Building plans in Berkeley challenge values
As California’s housing crisis spiraled out of control in the 2010s, with homelessness rapidly rising and even affluent families struggling to purchase homes in the Bay Area, a pro-housing movement was born.
The state legislature has since passed a slew of new laws aimed at removing construction barriers and making housing more affordable, including statewide rent control and the dismantling of zoning laws for single-family homes. Last year, the state’s housing supply grew by 0.85 percentthe highest rate in more than a decade.
Of course, this living trend has its opponents. You’ve probably heard of NIMBYs, those who say “not in my backyard” to new projects, and their detractors, YIMBYs, who firmly say “yes” instead.
In his recent article for the California issue of The New York Times Magazine, Daniel Duane explored this housing debate in a nuanced way that reflected the humanity on both sides.
Daniel wrote about his parents, who raised him in Berkeley in the 1960s and 1970s and now worry that new apartment buildings and other developments could change the character of the neighborhoods they nurture. His mom and dad have long nurtured an old left-wing distrust of real estate developers deeply rooted in the Bay Area, dating back to when real estate development was seen as destroying nature and enabling racist housing practices.
But he also explored his own concerns about the state’s out-of-control housing market: that his school-age daughters may never be able to afford to live in the region where they grew up, and may be forced to live far from home. move almost everyone. They know.
“I was really raised and deeply sympathetic to the view that real estate development is always wrong, always speculative, always corruptible,” Daniel told me. “So when I started following the YIMBY arguments, I became interested in what was a political and ideological reversal, at this really important point, of the values I had grown up with.”
He said writing the article was an important way “for me to simultaneously keep my heart open to what it all really meant for my parents and their neighbors, while remaining aware of what’s at stake for me and my children, and for all others.” children – and the nature of the society we build, or don’t build.
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Where we travel
Today’s tip comes from Jo Baldwin:
“One of our favorite places to stop when traveling from Los Angeles to Santa Barbara is Ventura. A wonderful vibrant place with peace and walks and serenity, but also bustle and arcades and great eateries. The canals there are a delight to drink in and walk around, choosing the house we would live in. Super friendly and easy to park. The last time we were there was a crazy fair with people dressed in all sorts of gear you can think of, great fun for kids big and small.
Tell us about your favorite places to visit in California. Email your suggestions to CAtoday@nytimes.com. We will share more in upcoming editions of the newsletter.
Tell us
We are almost half way through 2023! What are the best things that have happened to you this year so far? What have your victories been? Or your unexpected joys, big or small?
Let me know at CAToday@nytimes.com. Please include your full name and the city where you live.
And before you go, good news
As a young child some 75 years ago, Brenda Kennedy saw elephants at a circus in Los Angeles and fell in love with the creatures. In the decades that followed, she always headed for the elephants when she visited a zoo.
“God made us all different, and He made them different too” Kennedy told The Mercury News. “You stand one and say, ‘My God, it’s different from this guy.'”
But it was only recently that Kennedy, now 83, was able to see elephants up close and in a more natural setting. The Elderly Wish Foundation, based in the Bay Area, arranged a trip for her last month to see the animals at a sanctuary in Gold Country.
“It was an absolutely fantastic day,” Kennedy told The Mercury News.
Thank you for reading. I’ll be back tomorrow. — Soumja
PS Here it is today’s mini crossword.
Briana Scalia and Johnna Margalotti contributed to California Today. You can reach the team at CAtoday@nytimes.com.
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