Sweeping solutions, not half measures, needed to fix California’s housing crisis
California’s housing crisis is getting worse. The status quo is not working. But as much as we like to complain about high housing costs, traffic congestion, and dwindling open space, we remain attached to an old version of the California Dream: single-family homes with big green lawns and swimming pools out of a David Hockney painting.
One legislative leader is aggressively challenging the status quo. Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco is emerging as the state’s most visible advocate for more density. Unfortunately, on January 30, his landmark housing bill fell three votes short of passage. Senate Bill 50 would have overridden local zoning laws to allow the construction of higher-density housing near public transit stops and jobs-rich areas. The idea was to bypass notoriously cantankerous local approval processes.
A chorus of experts agrees with Wiener that we need to build up, not out, and that housing needs to be built near jobs and public transportation. Today, too much of the new housing being approved in the Golden State is low-density sprawl. Fifty years ago, it was reasonable to expect that single-family homes on large lots could dominate the state’s housing stock. But California’s booming economy has pushed our state to a population of nearly 40 million people, and single-family detached homes cannot reasonably accommodate all of us.
Our expectations need to evolve. We need to embrace a new, improved California Dream: density done right. Under the immutable laws of supply and demand, increasing density is the most surefire way to make housing more affordable. And it is good for the environment: it gets people out of their cars and off the freeways.
Sweeping change can only happen if lawmakers have the backbone to defy their NIMBY constituents. Wiener’s bill fell victim to the parochial forces that have always promoted exclusivity rather than solve problems. Two Bay Area legislators, Sen. Jerry Hill of San Mateo and Sen. Steve Glazer of Contra Costa, represent districts suffering acutely from the housing crisis, but they both voted against Wiener’s bill, citing “local control” arguments.
Hill and Glazer are experienced politicians, and they should know that local control will never solve this statewide problem. Solving it will require 1. a sweeping, statewide vision and 2. political courage.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has the vision. He has set lofty goals, calling for millions of new units. He dedicated $2.75 billion to housing-related issues in his first budget budget, and another $1.5 billion in the 2020 budget. Eighteen new bills designed to jumpstart housing production have become law under Newsom, and he has created incentives for new residential development. Also, Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins has committed to passing a major housing bill before the end of this year.
But vision alone is not enough. Fundamental change will require political courage. With a Democratic giga-majority in Sacramento, it is time to seize the day. Newsom, Atkins, and Wiener need to carpe diem and lead their more timid colleagues toward a new housing policy that promotes density. Legislators like Hill and Glazer need to do what’s right for the whole state, not just the loudest minority in their districts. Now is the time to take decisive action in the mold of SB50, before it’s too late.
This story was originally published February 13, 2020 at 5:00 AM.