Unfamiliar Terrain

By Miles Imwalle and Megan Jennings Governor Gavin Newsom signed two budget trailer bills on June 30, 2025, enacting the most substantial reforms to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) in over five decades—most significantly by introducing a new statutory exemption for infill residential projects, although there are other changes to CEQA that apply to […]

A roundup of news and multimedia from the Unfamiliar Terrain team: San Francisco Mayor Lurie names new S.F. planning director (SF Chronicle): Sarah Dennis Phillips has been named the City’s planning director, replacing Rich Hillis. Mayor Lurie’s Family Zoning Plan Is a Leap Forward for San Francisco Housing Policy (SPUR): According to SPUR, a proposal […]

California’s 2025 legislative cycle includes another ambitious package of housing bills as the state continues to look for ways to ease the housing crisis amidst continued political and economic uncertainty. Reforming the California Environmental Quality Act (“CEQA”) is a perennial focus among developers and housing advocates, although the state has enacted only narrowly targeted measures […]

A roundup of news and multimedia from the Unfamiliar Terrain team: San Francisco Mayor Lurie launches initiative to speed up S.F.’s slow permitting process (SF Chronicle): The Mayor announced a new effort to streamline the City’s permitting process as he seeks to bolster its economic recovery. Lurie under YIMBY pressure to embrace aggressive rezoning plan […]

A roundup of news and multimedia from the Unfamiliar Terrain team: San Francisco Why Mission Bay is recovering faster than anywhere else in San Francisco (SF Standard): The redeveloped neighborhood is booming ahead of its showcase at next month’s NBA All-Star Game. Lurie asks of Candlestick Point: ‘How can we go faster?’ (SF Business Times): […]

As discussed in our last update on the November 2022 Proposition M, Empty Homes Tax Ordinance (the “Empty Homes Tax”), the San Francisco Apartment Association, the Small Property Owners of San Francisco Institute, the San Francisco Association of Realtors, and four individual landlords (“Challengers”) filed a lawsuit in San Francisco Superior Court challenging the constitutionality […]

With support from nearly 70% of voters in the November 2024 election, Proposition M will substantially modify the San Francisco Business and Tax Regulations Code (the “SF Tax Code”), which imposes a number of taxes on entities engaging in business in the City. The following is a summary of key existing provisions in the SF […]

A roundup of news and multimedia from the Unfamiliar Terrain team: San Francisco Can downtown be saved? Mayoral candidates’ big ideas to stop the bleeding (SF Standard): The candidates agree that something must be done, but who has the right formula to make the downtown boom again? State labels S.F. as a pro-housing city, one […]

UPDATE: As of September 30, 2024, Governor Newsom signed all but one of the bills we wrote about in our original post of September 16, 2024. We have updated that post to identify the bills that have been signed into law and to reflect the veto of AB 3068. During the 2024 California Legislative Session, […]

A roundup of news and multimedia from the Unfamiliar Terrain team: San Francisco S.F.’s Stonestown to become west side’s largest residential development in 50 years (SF Chronicle): The plan to convert the Stonestown Galleria from a suburban shopping center to an urban neighborhood with thousands of units of housing received its final approvals from the […]

As expected, on June 28, the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) determined that San Francisco has not made adequate progress toward its State-mandated housing production goal. The City’s Housing Element—which it adopted and HCD certified in January 2023, just in time to avoid triggering certain penalties under the State Housing Element Law […]

A roundup of news and multimedia from the Unfamiliar Terrain team: San Francisco Ultra Wealthy Are Putting Money Behind Bets on San Francisco’s Comeback (Bloomberg): Big investments in City businesses and real estate assets continue. New data reveals what’s really fueling downtown San Francisco’s recovery (Business Times): New data suggests nightlife and after-hours activity may […]