New Laws in 2025 that May Impact the North Bay

Latest CEQA Reform Effort a ‘Major Needle-Mover,’ Some Housing Advocates Say

California's housing crisis has been exacerbated by the state's ambitious climate policies, which have inadvertently made housing less affordable and accessible for many residents, according to a new report.

Hernandez writes, "Scores of new laws and regulations are now ritually adopted in California each year in a quixotic effort to conjure millions of desperately needed homes in exactly the areas of the state where housing costs are highest, anti-housing lawsuits are the most likely, and the units being produced are rentals that are unaffordable to the vast “missing middle” of low-, median-, and moderate-income households and render homeownership entirely unattainable.”

She claims that other climate policies further increase housing costs and discourage construction, including massive VMT “mitigation” obligations which burden new housing with outsize obligations to subsidize public transit and bike lanes somewhere (for someone), and to contribute even more funding to income-restricted, lottery-dispersed taxpayer-funded apartments that can cost more than $1 million per apartment to build. Residents of new housing also get burdened by California Air Resources Board (CARB) policy to “decarbonize” new housing by banning lower-cost natural gas appliances, therefore forcing new residents to assume already-extraordinarily high (and growing) electricity costs."

​ In "Bad Climate for Housing," Jennifer L. Hernandez explores the unintended consequences of California's climate strategies on housing affordability, highlighting the sharp divide between coastal and inland housing markets, the increasing costs driven by climate policies, and the critical shortage of housing permits for median and lower-income households.

​This article delves into the complex interplay between environmental regulations and housing development, offering a comprehensive analysis of how well-intentioned climate actions have led to a rolling disaster in the state's housing sector. NBLC’s mission is to support sound public policy. Advocating the need for more housing while supporting responsible climate action in the North Bay remains a priority.

Read the full report here.

Economic Mobility in California- Is it Being Jeopardized by Cuts to the Cal State System?:

Beyond DEI: Why Psychological Safety is Essential in Today’s Workforce:

How Research Funding Cuts Could Affect the North Bay and Cost the Bay Area Billions

Know your rights. What to do if immigration ICE shows up to your workplace.

Richmond Bridge bike lane needs to be removed

President Trump’s attack on immigrants affects immigrant workers and employers. This guide explains:

the most common immigration actions affecting employers,

recommendations for how employers can prepare,

employers’ rights and responsibilities, and

what employers can do after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) action.

Important! This guide is general information. It is not legal advice. It is not tailored to your situation. Talk to an immigration lawyer for advice in your case.

Marin supervisors back Richmond-San Rafael Bridge bike-lane experiment

Economic snapshot shows concerns over region’s economy

1. Richmond San Rafael Bridge- NBLC testified at a recent Board of Supervisors meeting in Marin and urged the supervisors to draft a letter of support in moving the bike lane on the RSR Bridge to a pull over lane Monday- Thursday to ease commute times and burden of many Marin employees commuting from the East Bay. The outcome was favorable, and they unanimously approved staff’s recommendation and will to draft a letter of support (attached) and send to the Bay Conservation & Development Commission (BCDC). BCDC is the governing body that can approve a permit to allow this change, and they will take up the vote in December. MTC and BATA have already approved the pilot change.