It’s no secret that California is one of the most expensive places to live in the United States, but that issue has only worsened over the past decade. Recently, Gov. Gavin Newsom desperately put $2 billion towards fixing California’s housing crisis.
He should note that this isn’t an issue that we can spend ourselves out of. Decades of regulation have warped the constraints of construction, driving people out and costs up.
Much of the blame can be attributed to the California Environmental Quality Act, which sought to create guidelines for new constructions in hopes of ensuring environmental protection. This legislation was ripped to shreds by lawsuits, as its exploitability proved to be an easy snare for new housing developments to be caught by.
Parks, libraries, and senior housing developments have been shut down by CEQA litigation, alongside the new affordable housing developments.
The vast majority of plaintiffs have no prior record of environmental advocacy, and their sudden eagerness to tear down corporations under the facade of environmentalism does nothing to preserve the environment, but does a great job of keeping housing prices exorbitantly high and the number of Californians able to afford the cost of living incredibly low.
To ensure home builders are afforded the protections they deserve, it is essential to reform CEQA as well as the ability to abuse its lawsuit potential. Although throwing money at the problem can serve as a temporary band-aid, the long term solution is to fix the legislation robbing companies of the ability to engage in legal and ethical construction practices.
Photo by Scott Webb
