I previously wrote that in 2024 voters in Los Angeles will decide whether the city should force hotel owners to rent vacant rooms to homeless people. This, the advocates of the initiative want us to believe, is the solution to homelessness in Los Angeles. If that is true, why delay the solution for more than…
In 2024, voter in Los Angeles will vote on an initiative that would force hotel operators to rent vacant rooms to the city’s homeless. Despite what voters might think, force isn’t the solution to the city’s homeless problem. California has long allowed voters to dictate how property owners can use their property. As a result,…
California routinely provokes rational individuals to scratch their head in bewilderment. The latest example is SB1327, a gun law modeled after a Texas abortion law. The Texas law allows citizens to sue those who are involved in performing abortions. The California law allows citizens to sue gun manufacturers, gun shops, and anyone who transports an…
A recent article in The Los Angeles Times reports that “affordable housing” projects in California are routinely costing more than $1 million per apartment to build. This outrageous price tag is caused by both state and local policies, and it illustrates one of the costs of democracy. Democracy means unlimited majority rule, that the majority…
It is a sad statement about the state of our culture when a governor apologizes for speaking the truth. Talking about a dramatic increase in theft from railroads, California Gov. Gavin Newsome recently said, This is not one-off. This is organized theft. These are organized gangs of people that are coming out. In response to…
Cities and counties in California are required to issue permits for a specific number of houses each year as a part of the state’s Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA). The RHNA is calculated in cycles every four to eight years. There are specific goals for each income category: Very low-income Low-income Moderate-income Above moderate-income The…
When California legislators were considering two bills to allow for “upzoning” throughout the state, local government officials lobbied to defeat the bills. Though both bills passed, opponents haven’t given up. They have launched an initiative to repeal the laws and return mob rule to California. The primary argument being used by opponents of “upzoning” is…
It is easy to find things about California’s government to criticize. While the legislature hasn’t done a U-turn and reversed all of its rights-violating laws, they have recently taken steps in the right direction. SB9 and SB10 restored a little freedom to property owners by allowing for greater housing density. And on October 1, Gov….
For years, Californians have been fleeing the state’s outrageously high taxes and draconian regulations. Many have settled in Texas, where both taxes and business regulations are generally less onerous. Interestingly, the Texas state capital, Austin, will soon become an unofficial part of California. A report by Zillow finds that, by the end of this year,…
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…
An editorial in the Los Angeles Times calls for state lawmakers to pass legislation that would “sacrifice single-family zoning to save California.” But abolishing single-family zoning means restoring a little freedom to property owners, and freedom is not a sacrifice. Sacrifice “is the surrender of a greater value for the sake of a lesser one…
A political controversy between housing advocates and construction labor unions has been brewing in California. These two groups generally agree on many political principles, and their disagreement over a proposed bill might confuse some. But the fact is, the very nature of those political principles makes such disagreements inevitable. Both housing advocates and labor unions…