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Talking Points: Housing Justice
Background: Sen. Bernie Sanders has stated the fundamental position of the housing justice movement when he said, “I believe that every American should have a fundamental right to safe, decent, and affordable housing.” Providing every American with safe, decent, and affordable housing is what the movement means by housing justice. If justice means treating individuals…
The Family Homestead Initiative
In November, Austin City Council approved the Family Homestead Initiative. According to the Austin Monitor, Council Member Delia Garza, who sponsored the measure, said she wants to create a separate permitting process for homeowners because they shouldn’t have to contend with the same regulations as large developers. Reducing regulations is always a good thing and…
Coming to Your City: National Rent Control
In early January, fifty Democrat members of Congress sent a letter to President Biden. The letter urged him to “to pursue all possible strategies to end corporate price gouging in the real estate Sector….” The letter recommends seven actions Biden can take. Among the most significant is directing the Federal Housing Finance Agency to establish…
Drinking the Kool-Aid of Rent Control
Santa Ana recently became the first city in Orange County, California to enact rent control. The city plans to create a registry of all rental properties in the city. Landlords are required to register their properties with the city and pay an annual fee. Apparently, Santa Ana public officials have been drinking the Kool-Aid of…
Cronyism, Nevada Style
Companies like Airbnb and Vrbo have captured a lot of business that would have previously gone to hotels and resorts. Unable to compete with short-term rental (STR) companies like Airbnb, hotels and resorts are using their political connections to ban, regulate, and/or tax STRs. Nevada is the latest state to consider regulating and taxing STRs….
Subsidies aren’t the Solution
An article at MultiHousingNews.com examines Biden’s proposals for addressing the housing shortage, and concludes, In the end, the affordable housing problem is about money. To create housing that costs less, either the cost of construction must be reduced (not likely, given rising costs of land, materials and labor costs); developers must accept reduced profits (which…