The recent decision by the San Diego City Council to pay two private companies $2.5 million each to help review permit applications for new development highlights the ineffective and inefficient nature of government entities when it comes to meeting the demands of citizens. San Diego’s Democrats are once again demonstrating their inability to run the government efficiently and meet the needs of their constituents.
Despite having control over all branches of government, the city’s still understaffed building department has been unable to keep up with the demand for housing permits., the city’s Development Services Department, tasked with issuing housing permits, has been severely understaffed and unable to meet housing production goals, resulting in a backlog of 2,700 applications and a process that can take over a year to complete.
The decision to turn to private companies, NV5 and Interwest Consulting Group, to help clear the backlog and speed up the permit process is a clear admission of the shortcomings of the government-run building department.
The housing crisis in San Diego has reached a critical point, with a regional housing study projecting that the city will need more than 13,500 new housing units every year to meet the demand of all income levels by the end of the decade. Unfortunately, last year the city only authorized construction on about a third of that number. This lack of available housing has led to a 15% increase in rents, further exacerbating the problem.
City Council President Sean Elo-Rivera’s statement that “We cannot effectively address our housing and homelessness crisis without building more housing” is a clear indication of the failure of the government to deliver on its promises to the citizens of San Diego. The decision to turn to private companies is a testament to the superiority of private enterprise over government-run entities when it comes to delivering results and meeting the needs of the people.
Despite recognizing the severity of the situation, the Democrats have once again failed to find a solution within their own government. Instead, they have been forced to turn to private companies for help, further undermining the credibility of the government.
This should serve as a wake-up call to all who have long argued that government entities are not sufficient enough to handle the needs of citizens and that private enterprise is a superior solution. Democrats’ inability to address the housing crisis in San Diego demonstrates their failure to effectively run the government and meet the needs of their constituents. Instead of relying on private companies to bail them out, they must take responsibility and find a way to improve the efficiency of their own government.
