It’s no secret that California Democrats are unfit to manage the current housing crisis that afflicts the state. In fact, the mismanagement has reached such high levels that the Independent Institute has decided to award their “Golden Fleece Award” to all California politicians, government officials, and activists who are prohibiting the construction of necessary housing.
According to the Independent Institute’s website, the Golden Fleece Award serves to reveal any wasteful, fraudulent, or abusive behavior found in the California government. Moreover, to be eligible for the recognition, the behavior “must violate common-sense principles of responsible government, be considered wasteful by people by varying political philosophies, and must be well-documented.” The California politicians and government now join the “esteemed” list that includes the Department of Motor Vehicles, Cal Fire, and the California Department of Water Resources.
The California housing crisis, while disheartening, is largely a government-created issue. The government has the capability to resolve the issue, but Democratic leadership continually chooses ineffective options that produce no tangible results.
For example, Governor Gavin Newsom has pledged $750 million to the crisis as a way to show his “serious” concern. Yet, as always, his promises are empty. He pledges the money but fails to come up with concrete resolutions that will improve the situation.
Lawrence J. McQuillan, Senior Independent Institute Fellow and founder of the Golden Fleece Award, has an array of policy solutions that could alleviate the problem. Firstly, he suggests removing the California Environmental Quality Act due to its lack of relevance. He also suggested loosening building regulations, a concept that has been advocated by Republicans in recent years. Lastly, he emphasized the need to mitigate and/or eliminate entities against reducing housing restrictions such as labor costs from unions and environmental lawsuits among others.
The award just serves as another illustration of the poor performance from California Democrats with regard to the housing crisis. Moreover, it perpetuates the overarching theme of how the California government refuses to resolve self-afflicted issues even at the expense of citizens.
