It’s no secret that California is known for its superior beaches and perfect weather, but based on its current progression, the housing crisis is also on the list. Prevalently seen in the San Francisco area, there continues to be a lack of plausible solutions to address the issue.
In Oakland, though, there is now a surge in housing production. This year, Oakland will produce twice as many housing units as San Francisco. Moreover, the surge will equate to over three times the number of units brought to market than existed between 2013 to 2018 collectively.
Oakland has less than half the population and jobs as San Francisco, so why has Oakland been able to yield a substantially larger amount of housing? The solution is relatively simple: Oakland reduced the regulatory burden surrounding housing development, including zoning and parking standards. As a result, Oakland is now able to mitigate its own housing crisis and see substantial improvements.
Despite being neighbors, San Francisco refuses to utilize the clearly beneficial tactics seen in Oakland. Instead of focusing on the private sector for housing development, San Francisco continues to needlessly fund public development only to see no real results. Furthermore, with the continuation of numerous restrictions involving housing, developers do not even have the opportunity to try and create more housing for citizens.
While the San Francisco situation is heartbreaking, it’s also self-inflicted. The local Democrats are allowing the tragedy to persist by having endless regulations and using taxpayer-subsidized methods like rent control. Democrats should loosen the restrictions so developers can match the supply to the demand for housing, which is precisely what Oakland has begun to do.
Put simply, Democrats are overcomplicating a situation that could be easily resolved and, in this case, are doing so at the expense of San Francisco citizens.
