Senior Politics Reporter

Josh Koehn

State lawmakers this year sent the governor 800-plus bills, many with far-reaching consequences for the Bay Area.

Legislators and voters have approved novel ideas to generate funding, but a lack of political will has scuttled them. 

Newsom's reform of state housing law was a renegade move that will help make California affordable again.

As the state pushes cities to produce more housing, homeowners are applying for exemptions on the basis of "preservation."

For years, residents could block or delay new housing projects they didn't like. New state laws changed that.