Can YIMBYs win without Scott Wiener?

Politico

4 days ago

BIG SHOES — Activists with the pro-housing YIMBY movement have scored win after win at the California Legislature in recent years. But they could soon face a conundrum: What happens when state Sen. Scott Wiener isn't around?
Wiener, in tandem with Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, has been the tip of the spear, pushing through a host of aggressive bills to turbocharge housing construction. Most notably, Wiener and Wicks championed a proposal this year to bypass environmental reviews for new housing in urban areas — the biggest reform to the landmark California Environmental Quality Act in a generation.
His time at the state Capitol is winding down, however. Wiener recently opened a campaign committee to run for San Francisco's congressional seat currently held by former Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
There are a lot of 'ifs' surrounding Wiener's political aspirations. Pelosi, who's represented the city in the House since 1987, hasn't ruled out running for another term in 2026. Wiener's fundraising committee is ostensibly earmarked for a 2028 campaign, but he could easily transfer it to a 2026 run. And Wiener's campaign has been ambiguous lately about whether he would consider running against Pelosi.
All of that said, activists with the YIMBY — 'Yes in My Back Yard' — or Abundance movement are grappling with the reality that their champion legislator may soon depart. At stake is whether those groups will have the legislative muscle to continue pushing through efforts to solve the housing shortage by slashing state and local regulations.
More lawmakers aligned with the YIMBY movement have been elected in recent years, but it's unclear who among them has the skills to be a cudgel in the Senate like Wiener.
'The honest answer is, 'We'll know in time,'' said Todd David, political director for Abundant SF and a member of Wiener's inner circle of advisers. 'Senator Wiener has loomed so large on this issue. The question is, 'How long will it take for some of these (new) legislators to come into their own?''
Laura Foote, executive director of YIMBY Action, said she's not sweating Wiener's eventual exit. She said the group's success reforming CEQA and passing other pro-housing legislation is a reflection of the movement's grassroots, with YIMBY chapters that have canvassed and raised money to help elect lawmakers.
'There's going to be elected officials that want to claim that mantle,' Foote said.
She listed a handful of new-ish legislators who are YIMBY-friendly: Sens. Jesse Arreguín and Christopher Cabaldon and Assemblymembers Juan Carrillo, Lori Wilson, David Alvarez and Nick Schultz. Wicks won't be forced out due to term limits until 2030.
Wiener told Playbook he's not worried about the plight of housing bills after he's gone: 'Listen, we're all replaceable. We all have expiration dates,' he said. 'There are various members in both houses who are deeply committed to housing, so I'm confident the work will continue.'
But YIMBY advocates have another problem, too — one that is cropping up before Wiener leaves Sacramento, and regardless of when he runs for Congress.
Incoming Senate President Pro Tem Monique Limón, one of the chamber's biggest environmental champions and a lukewarm supporter of housing legislation, is widely expected to remove Wiener as chair of the powerful budget committee (this year's CEQA reforms advanced through budget bills).
Moreover, the YIMBY movement has faced sharp criticism in recent months from some labor union leaders and environmentalists, who argue the effort to streamline construction has undermined other priorities, such as protections for workers and wildlife habitats.
California Labor Federation leader Lorena Gonzalez, a fierce opponent of recent YIMBY legislation, said a sizable group of Democratic lawmakers are uncomfortable as pro-housing groups take bigger regulation-cutting swings. She predicted that discomfort will grow regardless of Wiener's plans.
'The (YIMBY) movement has moved the bar … it finally got to a point where lawmakers were like, 'Hold up, I didn't sign up for that,'' Gonzalez said. 'It's a natural reaction to people opening their eyes.'
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Jewish Caucus member Matt Haney called for an end to the 'despicable, inhumane assault on the people of Gaza' yesterday in an Instagram post.
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