this year. At around 11:20pm last night, it passed the Senate unanimously without opposition. At midnight, it died under mysterious circumstances. calmatters.org/housing/2026...

calmatters.orgWhy a bill to juice condo construction died even though California lawmakers voted for itSupporters said a condo construction bill would unlock affordable for-sale housing that California desperately needs. But deadlines matter.
Ben Christopher
@frombenc.bsky.social

"The chief executives of PG&E and Edison wrote to Senate Pro Tem Monique Limon and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas on Monday, telling them that the utilities had collectively lost $20 billion in market value since Thursday." calmatters.org/economy/2026...

calmatters.orgWildfire liability bill dies without a vote on final day of sessionThe measure, which was opposed by Gov. Gavin Newsom and the state's public utiliites, never came to a vote in the Assembly.
Ben Christopher
@frombenc.bsky.social

Generations Z and Alpha have been algorithmically spoon fed inanity their entire lives, sapping them of the requisite attention spans and critical thinking skills needed to comprehend, much less appreciate, the demanding, but ultimately rewarding, cultural touchstones of prior, wiser generations.

Once Upon A Time On The Internet@newgroundsdoc.newgrounds.com

23 YEARS AGO TODAY, @mrweebl.bsky.social posted BADGERS to @Newgrounds.com

Ben Christopher
@frombenc.bsky.social

Late to this one. A great read and a very helpful explainer on how changes in average household size — both because of aging boomers and declining birth rates among their kids — exacerbates to the state's housing crunch: www.latimes.com/california/s...

latimes.comAging Californians aren't leaving their longtime homes. It's worsening the housing crisisChanging demographics — namely an aging population and smaller families — have driven down the average household size in California. So even as more houses are added to the market, vacancy rates have ...

Ben Christopher reposted

Anna Kramer
@annackramer.bsky.social

SCOOP: Trump officials are pressuring the National Park Service to find a way to give a small piece of Yosemite to a private developer. The land would be used for a road, to give the developer rare private access to the heart of the park.

notus.orgTrump’s Quietly Working to Give Part of Yosemite to a Private DeveloperThe National Park Service is under pressure to make an unprecedented deal that cedes a quarter-mile strip of the park.
Ben Christopher
@frombenc.bsky.social

"The proposal assumes that the project complies with environmental regulations unless the commission proves the development would 'result in a specific, adverse and unavoidable impact” to the environment.'" calmatters.org/politics/202...

calmatters.orgA Newsom donor could get a break from California's Coastal ActThe proposal would expedite the environmental review of a Newsom appointee’s mixed-use project in Santa Monica, despite opposition from both state lawmakers representing the area.
Ben Christopher
@frombenc.bsky.social

Chad Bianco's lawyer argued that the Riverside Sheriff was well within his legal rights to seize ~650k ballots last March, that state election law doesn't apply and that sheriffs don't have to listen to AG Rob Bonta. California's Supreme Court did not seem convinced. calmatters.org/politics/202...

calmatters.orgA California sheriff seized 650,000 ballots. Justices are skeptical of his defenseCalifornia’s Supreme Court questioned whether Riverside Sheriff Chad Bianco was within his legal rights when he seized the ballots
Ben Christopher
@frombenc.bsky.social

Context: Many locals are very angry about a proposed affordable development next to a Rocklin school. Last week, HCD advised the city that the project has to be approved by-right. Council delayed a vote on the project. Some more here from the Sac Bee: www.sacbee.com/news/local/a...

sacbee.comRocklin council delays vote on Sierra Wilds Apartments amid school safety debateFor many residents, the question was not whether Rocklin needs affordable housing but whether this particular site is appropriate.
Ben Christopher
@frombenc.bsky.social

I made a silly mistake in this story from Tuesday. I wrote that the entirety of SoCal was passing the halfway mark of its RHNA planning cycle this year. It was just a big chunk. The San Diego area passed the halfway mark last year. calmatters.org/housing/2026...

calmatters.orgAlmost nowhere in California is building enough, according to the state. Here’s whyCalifornia ordered cities and counties to plan for 2.5 million new homes by 2030. Only five jurisdictions are on track to hit their numbers.
Ben Christopher
@frombenc.bsky.social

As a result, I also miscounted the number of jurisdictions newly exempt from SB 423 streamlining. There are three (Santa Ana, Palm Desert and Cudahy) not four. Correction note and changes made!

Ben Christopher reposted

Eviction Lab
@evictionlab.bsky.social

“Less than a third of cities and counties [in California] are on track to permit enough “above moderate” units, the category that typically refers to market-rate housing.” calmatters.org/housing/2026... By @calmatters.org’s @frombenc.bsky.social

calmatters.orgAlmost nowhere in California is building enough, according to the state. Here’s whyCalifornia ordered cities and counties to plan for 2.5 million new homes by 2030. Only five jurisdictions are on track to hit their numbers.
Ben Christopher
@frombenc.bsky.social

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...

calmatters.orgTwo cities burned in LA fires settle YIMBY lawsuitTwo California cities agreed to allow multiplex development in single-family neighborhoods after a YIMBY nonprofit sued.
Ben Christopher
@frombenc.bsky.social

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...

minneapolisfed.orgHomeowners-to-Population Data | Federal Reserve Bank of MinneapolisA portal for accessing the data and calculations behind the homeowners-to-population ratio, or HPOP, an alternative measure of homeownership
Ben Christopher
@frombenc.bsky.social

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...

calmatters.orgRepairing 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.
Ben Christopher
@frombenc.bsky.social

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

"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.

Ben Christopher
@frombenc.bsky.social

Worth maybe stressing that higher land values in this case doesn't necessarily mean that upzoning results in higher cost housing overall. The added density can result in lower land cost per unit.