Housing

California

Project Homekey is expensive and ineffective. Let’s shift to much more promising policies.

By Kerry Jackson & Wayne Winegarden Last month, San Diego officials announced that the county and city will be receiving nearly $12 million in state Project Homekey funds to build housing for the homeless. It’s a publicly funded program that will, no doubt, be celebrated in the halls of government as a ...
Blog

A To-Do List for the California Legislature

When Californians go to the polls in November, they will be choosing from many new faces seeking to represent them in the state legislature. Thanks to redistricting and a wide swath of retirements, there will be at least 22 new State Assembly Members elected this fall and 10 new State ...
Blog

Enviro law’s abusers continue to block urban housing

Enviro law’s abusers continue to block urban housing by John Seiler There are many reasons for California’s housing crisis, but a major problem everyone acknowledges, but never comes close to resolving, is the inability to advance reform of the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA (pronounced See-Kwa). It thwarts the ...
Blog

Rent control is destroying a city near you

In 1977, President Jimmy Carter stood on a vacant lot on Charlotte Street in the South Bronx, surrounded by empty, burned-out buildings, something reminiscent of Berlin at the end of World War II. The scene looked like something from a scene in “Escape from New York,” but Carter promised he ...
Blog

‘Housing First’ puts lofty goals above real-world results

Proponents of housing first claim that housing is a basic human right, and a permanent and stable home is the best platform from which to help people overcome the challenges that led to their homelessness, including the problems of mental illness and addiction.   As a result of this premise, ...
Book

NEW BOOK RELEASE – Back from Dystopia: A New Vision for Western Cities

NEW BOOK RELEASE Back from Dystopia: A New Vision for Western Cities Steven Greenhut Cities throughout the West face rising crime, soaring housing costs, a sprawling homelessness crisis and devastated downtown areas following two years of COVID restrictions and the aftermath of destructive protests. Policymakers typically address these and other ...
Blog

Anaheim’s freedom experiment still offers lessons to cities

It’s a distant and largely forgotten memory, but in the mid-2000s the city of Anaheim pursued a novel idea for bigger cities. Instead of pursuing development policies based on the usual array of central planning tools, the city decided to “pursue a market-oriented, freedom-friendly agenda that would create an atmosphere ...
Blog

End of Session Housing Bills – Bright Spots That Could Have Been Much Brighter

Sacramento lawmakers just passed two measures to remove some of the government-created roadblocks to housing construction – a rare bright spot in a session dominated by the quest for more government control. This bright spot could have actually been much brighter had it not been for special interest groups nearly ...
California

Housing First programs aren’t working

By Wayne Winegarden & Kerry Jackson Project Homekey, California’s answer to its homelessness troubles, came with great promises. But like many government plans before it, it’s fallen short, and isn’t likely to recover. California’s homeless population exploded from about 114,000 in 2014 to more than 161,000 in 2020, the most ...
Blog

From “Housing First” to Project Roomkey to Anti-Camping Ordinances

The Real Solution to Homelessness is Not Where They Live Last week, the Los Angeles City Council members passed a controversial resolution that would ban homeless encampments within 500 feet of a school or daycare. But they aren’t the only city looking to implement anti-camping ordinances. Cities across the state, ...
California

Project Homekey is expensive and ineffective. Let’s shift to much more promising policies.

By Kerry Jackson & Wayne Winegarden Last month, San Diego officials announced that the county and city will be receiving nearly $12 million in state Project Homekey funds to build housing for the homeless. It’s a publicly funded program that will, no doubt, be celebrated in the halls of government as a ...
Blog

A To-Do List for the California Legislature

When Californians go to the polls in November, they will be choosing from many new faces seeking to represent them in the state legislature. Thanks to redistricting and a wide swath of retirements, there will be at least 22 new State Assembly Members elected this fall and 10 new State ...
Blog

Enviro law’s abusers continue to block urban housing

Enviro law’s abusers continue to block urban housing by John Seiler There are many reasons for California’s housing crisis, but a major problem everyone acknowledges, but never comes close to resolving, is the inability to advance reform of the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA (pronounced See-Kwa). It thwarts the ...
Blog

Rent control is destroying a city near you

In 1977, President Jimmy Carter stood on a vacant lot on Charlotte Street in the South Bronx, surrounded by empty, burned-out buildings, something reminiscent of Berlin at the end of World War II. The scene looked like something from a scene in “Escape from New York,” but Carter promised he ...
Blog

‘Housing First’ puts lofty goals above real-world results

Proponents of housing first claim that housing is a basic human right, and a permanent and stable home is the best platform from which to help people overcome the challenges that led to their homelessness, including the problems of mental illness and addiction.   As a result of this premise, ...
Book

NEW BOOK RELEASE – Back from Dystopia: A New Vision for Western Cities

NEW BOOK RELEASE Back from Dystopia: A New Vision for Western Cities Steven Greenhut Cities throughout the West face rising crime, soaring housing costs, a sprawling homelessness crisis and devastated downtown areas following two years of COVID restrictions and the aftermath of destructive protests. Policymakers typically address these and other ...
Blog

Anaheim’s freedom experiment still offers lessons to cities

It’s a distant and largely forgotten memory, but in the mid-2000s the city of Anaheim pursued a novel idea for bigger cities. Instead of pursuing development policies based on the usual array of central planning tools, the city decided to “pursue a market-oriented, freedom-friendly agenda that would create an atmosphere ...
Blog

End of Session Housing Bills – Bright Spots That Could Have Been Much Brighter

Sacramento lawmakers just passed two measures to remove some of the government-created roadblocks to housing construction – a rare bright spot in a session dominated by the quest for more government control. This bright spot could have actually been much brighter had it not been for special interest groups nearly ...
California

Housing First programs aren’t working

By Wayne Winegarden & Kerry Jackson Project Homekey, California’s answer to its homelessness troubles, came with great promises. But like many government plans before it, it’s fallen short, and isn’t likely to recover. California’s homeless population exploded from about 114,000 in 2014 to more than 161,000 in 2020, the most ...
Blog

From “Housing First” to Project Roomkey to Anti-Camping Ordinances

The Real Solution to Homelessness is Not Where They Live Last week, the Los Angeles City Council members passed a controversial resolution that would ban homeless encampments within 500 feet of a school or daycare. But they aren’t the only city looking to implement anti-camping ordinances. Cities across the state, ...
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