We are eagerly anticipating the 77th CSG West Annual Meeting next week! This year’s event offers an unprecedented selection of legislative learning labs, policy sessions, policy tours, Chair’s Forums, and engaging activities for friends and family. This special edition of the Regional Roundup previews many of our featured sessions, including the final installment of our “Speaker Spotlights” series. Enjoy the highlights, and we can’t wait to greet you in Portland, Oregon! | |
Annual Meeting | Featured Sessions | | |
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Safeguarding the West from Wildfires
Friday, July 12 | 8:30-10:00 a.m.
| In this comprehensive session, legislators and experts will address issues of forest management, infrastructure, emergency response, and insurability. | |
Moderator:
Senator David Brock Smith
Oregon
Speakers:
Senator Angus McKelvey
Hawaii
Senator Jeff Golden
Oregon
Kyle Williams
Deputy Director of Fire Protection Oregon Department of Forestry
Bill Messner
Senior Infrastructure Program Director
Portland General Electric
Brad Richy
Director
Idaho Office of Emergency Management
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Supporting Children’s Mental Health Needs
Wednesday, July 10 | 8:30-10:00 a.m.
| Children’s mental health needs have risen at alarming rates. Join this session to learn what actions states and organizations are taking to address these issues. | |
Moderator:
Representative Lisa Reynolds
Oregon
Speakers:
Assemblymember Mike Gipson California
Senator Chris Wilson
Utah
Vannessa Dorantes
Managing Director
Casey Family Programs
Kate McLaughlin
Executive Director
The Ballmer Institute for Children’s Behavioral Health
Dana Hepper
Director of Policy & Advocacy
Children’s Institute
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Featured Session: CSG West Housing Forum | | | |
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The inaugural CSG West Housing Forum will take place on Tuesday, July 9, and Wednesday, July 10. This forum will bring together a diverse panel of experts to address pressing housing issues, providing policymakers and stakeholders the opportunity to discuss and explore state-level strategies for overcoming the housing affordability crisis. Preview the forum topics and agenda below! | | |
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Housing Forum - Day 1
Tuesday, July 9
3:30-6:00 p.m.
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State-Level Actions: Boosting Housing Supply and Affordability
Henry Honorof
Executive Director
Welcoming Neighborhoods
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Necessity Breeds Innovation
Rick Murdock
CEO & Co-Founder
Autovol
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Housing Policy:
Developments and Outcomes
Travis Plunkett
Senior Director
Pew Charitable Trusts
Housing Policy Initiative
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Housing Forum - Day 2
Wednesday, July 10
10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
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Housing Market Insights from Zillow’s Chief Economist
Dr. Skylar Olsen
Chief Economist
Zillow
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Top Trends in Housing Innovation
Hannah Gable
Director of Strategy and Operations
Ivory Innovations
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Tenant Protections and Housing Security
Representative Junie Joseph
Colorado
Senator Patty Kuderer
Washington
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Speaker Spotlight:
Dr. Skyler Olsen
Chief Economist, Zillow
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Session:
Housing Forum - Day 2
Wednesday, July 10 | 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
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Dr. Skylar Olsen is the Chief Economist at Zillow. A Ph.D. housing economist with over a decade studying U.S. housing markets and consumers, Skylar is passionate about ensuring policymakers, journalists, housing professionals, and her colleagues have the data and understanding they need to make better decisions.
Skylar has testified before the U.S. Congress about fair housing issues and regularly shares her housing-market expertise on stage, in print, and on local and national television and radio stations. She also teaches Real Estate Evolution and Disruption at the University of Washington, where she earned her PhD, and was a visiting scholar to the College of William and Mary in the Fall of 2023.
Before returning as Zillow’s chief economist in July 2022, Skylar was a foundational member of Zillow’s public-facing economics team from 2012 to 2020, and was personally behind much of Zillow's most famous research work and collaborations with academic and government research teams.
During next week’s CSG West Housing Forum, Skylar will discuss economic and housing market trends, looking at both the rental and for-sale markets. She’ll provide her insights on the current affordability challenges, including opportunities to address them.
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Speaker Spotlight:
Travis Plunkett
Senior Director | Pew Charitable Trusts' Housing Policy Initiative
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Session:
Housing Forum - Day 1
Wednesday, July 10 | 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
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As unprecedented housing costs continue to cause significant damage to family finances throughout the U.S. and the economy overall, states are stepping in to ease rigid land-use requirements that are a prime driver of high rents, home prices, and homelessness. Travis Plunkett with the Pew Charitable Trusts will outline the steps that states and municipalities – particularly in the West – are taking to revise zoning rules and provide the most up-to-date evidence about their effectiveness.
Travis oversees the Pew Charitable Trust's housing, labor, and education work at the state and federal level. Pew's priorities in this area include (1) increasing access to safe, affordable home financing, (2) reducing America’s housing shortage, (3) removing barriers to retirement savings in the workplace, and (4) promoting successful repayment by student loan borrowers facing financial difficulties, including veterans.
Before joining Pew, Travis directed federal legislative and regulatory affairs for the Consumer Federation of America, where he was instrumental in the enactment of the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure Act and the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Plunkett was previously the New York state legislative representative for AARP. He also served in the U.S. Army Intelligence and Security Command.
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BELOW: Read More from the Pew Charitable Trusts' Housing Policy Initiative | | |
State Policymakers Examine Bipartisan Efforts to Boost Housing | State policymakers of all political stripes are seeking ways to address the housing supply and affordability challenges that Americans face as a national shortage contributes to soaring costs. On Feb. 22, The Pew Charitable Trusts hosted a session entitled "States Construct Bipartisan Consensus to Boost Housing" in Washington, D.C. | | |
Strong Support Across Partisan Lines for Policies That Boost Housing | For most Americans, housing is their largest regular expense, but an acute housing shortage of an estimated 4 million to 7 million homes and resulting skyrocketing rents and home prices mean millions more households are struggling to afford housing than in the recent past. | | | |
Homeowners, Renters, and All Income Groups Back Housing Reforms | Households throughout the country, particularly those with the lowest incomes, are struggling with the high cost of housing because of decades of underbuilding, high construction costs, and the resulting shortage of homes for sale and for rent, all combined with inadequately funded housing assistance. | | |
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Podcast
A Foundation in Montana: Housing in America
| In this episode, we hear from Montana state lawmakers Daniel and Katie Zolnikov about the bipartisan legislation they championed to address rising concerns about access to housing. And Indigenous advocates in Montana, Jody Cahoon Perez, Tonya Plummer, and Patrick Yawakie, discuss how they're helping their Tribal communities seek more affordable and culturally appropriate housing. | | |
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Supreme Court Upholds Anti-Camping Laws | |
In City of Grants Pass, Oregon v. Johnson, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a ruling by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals that had deemed it unconstitutional to penalize homeless individuals for sleeping in public when they have no alternative shelter. Justice Neil Gorsuch, writing for the majority, stated that the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution’s prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment does not limit government actions addressing homelessness.
The case originated from Grants Pass, Oregon, which, like many other cities across the country, has anti-camping ordinances they deem as necessary to maintain public safety, while lacking sufficient shelters for the homeless. Major cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco, as well as several states, filed amicus briefs and supported the appeal, seeking clarity as to the authority of state and local governments to implement and enforce policies to clear unsafe encampments. The ruling, which has major implications for state and local governments in the Western region that are within the jurisdiction of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, provides state and local governments flexibility to confront homelessness. Advocates for the homeless disagreed with the ruling, arguing that the lower court's ruling only curtailed the harshest laws against the homeless. Currently, federal data indicates a growing homeless population, with around 650,000 people experiencing homelessness on any given night in the U.S.
This issue will be a point of conversation during next week’s 77th CSG West Annual Meeting in Portland, Oregon, which will include a Housing Forum.
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New CSG Justice Center resources aim to strengthen the juvenile justice system through data-driven approaches | |
As youth nationwide face unprecedented challenges, including community violence, mental health issues, and school absences, efforts to support the juvenile justice system and family service systems are paramount. The CSG Justice Center has provided resources for policymakers and stakeholders to analyze youth justice data, reevaluate state policies, and develop evidence-based solutions for better public safety and youth outcomes.
Featured resources include:
Additionally, on July 29 the Justice Center will host “Navigating Concerns on Youth Crime, Violence, and Behavioral Health: What Does the Data Say?,” a webinar aimed at refocusing the juvenile justice system to prioritize serious offenses, optimizing resource allocation for public safety, and developing state plans to support vulnerable youth.
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