User:Urmilav/California housing shortage

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Community resistance (NIMBYism)[edit]
'''NIMBY ("Not In My Back Yard") resistance by existing residents to new development is a major contributor to the difficulty of developing new housing in the state. People who already live in an area often perceive any new development or change as driving increased negative traffic and population impacts. Using various means (political pressure, protests, and voting power), NIMBYs try to keep newcomers out by defeating development projects in the local government permitting process, or slowing them down to the point that they become uneconomical for the builders.'''

'''"Localism" (a seemingly egalitarian belief that incumbent residents have the moral authority to define what their community will look like) has been found to instead result in imbalances which favor white, affluent homeowners, and suggest that localism is more prevalent in planning practice than in the general population. On this issue, New York Times opinion writer Farhad Manjoo stated: "What Republicans want to do with I.C.E. and border walls, wealthy progressive Democrats are doing with zoning and Nimbyism. Preserving "local character," maintaining "local control," keeping housing scarce and inaccessible — the goals of both sides are really the same: to keep people out."'''

In 2022, California governor Gavin Newsom declared that "NIMBYism is destroying the state" and promised to hold cities and counties accountable for stopping new housing development.

NIMBYism and the Unhoused
Unhoused populations in California feel the impact of NIMBYism. California has one of the country's largest homeless populations, concentrated in urban centers. NIMBY attitudes extend to unhoused people, as residents oppose their presence in local areas and near neighborhoods. Localism has influenced how neighborhoods are shaped to exclude homeless people, resulting in anti-homeless infrastructure and laws.

The rise in homeless vagrancy laws, also considered NIMBY laws, criminalizes general unhoused behaviors rather than specific illegal activities. Examples like Berkeley's "3x3 Ordinance" of 2018 restrict homeless individuals to a 3' x 3' square on the street, with defiance leading to criminal punishment. There has been a severe uptick in vagrancy-related arrests, which encompass a wide range of activities. This involves panhandling, tents, and lying down in public spaces. Such laws disproportionately affect homeless people, perpetuating their displacement and poverty. Moreover, individuals experiencing homelessness and facing arrest are less likely to be accepted into housing programs, welfare programs, or receive necessary healthcare. This is because many of these programs require favorable legal records to receive aid. This cycle highlights how anti-homeless laws can increase the incidence of homelessness.

In one particular case, that of People's Park in Berkeley, support for homeless residents clashes with the push for housing development by the University of California, Berkeley. The park became the center of conflict between local anti-homeless lobbies and park advocates, exemplifying the persisting NIMBY sentiments at the local level. Laws and ordinances aimed at limiting the visibility of the unhoused at the local level contradict the prioritization of health and housing at the state level. California State is supportive of "Housing First" policies.