It’s unthinkable now, but in 1962, when Pat Brown was governor and California moved past New York in population, Brown staged an elaborate ceremony at the Capitol to celebrate our status as America’s most populous state.
At 17 million strong—less than half today’s population of 39 million—Brown predicted “the balance of the most powerful nation in the world will shift from the Atlantic to the Pacific.”
Maybe so. But being the most populous state also puts us at the top of the list for being unable to build enough housing. No one celebrates that fact, especially Gov. Gavin Newsom, who’s using raw political power to move the needle on California’s housing challenge.
By including language in this year’s budget to eliminate regulatory and other impediments to building more houses, Newsom leveraged the June 15 budget deadline. He gave legislators a month to get on board with his housing bills, knowing if they missed the deadline, they forfeited pay and travel reimbursement.
It was a bold power play, but a smart move.
California has a housing crisis. Millions of people are priced out. Not enough housing is being built, often due to excessive regulations and other obstacles. Housing shortages drive up prices and contribute to homelessness in Sacramento and other cities.
According to the California Department of Housing and Community Development, less than 80,000 new houses were built on average in each of the last 10 years. That’s about 180,000 fewer than needed annually to keep pace with population growth.
The California Environmental Quality Act is an important safeguard against excessive development, especially in a state with so much natural beauty and a fragile environment. We don’t need more miles of sprawl along freeway corridors.
Red tape, excessive regulations and fees, delays, NIMBY politics and lawsuits made it all but impossible to meet the state’s housing goals. That’s true even for infill, near transit or on closer-in parcels.
“To meet California’s housing goals,” Newsom says, “we need certainty, accountability and smarter land use—not the endless regulatory delays that have held us back for decades.”
His proposals, he says, deliver “lasting reforms to align our systems for long-term impact: more housing, stronger communities and sustainable growth that reflects the bold, forward-thinking spirit of California.”
The governor’s proposal was designed to speed up permitting timelines, remove regulatory barriers and introduce innovative financing tools to support infill and transit-oriented development.
“Newsom’s intervention could be decisive,” Politico reports. “By moving to enact changes through the budget, he could circumvent legislative obstacles like hostile committee chairs, and he will hold considerable leverage over lawmakers intent on securing their spending priorities.”
It’s smart public policy and smart politics. Newsom understands public frustration with his fellow Democrats. Donald Trump was elected to a second term largely because voters, correctly or not, believed he understood the economy better than Democrats.
“We’re done with barriers,” Newsom says. “Let’s get this built.”
When this column is published, we should know if Newsom’s budget strategy worked. For California’s sake, and for our children and grandchildren, let’s hope it did. Unless we intend to go back to the population California had when Pat Brown was governor, we need a lot of new housing, and we need it now.
Gary Delsohn can be reached at gdelsohn@gmail.com. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram: @insidesacramento.
