Listen Live
Donate
 on air
    Schedule

    KCRW

    Read & Explore

    • News
    • Entertainment
    • Food
    • Culture
    • Events

    Listen

    • Live Radio
    • Music
    • Podcasts
    • Full Schedule

    Information

    • About
    • Careers
    • Help / FAQ
    • Newsletters
    • Contact

    Support

    • Become a Member
    • Become a VIP
    • Ways to Give
    • Shop
    • Member Perks

    Become a Member

    Donate to KCRW to support this cultural hub for music discovery, in-depth journalism, community storytelling, and free events. You'll become a KCRW Member and get a year of exclusive benefits.

    DonateGive Monthly

    Copyright 2026 KCRW. All rights reserved.

    Report a Bug|Privacy Policy|Terms of Service|
    Cookie Policy
    |FCC Public Files|

    Back to Design and Architecture

    Design and Architecture

    YIMBY activist Sonja Trauss runs for office

    Sonja Trauss, YIMBY activist and candidate for San Francisco District 6 Supervisor Last week Governor Jerry Brown signed 15 bills intended to enable the construction of new housing in California. These bills mark a victory for a growing movement called YIMBY or Yes In My Backyard. DnA reached out to one of its leading voices: Sonja Trauss,…

    • rss
    • Share
    By Frances Anderton • Oct 3, 2017 • 1 min read

    Sonja Trauss, YIMBY activist and candidate for San Francisco District 6 Supervisor

    Last week Governor Jerry Brown signed 15 bills intended to enable the construction of new housing in California. These bills mark a victory for a growing movement called YIMBY or Yes In My Backyard. DnA reached out to one of its leading voices: Sonja Trauss, founder of the SF Bay Area Renters' Federation (also known as SF BARF) which has since joined a bigger organization called the YIMBY Party. In late 2015 she co-founded a nonprofit that enforces state housing law. She is now running for supervisor in District 6 in San Francisco.

    She talks about the difference between being an activist and a politician, whether her views on housing have changed with impending motherhood and why the "revaluation of black land" is a sign of greater social justice.

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Frances Anderton

      architecture critic and author

    • https://images.ctfassets.net/2658fe8gbo8o/AvYox6VuEgcxpd20Xo9d3/769bca4fbf97bf022190f4813812c1e2/new-default.jpg?h=250

      Avishay Artsy

      Producer, DnA: Design and Architecture

    • KCRW placeholder

      Sonja Trauss

      San Francisco Bay Area Renters' Foundation

      Culture
    Back to Design and Architecture