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Livable California is a NIMBY group in California known for advocating against increased housing supply and for local control. [1] [2] [3] The organization disputes the existence of the California housing shortage. [4] The organization was founded by Marin County-based activist Susan Kirsch. [2] [5]

Livable California was founded in 2018 by Marin County-based activist and former teacher Susan Kirsch [6] and former oil and gas executive Rick Hall of San Francisco. [2] [7] They organized in opposition to Senator Scott Wiener’s housing development bill SB 827, helping to defeat it. [2] The group also opposed subsequent iterations of the bill, such as SB 50, which would permit fourplexes in most neighborhoods exclusively zoned for single-family housing and mid-rises near public transit stations. [7] [8]

Susan Kirsch started in anti-housing activism when she successfully prevented a 20-unit apartment building in her neighborhood. [5] Kirsch self-describes as a proponent for "slow growth", [5] [6] and disputes that California is experiencing a housing crisis. [2] Other members of Livable California describe themselves as proponents for "sensible" development, "smart growth" or "preservationists". [2] What unifies Livable California members is opposition to high-density housing development [2] and support for single-family-exclusive zoning. [7]

References

  1. ^ Ellickson, Robert C. (2022). America's Frozen Neighborhoods: The Abuse of Zoning. Yale University Press. p. 241. ISBN  978-0-300-26856-0. In 2018, California NIMBYs created an umbrella organization, Livable California.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Perigo, Sasha (2020-02-20). "Who are the Bay Area's NIMBYs—and what do they want?". Curbed SF. Marin County-based activist and founder of Livable California Susan Kirsch sees no problem with the NIMBY moniker.
  3. ^ ""Housing Is a Human Right": Moms for Housing's Black Feminist Politics of Shelter". Public Culture. 2022. doi: 10.1215/08992363-9937354. anti-development members of the NIMBY camp—many of whom are allied with nonprofit organizations like Livable California
  4. ^ "Twilight of the NIMBY". New York Times. 2022.
  5. ^ a b c "Sue The Suburbs: One Nonprofit's Plan To Solve The Housing Crisis". CBS News. 2019-09-30.
  6. ^ a b "She Disagreed With Everything He Wrote About Housing. They Had Coffee". New York Times. 2022.
  7. ^ a b c Group, Marisa Kendall | Bay Area News (2020-01-26). "Inside Livable California's fight for single-family neighborhoods". The Mercury News.
  8. ^ "California, Mired in a Housing Crisis, Rejects an Effort to Ease It". New York Times. 2020.