California voters opt for orderly urbanism on Election Day

California voters rejected a rent control initiative that would have given cities a free hand to regulate rents.

The biggest housing issue on the California ballot was rent control.

The question is whether the election results will actually lead to safer, more affordable, more livable cities.

A settlement has been reached in a lawsuit challenging Healdsburg , California 's inclusionary zoning fees.

California 's tough-on-crime measure has majority support in every county in the state.

Prop. 36 was presented as a solution to some of the most visible signs of California 's urban dysfunction: smash-and-grab retail theft, shuttered storefronts, public drug use and spiking overdose deaths.

The measure largely rolls back a 2014 ballot initiative that had lowered penalties for simple drug possession and the theft of goods worth less than $950 from felonies to misdemeanors.

Voters didn't give up on cities in 2024 .

They voted for candidates that promised more housing, lower costs of living, and more functional city governments.

Voters also resoundingly supported policies and candidates promising a crackdown on public drug use, theft, and urban disorder generally.