A new political movement is shaking up city hall and setting the stage for a big election in 2020 When San Diego?s Republican Mayor Kevin Faulconer?the only GOP leader of a U.S. city of a million or more residents?tweeted in January that he wanted the city to go ?From a city of NIMBYs to a city of #YIMBYs!? it was heralded as a progressive stance by many, especially for a city known for sprawl and pristine coastal views.
But it also spoke to political reality. With a newly elected city council featuring a 6-3 Democratic supermajority, housing was an obvious issue where Faulconer, traditionally a more moderate member of his party, could find consensus (he?s been more outspoken when it comes fighting climate change). He then proposed eliminating parking and height requirements in a January 15 State of the City speech, one of the more aggressive proposals in the state to fight the housing shortage (and a bit of a turn from his earlier statements as a city councilmember).
My goal in San Diego is simple: We must change from a city that shouts, ?Not in My Backyard,? to one that proclaims, ?Yes In My Backyard!?

The blueprint I?ve laid out in SD is being embraced by both sides of the aisle ? and can be applied across our entire state. #YIMBY? Kevin Faulconer (@Kevin_Faulconer) March 5, 2019

One of the forces shaping that new political reality is the power flexed by YIMBY Democrats of San Diego, a year-old organization which has shown outsize strength beyond its rough...