Not more ho
I agree that California needs more housing, but I think we're skipping over an important question: what does it actually cost to build those homes?
As a California business owner, I've watched the cost of doing business continue to rise—labor, fuel, materials, insurance, utilities, taxes, permits, fees and regulatory requirements. Those costs don't disappear. Eventually they have to be built into the price the customer pays.
Housing works the same way. Increasing supply should help, but if it costs an enormous amount to get land entitled, permitted and developed and then actually build a house, how affordable can the finished home realistically be?
I'd like to see California focus on both sides of the equation: build more housing, but also seriously reduce the unnecessary costs and delays involved in producing it. Make it easier and less expensive for responsible builders and businesses to operate, encourage competition, and then let increased supply put downward pressure on prices.
A million more homes may help, but if we don't address why it has become so expensive to build and do business in California, I don't think we're addressing the root of the problem.