71–80 of 461 posts
Long term there is no fix unless immigration is halted which is not going to happen. There is a virtually unlimited supply of people who want to come to this country. I live here in LA, the homeless problem has been accelerating dramatically over the last few years in spite of a "booming" economy. It bothers be that my opinion gets labeled all sorts of inaccurate names and it bothers me even more when people on the l…
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>> They don't need the highest property tax, too. Prop 13 doesn't change the property tax rate, it changes WHO pays the full "nub" rate and who enjoys a "nobility" rebate. It disincentives home owners from moving, even when their new jobs are far away, increasing commuting time. It also creates a resource allocation imbalance. Folks that are retired and don't benefit so much by living in highly concentrated job areas…
Do you feel that it is fair to evict an old couple because they purchased their house in the 70s when it was in the woods, but now that people have built up a town around them, they have to go because they didn't plan on paying $7,400 per year in property taxes in their retirement planning, and then also can't afford to take on a new mortgage in the region, so move really far away from where they saved for and planne…
With Prop 13 and zoning restrictions, "sell to an upzoner" is essentially off the table.
Also an old couple who have been renting since the 70s could be evicted until state-wide rent control was passed this year. No one cared about them this whole time.
It's also not clear what things like commercial properties or family farms have to do with "keeping old people in their homes". All these are covered under Prop 13.
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They have been failing to do anything at the local level for years, because it's easier for a small group of angry wealthy homeowners to get their way in local processes. So they were looking to do something statewide, to put everyone on a level playing field.
You’d be surprised at the diverse makeup of “do nothing” advocacy groups. Some don’t want the makeup of the neighborhood to change. Some don’t want a building style to be different. Some want their particular disenfranchised group to be represented before any permits are granted. There are many people up and down the spectrum who make up different shades of the NIMBY groups. For example, look at the reaction to Uber…
Boston University's Katherine Levine Einstein explains the dysfunctional politics behind America's housing crisis.
https://www.amazon.com/Neighborhood-Defenders-Participatory-...
"Since the collapse of the housing market in 2008, demand for housing has consistently outpaced supply in many US communities. The failure to construct sufficient housing - especially affordable housing - in desirable communities and neighborhoods comes with significant social, economic, and environmental costs. This book examines how local participatory land use institutions amplify the power of entrenched interests and privileged homeowners. The book draws on sweeping data to examine the dominance of land use politics by 'neighborhood defenders' - individuals who oppose new housing projects far more strongly than their broader communities and who are likely to be privileged on a variety of dimensions. "
There’s one thing that constantly confuses me with the housing crisis, which is why more people aren’t moving to other cities (or at least a lot faster than they currently are). Perhaps my mentality is different than most, but if I can improve my economic situation by moving elsewhere I will. I know for some people it is difficult to move because of family ties or costs associated with moving, but I would have though…
[1] https://source.wustl.edu/2015/12/most-americans-live-surpris...
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> governments are the least-worst solution No, they're not, because while externalities and other forms of misaligned incentives are departures from the norm in free markets, they are the norm in governments.
It took governments less time to fix the Ozone hole (remember the Montreal Protocol?) than it took for the free market to converge on one type of phone charger that works on multiple devices. Unfettered faith in free markets and unfettered faith in governments are equally bad things.
California has a more principled approach to housing capacity planning called RHNA, in which the state sets a zoning budget (like that proposed by David Schleicher https://digitalcommons.law.yale.edu/fss_papers/4955/ ) and then delegates to local governments the responsibility to zone to allow enough houses to meet that budget. Unfortunately, the RHNA has numerous flaws including vastly underestimating the “need,” la…
There’s one thing that constantly confuses me with the housing crisis, which is why more people aren’t moving to other cities (or at least a lot faster than they currently are). Perhaps my mentality is different than most, but if I can improve my economic situation by moving elsewhere I will. I know for some people it is difficult to move because of family ties or costs associated with moving, but I would have though…
A surprisingly large number of adults live very close to their parents [1]. [1] https://source.wustl.edu/2015/12/most-americans-live-surpris...
California's housing policy failures have repercussions up and down the west coast. It's sad they didn't follow Oregon's lead and legalize some more diverse housing options.
To combat many problems, the government would certainly be helpful, but isn't necessary. Take climate change. If every corporation took a carbon negative stance like Stripe and Microsoft, that would make a big dent in carbon emissions. Unfortunately, a lack of housing is a problem that the government created. And it's a problem that only the government, in my view, can really fix. As long as housing supply is artific…
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No it won't. It would displace even more people. The only way to get lower-cost housing is to build more housing. It's that simple.
Grandfather them (current owners) in till it’s sold and all new units are outside prop 13.