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Few California municipalities have met new housing goals

Affordable housing under construction in San Francisco
Mark Hogan
/
Flickr / Creative Commons
Affordable housing under construction in San Francisco

Governor Newsom set a goal to add 2.5 million new units to California’s housing stock by 2030.

When local governments plan for this housing, they’re also supposed to meet a range of four affordability targets, spanning from market-rate housing to housing that people with very low incomes can afford.

Only about 30% of all jurisdictions are on track to hit their market-rate targets.

Just 32 cities and counties are set to hit their planning goals for very low-income housing.

And only five jurisdictions are on pace to hit their target numbers in all four affordability brackets.

Critics of the state’s planning process have said the targets are unrealistic. They say local governments can make it easier to build with changes to zoning and permitting rules. But they can’t force developers to break ground, or control the many other factors that drive decisions to build.