Sal Rodriguez
Blog
Arizona cities should be blocked from blocking short-term rentals
Ten years ago, then-Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed Senate Bill 1350 into law, preventing local governments from banning short-term rentals in their respective jurisdictions. “For thousands of hardworking citizens, opening up their home to out-of-state guests provides the financial breathing room they need to provide for their family or enjoy ...
Blog
A simple few steps to provide more affordable, safer housing
A simple few steps to provide more affordable, safer housing By Sal Rodriguez | February 6, 2026 Over the past few years, states and cities across the country have moved to cut red tape around their housing markets in order to spur greater supply and, in the long run, control ...
Blog
Privatized cities are experiments in freedom, not feudalism
Privatized cities are experiments in freedom, not feudalism by Sal Rodriguez | January 16, 2026 As long as there have been people and organized societies, there have been people who want to break out of existing jurisdictions to form new ones governed by different ideas and different rules. A recent ...
Blog
Can Seattle’s new democratic socialist mayor deliver?
Can Seattle’s new democratic socialist mayor deliver? By Sal Rodriguez | January 2, 2026 While the election of Zohran Mamdani to be the next mayor of New York City dominated national headlines, voters in Seattle also elected a self-described democratic socialist to be their next mayor. With 50.4% of the ...
Blog
It’s surprising, but Oakland’s lefty mayor embraces deregulation
It’s surprising, but Oakland’s lefty mayor embraces deregulation By Sal Rodriguez | December 12, 2025 Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee gets it. The longtime progressive former Congress member has taken a hatchet to the regulatory thicket that’s hindered true progress in Oaktown. “The city has transformed its permitting process with same-day ...
Business & Economics
Government Shutdowns Are a Reminder To Privatize
Federal government shutdowns mean many things to different people. For ordinary Americans, they are a reminder of dysfunction in Washington. For partisans, they are an opportunity to blame the other side. But they can also be an opportunity for Americans to reconsider how and why the federal government does some ...
Blog
After balking, Fresno rightly OKs housing-streamlining compromise
after balking, fresno oks housing-streamlining compromise by Sal Rodriguez | December 5, 2025 (Editor’s Note: This piece has been updated from the article originally published on December 5 to reflect Fresno’s recent action on the issue.) The answer to the housing shortage plaguing cities across the country isn’t really that ...
Blog
Denver wisely repeals its minimum parking mandates
Denver wisely repeals its minimum parking mandates By Sal Rodriguez | November 7, 2025 The post-World War II years brought with it many things Americans have taken for granted: economic prosperity, suburban living and minimum parking requirements. Along with the growing prevalence of personal vehicles through the 1950s and 1960s ...
Blog
Mayor Daniel Lurie slashes red tape in San Francisco
Mayor Daniel Lurie slashes red tape in San Francisco By Sal Rodriguez | September 15, 2025 Since taking office in January, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie has made streamlining his city’s notoriously challenging regulatory processes a top priority. In February, Lurie established PermitSF, a multi-agency effort tasked with speeding up ...
Blog
Read the latest from PRI's Free Cities Center
Los Angeles pursues scarcity with short-term rental crackdown
When it comes to its perennial housing crisis, the city of Los Angeles will seek out any scapegoat it can find if it means avoiding having to admit the city’s own policies are at the root of the problem. It should come as no surprise that the city permitted just ...
Arizona cities should be blocked from blocking short-term rentals
Ten years ago, then-Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed Senate Bill 1350 into law, preventing local governments from banning short-term rentals in their respective jurisdictions. “For thousands of hardworking citizens, opening up their home to out-of-state guests provides the financial breathing room they need to provide for their family or enjoy ...
A simple few steps to provide more affordable, safer housing
A simple few steps to provide more affordable, safer housing By Sal Rodriguez | February 6, 2026 Over the past few years, states and cities across the country have moved to cut red tape around their housing markets in order to spur greater supply and, in the long run, control ...
Privatized cities are experiments in freedom, not feudalism
Privatized cities are experiments in freedom, not feudalism by Sal Rodriguez | January 16, 2026 As long as there have been people and organized societies, there have been people who want to break out of existing jurisdictions to form new ones governed by different ideas and different rules. A recent ...
Can Seattle’s new democratic socialist mayor deliver?
Can Seattle’s new democratic socialist mayor deliver? By Sal Rodriguez | January 2, 2026 While the election of Zohran Mamdani to be the next mayor of New York City dominated national headlines, voters in Seattle also elected a self-described democratic socialist to be their next mayor. With 50.4% of the ...
It’s surprising, but Oakland’s lefty mayor embraces deregulation
It’s surprising, but Oakland’s lefty mayor embraces deregulation By Sal Rodriguez | December 12, 2025 Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee gets it. The longtime progressive former Congress member has taken a hatchet to the regulatory thicket that’s hindered true progress in Oaktown. “The city has transformed its permitting process with same-day ...
Government Shutdowns Are a Reminder To Privatize
Federal government shutdowns mean many things to different people. For ordinary Americans, they are a reminder of dysfunction in Washington. For partisans, they are an opportunity to blame the other side. But they can also be an opportunity for Americans to reconsider how and why the federal government does some ...
After balking, Fresno rightly OKs housing-streamlining compromise
after balking, fresno oks housing-streamlining compromise by Sal Rodriguez | December 5, 2025 (Editor’s Note: This piece has been updated from the article originally published on December 5 to reflect Fresno’s recent action on the issue.) The answer to the housing shortage plaguing cities across the country isn’t really that ...
Denver wisely repeals its minimum parking mandates
Denver wisely repeals its minimum parking mandates By Sal Rodriguez | November 7, 2025 The post-World War II years brought with it many things Americans have taken for granted: economic prosperity, suburban living and minimum parking requirements. Along with the growing prevalence of personal vehicles through the 1950s and 1960s ...
Mayor Daniel Lurie slashes red tape in San Francisco
Mayor Daniel Lurie slashes red tape in San Francisco By Sal Rodriguez | September 15, 2025 Since taking office in January, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie has made streamlining his city’s notoriously challenging regulatory processes a top priority. In February, Lurie established PermitSF, a multi-agency effort tasked with speeding up ...
Read the latest from PRI's Free Cities Center
Los Angeles pursues scarcity with short-term rental crackdown
When it comes to its perennial housing crisis, the city of Los Angeles will seek out any scapegoat it can find if it means avoiding having to admit the city’s own policies are at the root of the problem. It should come as no surprise that the city permitted just ...
