Dear friends,

A few months ago, a group of NIMBYs in San Mateo announced that they found a loophole to try and block the construction of desperately-needed new homes in their community: get the neighborhood designated as a "historic district."

We're seeing more and more of this across the state. In 2024, the YIMBY movement is fighting back.

California YIMBY is a sponsor of Asm. Buffy Wicks's AB 2580, which requires local governments to monitor how new historic designations could impact their ability to meet housing needs under existing state law. Under AB 2580, cities would have to report new historic buildings and districts to the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD).

It's a crucial first step toward reining in the abuse of historic preservation rules. The good news: AB 2580 just passed the Assembly last week. Now we need your help to get it passed in the State Senate.

Will you send a message to your Senator? Vote YES on AB 2580 and help get more housing built by tackling abuse of historic preservation rules!
SEND A MESSAGE >>

Historic preservation plays a vital role in protecting California’s architectural heritage and conserving places of historic significance.

Historic districts, and buildings designated as "historically significant," receive special protections that subject new developments, building renovations, and design changes to a more rigorous and thorough review process to protect the integrity of the historic elements.

However, the process for designating a building as "historically significant," or creating a new historic district, encourages abuse by individuals and small local groups who seek to prevent more inclusive and affordable housing development.

That's what happened in San Mateo recently. It's happened in Berkeley, San Francisco, Los Angeles – cities all over California.

This abuse of the historic designation process impedes or blocks urgently-needed housing – even when a majority of elected officials or residents support the construction of more homes.

There are also currently no measures in place to ensure local governments balance legitimate historic preservation with potential impacts on a community's ability to meet its housing needs.

Because of the interaction between state and federal rules, tackling the abuse of historic preservation rules requires several steps. AB 2580 is a crucial first step, and it just passed the Assembly. Will you help us pass it in the State Senate?

Send a message: Tell your Senator to vote YES on AB 2580 – and help build more homes across California!

Thank you for taking action to stop NIMBYs and build more housing.

Gratefully,

Matthew

Matthew Lewis
Communications Director
California YIMBY

California YIMBY is a movement dedicated to ending our state’s housing crisis and building a more inclusive, affordable, and accessible state for ALL Californians. If you were forwarded this email, you can join our movement here. DONATE NOW » Want to keep track of housing issues and the YIMBY movement? Sign up for the HomeWork, our newsletter here.

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