LA’s Fear of Freedom

The Los Angeles city council recently passed a resolution to oppose two bills being considered by the California Legislature. SB 9 would allow up to four housing units on a lot currently zoned for single-family and would apply across the state. SB 10 would allow cities to “upzone” and permit as many as ten housing units on a lot. (That the state has to give cities permission to give land owners permission for using their property illustrates the immense control that zoning gives government officials.)

The sponsor of the resolution, Paul Koretz, stated that the bills do nothing to address the shortage of affordable housing in the state. He added that the bills are an attempt by one state senator “to destroy local control over multi-family and single-family zoning in the state of California.”

Not surprisingly, Koretz completely evades the fact that zoning destroys a property owner’s control over the land he owns. Koretz and his ilk think that local government, not the property owner, should control how land is used. And they resent any attempt by state or federal governments to limit that control.

Both SB 9 and SB 10 will restore a little freedom to property owners. They will have more choices regarding the use of their land. The city council doesn’t want property owners to have the freedom to choose. The city council wants the power to dictate what owners may and may not do.

I can only speculate, but I must wonder if the city council fears what restoring a little freedom will demonstrate. Free individuals find innovative solutions to problems, and greater freedom in the use of land will undoubtedly spur construction of desperately needed housing. And this, I suspect, is what city council fears—freedom will enable individuals to do what government officials haven’t done.

Further, if some cities do “upzone” and permit even denser housing, when the success of freedom is demonstrated with more housing, pressure will ultimately be applied to other cities to “upzone.” And that would mean ceding some control over property owners, something that politicians are generally loathe to do.