Federal Colonias Policy in California: Too Broad and Too Narrow Vinit Mukhija University of California–Los Angeles Paavo Monkkonen University of California–Berkeley Abstract In this article, we compare colonias in Texas and California and evaluate the federal policy relating to them. In Texas, designated colonias are recently subdivided but unregulated housing settlements that lack infrastructure. Cali- fornia’s designated colonias are old communities, with varying demographics, infrastructure needs, and jurisdictional authority. Because subdivisions are strongly regulated in California, we did not expect to find designated colonias there. In actuality, there are over 30. However, federal policy is based on Texas colonias, and we argue that it is too broad because it fails to distinguish between inherently distinct areas and investment needs. Paradoxically, the federal criteria for defining colonias are also too narrow. Many locally designated colonias in California do not qualify for funding because they are not close to the Mexican border or exceed the population ceiling. Ironically, some of the colonias that fail to qualify have the worst housing conditions. Keywords: Federal government; Infrastructure; Low-income housing Introduction For planners and policy makers in the United States, the housing settle- ments called colonias—subdivisions without basic physical infrastructure—are a relatively recent phenomenon. Because of their Spanish name, many policy makers regard them as alien and out of place in this country. Most of the desig- nated colonias are along the southern border of Texas and were developed between the 1960s and the 1980s. Colonia developers subdivided land, mostly in peri-urban areas, where regulations prescribing minimum standards for housing conditions and basic services were weak or nonexistent. This develop- ment model of subdividing and selling land to individual buyers, without the provision of physical infrastructure, is also the dominant method of housing 755 HOUSING POLICY DEBATE VOLUME 17 ISSUE 4 © 2006 FANNIE MAE FOUNDATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.