Despite a broad consensus among economists and overwhelming evidence that rent control actually makes housing more expensive, California state government passed a sweeping new rent control ordinance this month. John Phelan of the Foundation for Economic Education surveys the damage he thinks is likely to occur.
Read MoreSan Diego's housing crunch shares many similarities with the Bay Area: archaic zoning rules, regulatory overkill, and home prices doubling in the past 6 years. One notable difference: San Diego has embarked on an innovative building growth plan that targets particular neighborhoods where densification makes the most sense. Read an excerpt from a Wall Street Journal interview with San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer.
Read MoreRead an excerpt on Gavin Newsom’s paradoxical rent control policy here.
Read MoreWired magazine's Steven Johnson, in an article outlining the evolution of Silicon Valley into a bastion of staunchly liberal politics, recalls a different time (1960s-90s) when idealistic, technology-influenced libertarianism was ascendant. Read more here.
Read MoreThe extreme accusations made by some Silicon Valley progressives during debates over city and land use planning can be confusing to many citizens. Why does owning a single family home make you a racist? Why does driving a car make you a murderer? Why is your highly-competitive tech job evil? Read an excerpt from City Journal on new urbanism here.
Read MoreVoices out of Sacramento may crow about about the booming California economy and how it supports a flurry of new taxes, entitlements, and regulations. But the Census Bureau presents a more sobering and saddening picture: California has the worst poverty rate in the country. By a lot. Read about California’s massive problem here.
Read MorePeter Coe Verbica, in the political journal Grassroots shines a light on an often forgotten element of the housing crisis: the precipitous decline in home ownership and the downstream economic, political, and cultural impact of that development. Read more here.
Read MoreEarlier this week the California legislators approved AB5, a bill that requires companies like Uber and Lyft to treat contract workers—“gig” workers in the industry parlance-- as employees. Read how this bill could affect the gig economy in the state here.
Read MoreRead a letter from one of our readers on how media bias permeates reporting in Silicon Valley and beyond.
Read MoreSan Jose city council is reintroducing a plan to “buy back” gas-powered lawnmowers in hopes of reducing noise and local air pollution. This plan may come from good intentions, but there are tradeoffs and drawbacks that may hinder this ban’s effectiveness. Read about a few problems lawmakers should anticipate here.
Read MoreSanta Clara County Supervisors have decided not to propose a ballot measure calling for a 5/8 cent increase to local sales tax. The proposal would have given Santa Clara County the distinction of being one of the highest--if not the highest--taxed regions in California. Read about lawmakers’ rationales here.
Read MoreDan Lonski at California Policy Center neatly summarizes the key policy issues that free marketeers think are driving the housing crisis. They are reluctance to rezone unused retail areas into residential space, NIMBY influence, the California Environmental Quality Act, carbon neutral building mandates, and affordable housing mandates. Read more here.
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