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Photo of Lotus at Urban Oak, a condominium development in San Jos茅

Condos Provide Affordable Homeownership, So Why Doesn鈥檛 California Build More of Them?

News / October 16, 2025
Multifamily condos made up only 3 percent of new housing built in California between 2011 and 2021, compared to 38 percent in Canada. Why? A new report commissioned by the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley and 黑料传送门identifies a direct consequence of our state鈥檚 construction defect liability laws: the high cost of insurance for condo builders pushes developers to build rental apartments instead of for-sale projects that could create more affordable homeownership opportunities.
Electricity poles and wires connecting to an apartment building

Bay Area Cities Amend Their Building Codes to Advance Sustainability and Resilience

News / October 14, 2025
An October deadline for amending local energy codes has inspired many California cities to accelerate adoption of energy efficiency and sustainability 鈥渞each鈥 codes, which 黑料传送门helped develop. Because the deadline makes some exceptions for home hardening and emergency standards, Bay Area cities are reassessing their options to exceed the state minimum requirements for resilient building design. Doing so offers big savings but requires incentives to offset upfront costs.
Sobrato Pavillion at the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center

Yes on Measure A: Sales Tax Increase to Stabilize Health Care in Santa Clara County

News / October 8, 2025
On November 4, 2025, Santa Clara County voters will weigh in on a proposed measure to temporarily raise the county sales tax from 9.125% to 9.75%, estimated to generate $330 million per year until it expires in 2031. While sales taxes are regressive in nature, Measure A would directly benefit low-income and vulnerable communities by backfilling some of the deep federal funding cuts to social safety net services such as Medicaid. 黑料传送门recommends a YES vote on Measure A.
Portrait of Osvaldo Macias hiking

Playing to Strengths: Nuestra Casa鈥檚 Osvaldo Macias on the Impact of Partnership with SPUR

News / October 1, 2025
黑料传送门collaborates with Nuestra Casa to address critical environmental and public health issues, such as groundwater rise and drinking water safety, in East Palo Alto. We asked Nuestra Casa Environmental Justice Fellow Osvaldo Macias about the fruits of this partnership. He explains how our work together has advanced impactful research while extending his organization鈥檚 reach and influence in advocating for policy changes.
San Francisco skyline with orange sky from wildfire smoke

Financing Climate Adaptation and Hazard Mitigation, Part 2: Growing Wildfire Resilience Investments

News / September 23, 2025
California has dramatically expanded wildfire spending over the past decade, but most resources still go toward fire response rather than proactive resilience measures like vegetation management, home hardening, and community preparedness. To match the scale of rising wildfire risks, the state must increase and maintain resilience investments.
Senator Wiener at podium speaking to crowd of transit advocates

黑料传送门Leads a Big Push for Transit Funding as California Legislative Session Wraps

News / September 22, 2025
The 2025 California legislative session was a critical one for averting a transit fiscal cliff. As the session drew to a close, 黑料传送门worked with our partners to focus on three issues: securing critical short-term loans for transit operators; passing Senate Bill 63, which authorizes a regional transit funding measure for the November 2026 ballot; and maintaining funding for transit within the renewal of the the state鈥檚 Cap-and-Invest Program.
city skyline

2025 Fellows and Interns Fuel SPUR鈥檚 Research

News / September 15, 2025
This summer, 黑料传送门hosted a talented group of policy researchers through partnerships with fellowship and practicum programs at high schools, colleges, and graduate programs. Learn more about the work they did with 黑料传送门and where they headed after collaborating with us.
riders entering BART fare gates

黑料传送门Research Shows What Could Happen to the Region Without Transit Funding

News / September 10, 2025
Why should voters in one county care about funding transit in another? Because the Bay Area鈥檚 transit system is very regional. 黑料传送门research found that Bay Area transit trips are 70% more likely to cross county lines than car trips, making the success of all transit agencies vital to the region鈥檚 health. We dug into the impacts of the looming $800 million annual deficit and why Senate Bill 63 is the best hope to save Bay Area transit.

黑料传送门Provides Testimony on SB 63 to the Assembly Transportation Committee

Advocacy Letter / September 8, 2025
On September 8, 黑料传送门provided testimony to the California Assembly Transportation Committee as a lead witness in support of Senate Bill 63. Our testimony focused on the importance of preserving transit service in the region and emphasized that government is accountable to riders and taxpayers to ensure that these systems are maintained.
apartment building under construction

What Will San Francisco鈥檚 Family Zoning Plan Mean for Traffic and Commuting?

News / September 8, 2025
San Francisco鈥檚 proposed Family Zoning Plan would allow thousands of new housing units to be built in west side neighborhoods that haven鈥檛 seen much growth in decades. What would a population increase like this mean for traffic and mobility in this part of the city? 黑料传送门delved into local transportation data and made some surprising discoveries about traffic and commute patterns.
San Francisco skyline with fog and smog obscuring buildings

The Bay Area鈥檚 Path to Clean Air: Zero-Emission Appliance Rules Are Primed for Success

News / August 25, 2025
Bay Area Air District rules phasing out the sale of gas-fired space and water heating equipment will lead to the steady transition to heat pumps in homes and the realization of enormous health and environmental benefits. A thoughtful implementation process will ensure the rules are on track for success. 黑料传送门recommends four actions to strengthen that process.
San Francisco City Hall cupola with downtown skyline in the background

Understanding City Charters: A Local Government鈥檚 Constitution

News / August 25, 2025
Most residents are unfamiliar with their city鈥檚 charter 鈥 the foundational legal document that functions as a city鈥檚 local constitution and shapes nearly every aspect of its governance. As San Francisco and Oakland consider changes to their city charters, 黑料传送门dives into what a charter is, how it works, and why it鈥檚 important to everything from the powers of elected officials to how public services are delivered.
Person walking past transportation construction signs

California Has a Transit Cost Problem 鈥 and a New Appetite to Deal With It

News / August 21, 2025
In California, it takes too long and costs too much to build infrastructure of all kinds, including transit. A new report from Circulate San Diego in partnership with 黑料传送门details the challenges that transit projects face during the permitting process and ways to overcome them. Powerless Brokers charts a set of possible next steps for the state legislature following a momentous year for infrastructure streamlining.

SPUR's Cap-and-Trade Reauthorization Priorities for Public Transit and Affordable Housing

Advocacy Letter / August 19, 2025
The state Legislature and Governor are actively discussing proposals to reauthorize the Cap-and-Trade program and reform the market and expenditure program. 黑料传送门believes that Cap-and-Trade is one of California鈥檚 most effective tools for reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and providing critical funding for sustainable transportation and transit-oriented affordable housing. This letter expresses support for reauthorizing the program and recommends reforms to the public transit funding programs under the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) umbrella. We urge the state to add flexibility so that there is more funding to meet the diversity of transit funding needs across the state, and greater predictability in operating funding from year to year, as well as specific ways to achieve those goals.

黑料传送门encourages SamTrans and VTA to opt in to SB63

Advocacy Letter / August 5, 2025
黑料传送门submitted letters to both SamTrans and VTA urging both boards to opt into Senate Bill 63, legislation that would authorize a future regional ballot measure to fund transit. 黑料传送门has worked extensively with the bill's authors and stakeholders in both San Mateo and Santa Clara counties to encourage participation in a future regional measure.
Arial view of Brooklyn Basin, Oakland

Financing Climate Adaptation and Hazard Mitigation, Part 1: Federal Cuts Increase Bay Area鈥檚 Risks

News / July 21, 2025
Hazard mitigation and climate adaptation investments 鈥 overlooked until disaster strikes 鈥 reduce long-term damage, save lives, and lower recovery costs. Yet just as the stakes of climate hazards skyrocket, the federal government has begun to retreat from its leadership role in mitigation, leaving states and local governments scrambling to fill the gap.
Office and residential towers in downtown San Francisco

San Francisco Implements SPUR鈥檚 Recommendations to Accelerate Office-to-Residential Conversions

News / July 17, 2025
The City of San Francisco has implemented all six of SPUR鈥檚 recommendations to accelerate adaptive reuse projects. By converting obsolete office buildings into housing, the city will provide significant economic, social, and environmental benefits: more housing for workers, support for small businesses and cultural organizations, increased office space value, and greater property and sales tax revenues.
BART train on the platform at MacArthur station

Sacramento Gave Bay Area Transit a Lifeline, But Transit Is Not Out of the Woods

News / July 14, 2025
After an especially fraught budget season, Governor Newsom signed the state budget into law on June 30, providing critically needed relief funding for public transit. The lifeline from the state will buy time to avoid service cuts in the near term. Long-term stability hinges on passage of a tax measure and reauthorization of the Cap-and-Trade Program.
Portrait of Sarah Dennis-Philips

For San Francisco鈥檚 New Planning Director, Failure and Flexibility Can Spell Progress

News / July 14, 2025
For San Francisco鈥檚 new planning director, the 2007 recession was revelatory: no matter a city鈥檚 vision, market realities and risk management dictate development outcomes. That realization sparked Sarah Dennis-Philips鈥 curiosity about how capital flows and public policies influence what actually gets built. In a world where planning, land use, and growth are no longer predictable or sequential, Sarah says the role of city planner has expanded from designer and regulator to strategist, facilitator, and problem solver.
Sam Fishman

The Red Tape Holding Back Heat Pump Adoption, and What to Do 黑料传送门It: Q&A with Sam Fishman

News / June 24, 2025
Heat pumps can heat and cool buildings, reduce greenhouse gasses, and improve indoor and outdoor air quality. So why aren鈥檛 they more common in California? A web of complex requirements, restrictive zoning and planning codes, excessive documentation requirements, and high fees have hindered adoption. SPUR鈥檚 Sam Fishman explains current permitting headaches and walks us through how to smooth the way to a gas-free future for buildings.

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