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Rules beyond zoning

Emerging evidence

Set the rules once. Stop retrying every home.

California's SB 35 gave qualifying projects a faster, more certain path than years of discretionary review. Affordable-housing builders became some of its most visible users.

What this does not mean: The available studies are implementation reports, not causal estimates. Proposed homes may not be completed, projects self-select into the program, and local economics still determine whether a legal path produces housing.

Figures from the papers

Inspect the published evidence directly

Study chart · redrawn

Figure 2 · Proposed SB 35 projects by year and approval status

Most reported SB 35 applications had received entitlements by the report's cutoff.

REDRAWN FROM STUDY DATAFigure 2 · Proposed SB 35 projects by year and approval status
Figure 2 · Proposed SB 35 projects by year and approval statusMost reported SB 35 applications had received entitlements by the report's cutoff. Values digitized from Figure 2 in the archived publication; minor reading error is possible.0204060Proposed projectsApplication yearApprovedPendingRescinded2018201920202021

Source: Manji & Finnigan (2023), Figure 2; PDF p. 8.

Read carefully: Applications and entitlements are not completed homes, and projects using SB 35 are a selected group.

Evidence stack

Studies behind this conclusion

Manji & Finnigan, 2023Research report

Streamlining Multifamily Housing Production in California

California's SB 35 created a faster and more certain approval path for qualifying projects, with especially visible use by affordable-housing developers.

156 approved or pending projects proposed more than 18,000 homes from 2018–2021

Keep in mind: Proposed units are not completed homes, users of the program are selected, and the report does not estimate a statewide causal effect.

Study details →
NYU Furman Center, 2023Research report

How Can Procedural Reform Support Fair Share Housing Production?

SB 35 made approval more predictable for projects that successfully used it, while local rules and project economics still shaped where the process was practical.

Keep in mind: The case sample includes successful projects and cannot establish total statewide production or a causal effect on housing costs.

Study details →

From evidence to policy

Reforms connected to this claim

06Set clear rules—and say yes on timeDebate the rules in public. Then approve homes that follow them without years of hearings, bargaining, appeals, and delay.
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