YIMBYism seriously popped up in California in 2017 when Big Tech executives founded California YIMBY, a statewide lobbying group largely funded by tech industry hotshots. Since then, California YIMBY has pushed housing policies that impact millions of people, but the mainstream media, for whatever reason, has rarely looked into the group and other YIMBY leaders. Housing Is A Human Right, however, has consistently picked up the slack.
For the past nine years, we’re written tons of articles and reports that explain the YIMBY way of operating, and we’ve constantly shined a light on YIMBY controversies. It’s been important work – YIMBYism simply does not help millions of poor and middle- and working-class tenants in a direct and urgent way, and we’ve always pointed that out.
YIMBYism, though, has been embraced by many politicians, and the mainstream media appears to champion it. That results with a public thinking YIMBYism is a good thing, which it’s certainly not.
So we thought it would be helpful to offer our key YIMBY articles and reports in one place. You can easily find important information, and you can share the information with family and friends by giving them the link to this article. And here we go…
Inside Game: California YIMBY, Scott Wiener, and Big Tech’s Troubling Housing Push: This special report was published in 2020, but it’s still very relevant, and it’s the best read for anyone who wants to learn more details about YIMBYism that have rarely, if ever, been reported by the mainstream media. The report is always one of our most-read articles at the Housing Is A Human Right website.
What is a YIMBY? (Hint: It’s Not Good): This is another widely read article at our website, and it explains, very simply, the key problems with YIMBYism, such as YIMBY leaders are consistently silent about the predatory practices of corporate landlords and developers and routinely fail to consider the economic, social, culture, and political impacts of their land-use policies on working-class neighborhoods and communities of color.
Trickle-Down Housing is a Failure. Here’s What You Need to Know.: YIMBYism pushes a trickle-down housing agenda, in which YIMBY leaders say we just need to build a lot of luxury housing, and eventually sky-high rents will come down for the poor and middle and working class. It’s nonsense, and we explain why.
California YIMBY Joins Corporate Landlords to Kill Rent Control Measure: For years, California YIMBY and other YIMBY groups largely stayed neutral, at least publicly, about rent control. That all changed in 2024. California YIMBY and YIMBY Action, two of the most influential YIMBY groups in California and across the United States, officially opposed Proposition 33, which would have repealed statewide rent control restrictions. Dozens of housing justice groups, social justice organizations, and labor unions supported Prop 33, but California YIMBY and YIMBY Action decided to stand with multi-billionaire corporate landlords who spent tens of millions in campaign cash to successfully kill the initiative. The YIMBY groups, in other words, showed their true colors.
As Californians Fought Corporate Landlords, YIMBY Action Partied with Big Real Estate’s Cash: While housing justice groups, labor unions, and social justice organizations were battling corporate landlords to pass Prop 33 in an effort to urgently address California’s housing affordability crisis, YIMBY Action held a “YIMBY Prom” at the swanky Terra Gallery in San Francisco that was financed by uber-wealthy real estate insiders. It’s like that old saying: “You are the company you keep.”
Exclusive: Tech Execs and Venture Capitalists Spend Big to Help California YIMBY Kill Tenant Protections: Housing Is A Human Right examined state filings for the California YIMBY Victory Fund and found that numerous Big Tech executives and venture capitalists were delivering major cash to the political action committee. In other words, they were financing California YIMBY’s political work, which included sending campaign contributions to numerous politicians and opposing tenant protections. As far as we know, only Housing Is A Human Right has written about this.
Are Big Real Estate and YIMBYs Totally Wrong About How to Solve the Housing Affordability Crisis?: In 2026, a group of top researchers found that not building enough affordable housing is driving the housing affordability crisis. This is a key finding because YIMBY leaders and the real estate industry insist that we just need to build a lot of luxury housing and rents will lower for everyone. The researchers say that’s hogwash.
And that wraps the key articles about YIMBYism at the Housing Is A Human Right website. But if you want to learn more, we recommend going to our News page and utilizing the search engine. Just type in “YIMBY” and you’ll find the many articles that we’ve written over the past nine years. In the meantime, remember to share the link for this story with your friends and family. Knowledge, as they say, is power.
Patrick Range McDonald is a veteran investigative reporter and the award-winning advocacy journalist for Housing Is A Human Right.