Housing
Blog
Proposed $10 billion housing bond will only burden California cities
California’s housing overhaul has been so extensive — 45 bills signed last October alone by Gov. Gavin Newsom — the results won’t be clear for years. Even so, voters this November 3 may get to decide on another $10 billion in housing bonds. That’s from the Affordable Housing Bond Act ...
California
Building more is the key to affordability
California policymakers are obsessed with boosting “affordable housing,” which makes sense when housing in the state is out of reach to a large portion of its residents. They’re trying to solve the problem from the wrong end, though. The supply of affordable housing is best expanded not by focusing on ...
Blog
California Risks Deepening Home Insurance Crisis with Latest Bills
One measure, Senate Bill 876, would establish accelerated timelines for insurers to pay the cash value of both damaged property and associated replacement costs in the event of an emergency. Residential property insurance policies would have to offer at least 50% extra replacement coverage beyond the policy’s stated limit. To ...
Blog
Another Tax That Backfired
Passed in 2022 by nearly 58% of Angeleno voters, Measure ULA initially imposes an additional 4% tax on the sales of any homes or commercial properties, not just mansions, valued at more than $5.3 million. The rate on sales of properties sold at more than $10.6 million rises to 5.5%. The dollars coming in are dedicated ...
California
Empty home tax failed elsewhere — why try it here?
Maybe 2026 is the year of the tax hike in a state where taxes are already an existential burden. Among the many proposed hikes is San Diego Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera’s call for up to a $15,000 annual levy on empty second homes in the city through a proposed June ballot ...
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
Will California Finally Overhaul CEQA?
In response, state lawmakers passed AB130 and SB131 this session, a package of bills which exempted various housing developments from California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review and provided streamlined review for developments which would have qualified for exemption but for one disqualifying condition. Luis Quiñonez, President of the California Foundation ...
Blog
Is Declining Homeownership Driving Support for Democratic Socialism?
My previous post “On young Americans and their Growing Acceptance of Socialism” connected the popularity of democratic socialism among Americans aged 18 – 39 to inequality. Inequality concerns are not the only factor driving Gen Z’s embrace of democratic socialism. Gen Z’s growing support for democratic socialism is occurring along ...
Blog
Read about San José's transformation under Mayor Mahan
San José Mayor Shows Market-Based Ideas Can Improve Urban Quality of Life
Major cities in California have decayed in recent years as elected officials and city bureaucrats have doubled down on a mix of government mandates, excessive regulations, high fees and lax enforcement of public safety laws that have created an unattractive quality of life driving away businesses, jobs, tax revenue and ...
Blog
YIMBYs win political victories, but where are the new houses?
Gov. Gavin Newsom even held up passage of the state budget until lawmakers approved two reforms to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Assembly Bill 130 exempts a broader number of environmentally friendly infill housing projects from CEQA. Senate Bill 131 exempts nine types of projects from CEQA. These include ...
Proposed $10 billion housing bond will only burden California cities
California’s housing overhaul has been so extensive — 45 bills signed last October alone by Gov. Gavin Newsom — the results won’t be clear for years. Even so, voters this November 3 may get to decide on another $10 billion in housing bonds. That’s from the Affordable Housing Bond Act ...
Building more is the key to affordability
California policymakers are obsessed with boosting “affordable housing,” which makes sense when housing in the state is out of reach to a large portion of its residents. They’re trying to solve the problem from the wrong end, though. The supply of affordable housing is best expanded not by focusing on ...
California Risks Deepening Home Insurance Crisis with Latest Bills
One measure, Senate Bill 876, would establish accelerated timelines for insurers to pay the cash value of both damaged property and associated replacement costs in the event of an emergency. Residential property insurance policies would have to offer at least 50% extra replacement coverage beyond the policy’s stated limit. To ...
Another Tax That Backfired
Passed in 2022 by nearly 58% of Angeleno voters, Measure ULA initially imposes an additional 4% tax on the sales of any homes or commercial properties, not just mansions, valued at more than $5.3 million. The rate on sales of properties sold at more than $10.6 million rises to 5.5%. The dollars coming in are dedicated ...
Empty home tax failed elsewhere — why try it here?
Maybe 2026 is the year of the tax hike in a state where taxes are already an existential burden. Among the many proposed hikes is San Diego Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera’s call for up to a $15,000 annual levy on empty second homes in the city through a proposed June ballot ...
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 ...
Will California Finally Overhaul CEQA?
In response, state lawmakers passed AB130 and SB131 this session, a package of bills which exempted various housing developments from California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review and provided streamlined review for developments which would have qualified for exemption but for one disqualifying condition. Luis Quiñonez, President of the California Foundation ...
Is Declining Homeownership Driving Support for Democratic Socialism?
My previous post “On young Americans and their Growing Acceptance of Socialism” connected the popularity of democratic socialism among Americans aged 18 – 39 to inequality. Inequality concerns are not the only factor driving Gen Z’s embrace of democratic socialism. Gen Z’s growing support for democratic socialism is occurring along ...
Read about San José's transformation under Mayor Mahan
San José Mayor Shows Market-Based Ideas Can Improve Urban Quality of Life
Major cities in California have decayed in recent years as elected officials and city bureaucrats have doubled down on a mix of government mandates, excessive regulations, high fees and lax enforcement of public safety laws that have created an unattractive quality of life driving away businesses, jobs, tax revenue and ...
YIMBYs win political victories, but where are the new houses?
Gov. Gavin Newsom even held up passage of the state budget until lawmakers approved two reforms to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). Assembly Bill 130 exempts a broader number of environmentally friendly infill housing projects from CEQA. Senate Bill 131 exempts nine types of projects from CEQA. These include ...