Like earthquakes, droughts, and surfing, inadequate and overpriced housing seems to be a permanent part of life in California. It has been blamed for all sorts of maladies, from an epidemic of homelessness to growing emigration by businesses and individuals seeking a more affordable environment. And blame for the housing crisis itself has been attributed broadly to all sorts of causes; conservatives tend to complain about environmental and building regulations, and progressives blast greedy landlords and developers and a state tax code that tends to freeze property ownership. Everyone agrees NIMBYism (“Not In My Back Yard”) and its influence on local governments is a problem.
…Newsom’s budget proposals include a major infusion of more than $1.7 billion in one-time and ongoing affordable housing cash….
“I have never seen this kind of attention paid in the budget to homelessness and affordable housing issues,” said Anya Lawler, a housing policy advocate for the Western Center on Law and Poverty. “Just the page count alone is a little unprecedented.”
