Published
4 years agoon
Gavin Newsom came into the governorship a year ago having made many promises to accomplish great things, or as he put it, “big hairy, audacious goals.”
Perhaps the most audacious was to solve California’s ever-growing shortage of housing by building 3.5 million more units by 2025.
Newsom’s promises have also have contracted. He now calls the 3.5-million unit pledge “a stretch goal” and told the Los Angeles Times, “It’s a stubborn issue. You can’t snap your fingers and build hundreds of thousands, millions of housing units overnight.”
In fact, his assertion that we need 3.5 million more housing units is totally off base. It comes from a now-discredited study by a research firm that assumed California’s housing market is comparable to New York City’s.
Nevertheless, Sen. Scott Wiener continued to use the number while trying, unsuccessfully, to persuade the Senate last month to approve his legislation, Senate Bill 50, that would have made it easier to build some kinds of housing in some areas by overriding local zoning laws.
A more reasonable, but still difficult goal would be to build perhaps a million more units in the next five years, close to the state’s official target. California, the CIRB notes in its report, was building around 200,000 units a year in the first decade of the century, until the Great Recession clobbered the state and cut production by as much as 85%.
Wiener, a San Francisco Democrat, could not persuade the Senate to move his bill, largely due to opposition among his fellow Democrats from Los Angeles County and Newsom’s unwillingness to intercede.
However, something like SB 50 is needed to overcome local opposition to multi-family construction — apartments and condos — that middle- and low-income families in urban centers need, and entice developers and investors to jump-start production.
Dan Walters has been a journalist for nearly 60 years, spending all but a few of those years working for California newspapers. He has written more than 9,000 columns about the state and its politics and is the founding editor of the “California Political Almanac.” Dan has also been a frequent guest on national television news shows, commenting on California issues and policies.
Hill Hoppers Conquer Dusy-Ershim Trail, Help Maintain the Sierra
Rent Control Less Effective Than Believed, Apartment Association Study Says
California Lawmakers OK Potential Fines for High Gas Prices
Who Buys Electric Cars in California—and Who Doesn’t?
Much of Drought-Plagued West Coast Faces Salmon Fishing Ban
A Boom for Concealed Carry Classes, but Long Waits for Permits