NIMBYs and Nutria

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It’s that time again: California’s finest messes, all in one place. This week we’re highlighting a backlash against ADUs in San Diego, burgeoning post-fire development battles in LA, and a Bay Area mayor’s homeless ultimatum. Plus, the podcast for water-policy obsessives and why officials want you to eat the problem plaguing the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. (Keep reading, it’ll make sense.)

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Let’s get to it…

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THIS IS WHY WE CAN’T HAVE NICE THINGS.

Like many California cities, San Diego tried to alleviate its brutal housing shortage by supercharging backyard home construction. The bonus ADU program lets homeowners stack units on single-family lots, fast-tracking affordable housing. Some property owners, such as the one depicted below, took full advantage, cramming dozens of units onto oversized lots. To no one’s surprise, the backlash has arrived right on cue. The city is now rolling back the program in eight zones while keeping it alive elsewhere, adding new fees and restrictions. It’s not a full retreat, but it’s a reminder: Everyone agrees we need more housing, right up until someone actually builds it.

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🤫 Everything you should know

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⛽ 🏢 🤦🏼‍♀️  -  HERE WE GO AGAIN — The Palisades fire didn’t just torch mansions — it also erased 1,300 rental units, including 770 rare rent-controlled apartments. Now, developer Justin Kohanoff wants to replace his burned-down gas station with a gleaming eight-story, 100-unit complex, with some reserved for low-income renters. The response from certain corners of the community has been…frosty. The nascent development battle — amid the ashes of tragedy — throws California’s continuing housing production struggles into stark relief. LA Times

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🤧 💸 🤷🏼  -  PLAGUE ENTHUSIASTS REJOICE — The Trump administration’s recent cuts to all manner of federal programs have become the stuff of legend — and ongoing litigation. Of particular concern is the future of funding for infectious disease research, including programs that provided tuberculosis drugs, HIV treatments, and malaria prevention for millions. In an elucidating short interview, UC Berkeley’s Russell Vance, an immunology professor and Mythbusters alum, calls it the worst setback of his career. While he studies how immune responses to TB might crack the cancer code, the bigger question might be whether science can survive politics. UC Berkeley  Bonus: Read the University of California’s full rundown on the topic.

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⛺ 🙅 🚓  -  SHELTER OR SLAMMER — San José Mayor Matt Mahan has a new deal for the unhoused: take a shelter bed or face arrest. With more temporary housing opening, he argues it's time for accountability — three offers, then consequences. Critics — many of which have dominated the failed dialogue around homelessness for decades — say it criminalizes poverty. Mahan says it’s time to get serious about getting people off the streets. Police and fire unions back him, the San José City Council leans his way, and the vote is coming. KQED

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🎧 🔊 🎧 ON THE POD: WE GROW CALIFORNIA

Let’s say you’re into California water policy. Like, REALLY into California water policy. It’s your thing. You don’t golf, you don’t like dinner parties, you don’t do crossword puzzles. You just want to know the latest water news, the biggest innovations, and the most accomplished thinkers in the space. Well, have we got a podcast for you: We Grow California

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🍽️ 🦫 😋   - NUTRIA: THE NUTRITIOUS NUISANCE

California’s got a swamp rat problem, and officials have a (tasty?) solution: eat them. Nutria — destructive, invasive rodents with a talent for wrecking wetlands—are overrunning the state, munching through marshes and threatening agriculture. They breed like crazy, burrow through levees, and waste more than they eat. The state has already removed 5,500, but that’s not enough. So, wildlife officials are pushing a new slogan: “Save a Swamp, Sauté a Nutria.” Yes, there’s even a recipe site. LA Times

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ONE MAP TO GO

With the federal government in the initial stages of what appears to be a crash personnel diet, California stands to take a disproportionate hit (in absolute numbers). The East Bay Times has a breakdown. East Bay Times

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