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Comment by Braxton1980 | Hacker News Reader

Braxton1980·

Specifically who is virtue signalling and then not building homes?

As far as I know the state government of California doesn't build homes. Smaller local governments can change zoning laws and the like but don't due to NIMBY stuff talked about here.

Home builders aren't virtue signalling.

Finally, if new apartments are constructed how would that be better solution to those already renting existing older apartments who are under rental stress?

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Rich people need places to live but if there isn’t new housing for them to move into, they’ll live in the next only option: existing older units that could be rented out by lower income people.

Is this specific to California?

It’s a national issue but California policies like rent control and prop 13, make it worse

Does the state have any power. In Australia I think the state has power to generally zone things e.g. near a train station is high density and it is out of councils hands much to their chagrin.

States generally set the regulations that cities must follow. So they can constrain cities or choose not to.

For instance Washington State forces cities to make zoning plans that align with state housing needs. Similarly they set rules near public transit in some cases.

The degrowth leftists like Dean Preston or the state and federal Dems who either turn a blind eye to them or go so far as to endorse them (like Nancy Pelosi) despite their anti-housing track record.

What control does the federal government have in California housing regulations?

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