Infill: A YIMBY Podcast

"Internet personality" Matthew Yglesias comes on the YIMBY Podcast! Laura and Matt chat about the presidential candidate housing platforms, the role of the federal government in housing, and Housing Twitter. Join Matt October 10th in San Francisco for the annual YIMBY Party Party! Buy your tickets now: party.yimbyaction.org

Ruth Bernstein, President & CEO of EMC Research comes on the YIMBY Podcast to chat about housing data and the changing public opinions across California about the housing crisis.

Guest David Klion (news editor at Jewish Currents, writer The Nation, and internet dude) discusses YIMBY and image problem with the Left. We half-start every argument and never get to that very specific point you wish we had made.

In this special episode, we talk to YIMBYs from all over the state who came to San Francisco for the California Democratic Convention. In addition to regulars Laura Foote of YIMBY Action and Scott Feeney, this episode features: Rachel Stevens, YIMBY Democrats of San Diego / California YIMBY, Jose Trinidad Castaneda, Orange County, California Democratic Party delegate, Alfred Twu, Berkeley artist and activist, delegate, Konstantin Hatcher, Los Angeles, California YIMBY, Jeff Grafton, South Bay YIMBY / Peninsula for Everyone

Guest Randy Shaw, author of Generation Priced Out and blogger at Beyond Chron, comes on the pod to hash over SB 50 and the politics of YIMBY. What is dead may never die.

In this short episode we sit down with Senator Scott Wiener in his State Capitol office on the eve of battle. You, mighty YIMBY Army, are being called to arms. TO ARMS! Email now: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/email-your-state-reps-to-support-sb-50

Berkeley councilmembers Lori Droste and Rashi Kesarwani join us to discuss their effort to expand missing-middle housing options. We also talk opportunity and belonging in the Bay Area. And a fun side story: UC Berkeley students' recent advocacy for housing at 2190 Shattuck, at what Laura describes as the "F*ck a View hearing," after a memorable student sign. (The councilmembers want you to know Laura called it that, not them.) Lori and Rashi's missing-middle legislation, which is also sponsored by councilmembers Rigel Robinson and Ben Bartlett, will be presented to Berkeley's City Council on February 26th. East Bay for Everyone has details on that hearing, if you can show up.

Can you effectively advance urbanist policy without doing "politics"? We discuss with our guest from Washington, DC, Alex Baca, who writes and works for the Coalition for Smarter Growth. Alex previously ran a bikeshare system in Cleveland, and before that worked for the Washington Area Bicyclist Association and Washington City Paper. Along the way, we get into DC's Congressionally set height limits, the 16th Street bus lanes, Virginia's weird rule for city incorporation, and the similarities of BART to DC's Metro. By partial coincidence, all of the people on this episode lived in both San Francisco and the DC area at some point. Coalition for Smarter Growth Alex on Twitter A selection of Alex's writing from 2018

We chat with outgoing Supervisor Katy Tang, of the Sunset District, about her work on the board, and particularly Home-SF, the local density bonus. Also the recently passed Central SoMa Plan. Home-SF Sunset YIMBYs should join Westside = best side!

Senator Scott Wiener's newly unveiled More HOMES Act, or Senate Bill 50, would unban apartments near transit and in high-opportunity areas. It's the new SB 827, but it's more ambitious, has clearer and stronger anti-displacement protections, and has racked up new supporters, including the building trade unions and many local officials. We invited Senator Wiener's policy lead on housing and transportation, Annie Fryman, to join us for a frank conversation about the bill, the public reaction so far, and its relationship to the Bay Area's regional housing compact, CASA. By the way, the name stands for More Housing, Opportunity, Mobility, Equity, and Stability. 1:02 What SB50 (More HOMES Act) is 4:04 Stronger public support vis-a-vis SB827 10:20 Sensitive communities carve-out 15:24 Minneapolis comprehensive plan vs SF Planning 17:23 Reactions to including job-rich areas 23:57 Preserving tenant-occupied housing 27:39 How Annie met Laura and got into housing politics 32:00 Demolition controls: SF compared to L.A. 37:47 Endorsements from big-city mayors and Building Trades 42:02 Affordable housing developer's take on More HOMES 45:33 Laura's Thanksgiving argument with her mom 51:25 CASA regional compact 1:02:47 Final thoughts Become a community supporter of the More HOMES Act!