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By Eric Johnson
Published Feb 19, 2024

CEQA vs. Housing; a Nonprofit’s Collapse; Black History Reading List

In this week’s edition of The Newsletter (as always), you will find a curated collection of news stories from trusted local sources—automagically selected for the county in which YOU live.

Also this week, to celebrate Black History Month, we present nine books that reveal distinct Black Californian voices, including a memoir (Maya Angelou’s I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings), poetry (Wanda Coleman’s African Sleeping Sickness), fiction (Dana Johnson’s Elsewhere, California), and more.

But first, an article about unintended consequences wrought by a well-intentioned piece of environmental regulation, and another about a well-intentioned nonprofit’s failed attempt to fix a big problem in the state’s capital city.

Did Environmental Protection Cause the Housing Crisis?

The California Environmental Protection Act (CEQA) has helped preserve California’s precious landscape, helped protect residents’ health and safety, and helped fight the climate crisis. Many leaders, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, believe it has also been a primary cause of the housing shortage that has crippled the state and made 150,000 Californians homeless. Here’s how that happened.

CEQA: The Surprising Story of CA’s Key Environmental Law

Does California’s signature environmental law protect the state’s scenic beauty, or cause more problems than it solves?
The California Environmental Quality Act, CEQA, is both the state’s signature environmental legislation, and is also often named as the villain in the state’s housing shortage. But the story may not be that simple.

Battling Chronic Homelessness in California’s Capital

San Francisco has gained national notoriety for the thousands of homeless individuals forced to live on its streets and the squalid camps they inhabit. While the problem in the City by the Bay is infamous enough to be mocked by everyone from Ron DeSantis to Dave Chappelle, the crisis in California’s capital city is less well known.

The fact is, Sacramento, with a population of just over half a million, has more homeless residents than San Francisco, whose population tops 850,000. In the six years since I moved here, I have witnessed an unhoused neighbor in some manner of distress practically every day. For local small-business owners, or families who want to feel that their kids are safe, here in Sacramento, the homeless crisis is unavoidable and painful.

That is not because local leaders are ignoring the problem. Mayor Darrell Steinberg, an empathetic man and (as former California Senate President pro Tempore) an astute public servant, made it the central focus of his time in office. The homeless population grew by almost 70 percent over that period, for reasons nobody can adequately explain.

Meanwhile, an organization that was doing the difficult work of finding homes for the hardest cases found itself swamped, and was forced to declare bankruptcy and shutter its operation. Graham Womack reports.

The Collapse of Sacramento Self-Help Housing

Mark Oden was among the thousands of chronically homeless people helped by Sacramento Self-Help Housing prior to the organization’s failure.
A once-groundbreaking nonprofit working with chronically homeless people in California’s capital closed and filed for bankruptcy in 2023.

Black Lit California Style

This short sampler considers the well-known books mentioned above, and lesser-known texts such as Anna Deavere Smith’s one-woman work of “documentary theater,” and Octavia Butler’s post-apocalyptic speculative fiction.

February Reading List


Mark Black History Month by reading these novels, nonfiction books and collections that feature Black voices exploring the Black experience in the Golden State.

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Recent Statewide News

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Government Announcements

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Image of City of Los Altos seal. City of Los Altos   (02/18/2024)

City of Los Altos Hosts 2nd Annual Electric Vehicle Showcase
Los Altos, Calif. February 17, 2024 The city of Los Altos, in partnership with GreenTown Los Altos and the Electric Automobile Association of Silicon Valley, is hosting "Destination Electrica Los Altos electric vehicle (EV) showcaseon Saturday, March 23, from 14 PM at the Los Altos Community Center. This event is free and open to all community members.
Image of United States seal. United States   (02/16/2024)

Nordic Naturals Issues Voluntary Recall of Baby's Vitamin D3 Liquid Due to Elevated Levels of Vitamin D3
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Image of State of California seal. State of California   (02/16/2024)

Alex Lee CA Assembly 24:
Assemblymember Alex Lee Introduces Legislation To tackle LBGTQ+ inequalities
Assemblymember Alex Lee Introduces Legislation To tackle LBGTQ+ inequalities channi Fri, 02/16/2024 - 14:04 Nicholas Chan Email nicholas.chan@asm.ca.gov Phone (916) 319-2392 Title Communications Director, Office of Assemblymember Alex Lee Friday, February 16, 2024 Today, Assemblymember Alex Lee introduced AB 3031 to address the inequities and barriers faced by LGBTQ+ community. AB 3031 will create the LGBTQ+ Commission with the goal …
Image of City of Morgan Hill seal. City of Morgan Hill   (02/16/2024)

City Council Community Funding
The City is accepting applications for City Council Community Funding from local nonprofit organizations that host community events, host community-supporting events at City facilities, and provide services to the community.
Image of Town of Los Gatos seal. Town of Los Gatos   (02/16/2024)

Board Commission Committee Recruitments
Apply to Serve on a Town Board, Commission, or Committee!
Image of United States seal. United States   (02/15/2024)

Raw Cheddar Cheese - Voluntary Product Recall
On February 15, 2024 Raw Farm was contacted by the FDA and CDC regarding the epidemiological possibility that Raw Farm raw cheddar cheese might have caused some illnesses within a date range of October 18th 2023 and January 31st 2024.
Image of State of California seal. State of California   (02/15/2024)

Alex Lee CA Assembly 24:
Assemblymember Alex Lee Introduces Bill to Create Social Housing in California
Assemblymember Alex Lee Introduces Bill to Create Social Housing in California channi Thu, 02/15/2024 - 15:33 Nicholas Chan Email nicholas.chan@asm.ca.gov Phone (916) 319-2392 Title Communications Director, Office of Assemblymember Alex Lee Thursday, February 15, 2024 Today, AB 2881 was introduced by Assemblymember Alex Lee to develop social housing for Californians of all income levels. The legislation will establish the California …
Image of City of Campbell seal. City of Campbell   (02/15/2024)

Police Operations Building Construction
City Hall Parking Update for Week of February 19th.
Image of United States seal. United States   (02/15/2024)

Capitol Distributing Issues Allergy Alert on Undeclared Sesame in Product
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Image of City of Morgan Hill seal. City of Morgan Hill   (02/15/2024)

State of the City Address
Join Mayor Mark Turner at the Morgan Hill Community Playhouse, 17090 Monterey Road, Wednesday, March 13, 6:30 p.m. for the latest update on the State of the City.