CalMatters spent two years investigating Homekey. Here’s what we found

Gov. Gavin Newsom created Homekey in 2020 amid the peak of COVID-19 and pressure to do something about the state’s ongoing homelessness crisis. The state program seeks to get money into the hands of local governments to create housing for homeless residents while cutting red tape.

But the program came with little built-in control. Earlier this year, state lawmakers rejected a Homekey audit bill. No government agency has publicly analyzed the program in detail to find out what works and what doesn’t.

So CalMatters spent two years and filed more than 100 public records requests to understand the results of this $3.8 billion program. Here are some highlights:

• Sometimes it worked out really well. Almost 13,500 Californians now live in Homekey sites created in the past six years.
• Sometimes it didn’t work at all. Thousands of homes promised by the program still do not exist for various reasons.
• Cutting red tape has created problems. Participation in the program forced one developer out of business. Another is charged with fraud.

This analysis is the most comprehensive look at one of Newsom’s flagship programs that exists. The program’s successes and failures are nuanced and complex.

Read the story here.

The rise of telecommuting is disrupting California’s labor market — potentially depriving Californians of finding jobs in the state and leaving them to continue to struggle with California’s high cost of living.

Office of the Nonpartisan Legislative Analyst released its report on Wednesday study of how telecommuting has affected California workplaces. Some key findings:

• The number of telecommuters in the state has tripled since 2019, with one-eighth of California workers working primarily from home today.
• Telecommuting has grown particularly in technology, finance, business and sales. While employment in these sectors grew by 16% in the US after the pandemic, it grew by only 7% in California.
• Before the pandemic, more workers in these four sectors moved to California, but now more are moving outside.

With California companies now able to hire people across the country and workers who would relocate to California for certain jobs no longer having to, the changed dynamic “intensifies the urgency … to improve affordability and quality of life in California,” the analyst’s office said.

The office suggests lawmakers consider in-state cost-of-living proposals to retain remote workers and possibly revise tax rules to address how out-of-state workers hired by California businesses don’t owe state income taxes.

Former U.S. Rep. Katie Porter of Orange County is struggling to win Democratic support in the California governor’s race, despite her experience in Congress and stated support for progressive policies.

So what stands in the way of her offer?

As Jeanne Kuang of CalMatters explains, Porter has come under scrutiny for considering more moderate positions. She wavered between fully supporting single-payer health care and doubting its feasibility for California. Last month, Porter raised concerns about the state’s agricultural overtime law, but when she heard back from the California Federation of Labor, she clarified that she supports the eight-hour workday.

Porter was also busted last year for two videos that critics said were examples of her seemingly unable to control her temper. Her poll numbers took a hit after that and haven’t recovered. According to some experts, the result shows how female candidates hold themselves to higher standards than men.

• Kimberly Naldera professor at Sacramento State University who studies gender and politics: “There’s a perception that women shouldn’t show anger, but it’s perceived as strong when men do.”

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