Government

Major Housing Bill Dies in State Senate

Published

5 years ago

February 6, 2020

After a two-hour debate last Wednesday, the state senate voted 18 to 15 to reject SB 50, a housing zoning bill Sen. Scott Wiener D-San Francisco) introduced to fast-track the building of more housing units in the state.

SB 50 would have compelled cities and counties in the state to raise height limits on new construction and lift other local building restrictions, particularly along train routes and high-frequency bus stops. It would have also made provisions that would override local building codes, allowing developers to build higher-density housing — apartment buildings, housing complexes, triplexes and duplexes — even in high-income neighborhoods where they are now rare.

The senate’s decision is a setback for Gov. Newsom and other supporters who want to speed up solving California’s affordable housing crisis, in part, by increasing the supply of properties available to buy and rent.

The governor has set an ambitious goal to build 3.5 million new housing units by 2025.

“This is not the end of this story,” said Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins (D-San Diego). “Everyone needs to get ready to come to the table. Everyone needs to get ready for some compromise.”

Supporters of SB 50 predicted that it could trigger tens of billions of dollars in new investments in some communities. But critics — including Sen. Holly Mitchell (D-Los Angeles) — warned that the legislation would only benefit deep-pocketed developers who build housing mostly for wealthy buyers.

“Over the past three years, I have supported 20-plus pieces of transformative housing legislation,” Mitchell tweeted after her “no” vote on SB 50. “As chair of the Budget and Fiscal committee, I have prioritized over 3 billion dollars to address our current housing crisis. I am prepared as President Pro Tem Toni Atkins stated ‘to communicate, collaborate and compromise’ on the right solution for all California communities.”

Damien Goodmon, the Executive Director of the Crenshaw Subway Coalition in South Los Angeles, took to Twitter, too, after the Senate SB 50 vote.

He thanked Sen. Mitchell for voting against the legislation.

“Let’s talk racial impact analysis of these upzoning bills to ensure they don’t harm the very communities who have historically been harmed by the racist exploitative real estate industry and are most impacted by the housing crisis,” he wrote. “Let’s talk about long-term solutions like community and trusts.”

California Black Media Staff

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Activism

Remembering George Floyd

BLACKPRESSUSA NEWSWIRE — Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing.

Published

5 days ago

June 2, 2025

Oakland Post

Mural showing the portrait of George Floyd in Mauerpark in Berlin. To the left of the portrait the lettering "I can't Breathe" was added, on the right side the three hashtags #GeorgeFloyd, #Icantbreathe and #Sayhisname. The mural was completed by Eme Street Art (facebook name) / Eme Free Thinker (signature) on 29 May 2020. (Wikimedia Commons)

By April Ryan
BlackPressUSA Newswire

“The president’s been very clear he has no intentions of pardoning Derek Chauvin, and it’s not a request that we’re looking at,” confirms a senior staffer at the Trump White House. That White House response results from public hope, including from a close Trump ally, Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene. The timing of Greene’s hopes coincides with the Justice Department’s recent decision to end oversight of local police accused of abuse. It also falls on the fifth anniversary of the police-involved death of George Floyd on May 25th. The death sparked national and worldwide outrage and became a transitional moment politically and culturally, although the outcry for laws on police accountability failed.

The death forced then-Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden to focus on deadly police force and accountability. His efforts while president to pass the George Floyd Justice in policing act failed. The death of George Floyd also put a spotlight on the Black community, forcing then-candidate Biden to choose a Black woman running mate. Kamala Harris ultimately became vice president of the United States alongside Joe Biden. Minnesota State Attorney General Keith Ellison prosecuted the cases against the officers involved in the death of Floyd. He remembers,” Trump was in office when George Floyd was killed, and I would blame Trump for creating a negative environment for police-community relations. Remember, it was him who said when the looting starts, the shooting starts, it was him who got rid of all the consent decrees that were in place by the Obama administration.”

In 2025, Police-involved civilian deaths are up by “about 100 to about 11 hundred,” according to Ellison. Ellison acknowledges that the Floyd case five years ago involved a situation in which due process was denied, and five years later, the president is currently dismissing “due process. “The Minnesota Atty General also says, “Trump is trying to attack constitutional rule, attacking congressional authority and judicial decision-making.” George Floyd was an African-American man killed by police who knocked on his neck and on his back, preventing him from breathing. During those minutes on the ground, Floyd cried out for his late mother several times. Police subdued Floyd for an alleged counterfeit $20 bill.