AMBITIOUS AGENDA: A legislative panel with power to shape California housing policy will see a major change next month after a year of bruising battles over incentivizing home construction.

State Sen. Jesse Arreguín, a Berkeley Democrat and renter, will take over his chamber’s Housing Committee, succeeding Aisha Wahab, who clashed with pro-development YIMBYs like state Sen. Scott Wiener.

“I come to the position with a deep amount of experience on housing issues. Also, I come as a renter and somebody who’s faced housing insecurity and displacement that’s really driven my very strong advocacy for affordable housing and housing production. And I come to this work with a body of experience as a mayor and as a regional official, helping advance housing production and housing throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.”

“I do intend to take the committee in a slightly different direction, because I believe that we need an all-of-the-above approach to how we address the state’s housing crisis. It isn’t just about affordable housing and protecting renters. It’s also about building housing. We have an acute housing shortage in California, and not just in ownership, but also in rental housing. And that’s what’s driving displacement and homelessness that impacts cities throughout our state.”

Read the full story here.