Even Victoria? I thought the island was still just hippies and lesbians.

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That's this obvious matter rarely gets any traction always is telling.

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There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

Yeah, but black people...

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Oakland does currently have a building boom, but even that isn't enough to keep pace when the inventory shortage (even with new construction) increases by about 100,000 units per year.

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“When I walked in this morning, and saw the flag was at half mast, I thought 'alright another bureaucrat ate it.'" - Ron Swanson

I used to be a complete Cali hater until I started traveling there consistently. Now I understand why people choose to live there. It's not one homogeneous place (obviously). San Fran is like a mini Manhattan with its lively downtown and Bart transport network. It's bustling and feels like a happening place anytime of day. LA has a beautiful coastal highway, mountains in the backdrop and warm weather. I find the traffic unbearable. San Diego is perfect weather and perfect beaches. It is probably the most Midwest/normal part of the state because of the abundance of military and transplants. I find the downtown to be sub par, boring frankly.

Wine country north and south of SF is great. The people and culture remain foreign to me. It is a weird mix of hippie, new age, valley girl, beach bum, etc, literally all the stereotypes you see in the media. My biggest people issue is the "fakeness" of the social interactions where females are over the top complimentary and nice to the point of being obviously fake.

I am not envious in the least. I have said it many times here that the Midwestern people and culture are by far the best.

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Hawaii (fuck) You

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Sex isn't dirty, sex isn't a crime. It's a loving act between two or more consenting adults.

-Hank Kingsley

I haven't looked, but I've never heard of shortages in Sacramento, Fresno or Stockton, not that anyone would want to live in St. Louis/Birmingham West either. But I'm sure if the problem was to the magnitude to which is being discussed here, many out there would rationally address the viability of reasonable cost building in those areas.

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There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

Given the propensity for um, earthquakes, the zoning rules don't seem to be particularly onerous for an already well developed central business district.

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There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

The roof height zoning rules have nothing to do with the seismic risks. In fact, a new steel framed tower would be a better structure in a seismic zone. Look at Japan (which has more seismic activity) for proof of this. The rules have been put in place entirely by NIMBY's who are trying to keep their own home values up by preventing new construction which could slow down the explosion in home prices.

Taller structures are designed to absorb the shaking and are actually the safest place you could possibly be (other than a completely open field) in a quake.

http://thoughts.arup.com/post/details/3 ... r-is-safer

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“When I walked in this morning, and saw the flag was at half mast, I thought 'alright another bureaucrat ate it.'" - Ron Swanson

How well did it work out for Houston to have nearly no rules for building expansion?

Uh oh, One Post is about to go crazy on me.

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You do not talk to me like that! I work too hard to deal with this stuff! I work too hard! I'm an important member of the CSFMB! I drive a Dodge Stratus!

Houston is a double-whammy of stupidity as they've built homes in flood prone areas and then claim "golly! why isn't da gubmint helping! thanks obama!" when their home unsurprisingly floods.

Oakland today is like Brooklyn was 15 years ago. The regular guy is being forced to move to Pleasanton.

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Anybody here seen my old friend Bobby?
Can you tell me where he's gone?
I thought I saw him walkin' up to The Hill
With Elon, Tulsi, and Don

Yeah, this thread will get flooded with replies.

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“When I walked in this morning, and saw the flag was at half mast, I thought 'alright another bureaucrat ate it.'" - Ron Swanson

Starting a massive land war in Asia (irrespective of what Vizzini would have you believe) and re-instituting the draft.

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Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

Now this could work...

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“When I walked in this morning, and saw the flag was at half mast, I thought 'alright another bureaucrat ate it.'" - Ron Swanson

I always thought Lex Luthor's real estate development plan in California was genius! Would have worked too if not for that fucking Ms. Tessmacher.

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Damn. I wish my wife could do that.

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I like thinking big. . . If you're going to be thinking anything, you might as well think big.
-Donald J. Trump, BPE

Haven't read the whole thread, but wouldn't these zoning ordinances be in part due to earthquake concern?

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They aren't, they are almost entirely out of NIMBY concerns as the taller structures hold up better in earthquakes.

Plenty has been written by engineers, architects, and geologists about why modern, taller structures are the safest place to be in during an earthquake.

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“When I walked in this morning, and saw the flag was at half mast, I thought 'alright another bureaucrat ate it.'" - Ron Swanson

So they don't want any more transplants moving in?

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It's more that the people who currently own property in the state have seen their property values skyrocket and with it their own personal wealth as they have a lot of equity in their homes. They don't want the supply of housing to increase as they worry that new construction will cause the market to level out and they will no longer see the gains in their home values. They have more or less lobbied representatives to pass zoning rules to maintain this status quo and artificially keep the supply of housing stock low. It's really no different than crony capitalism where a company lobbies for rules to prevent competitors from popping up, except this time it's home owners who see their homes values as a store of value doing it.

Property tax laws in California encourage this as existing home owners do not see their rates go up to match home values as they would in most states so long as they don't sell their home. You can look at Prop 13 as an example.

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“When I walked in this morning, and saw the flag was at half mast, I thought 'alright another bureaucrat ate it.'" - Ron Swanson

Maybe part of the blame can lie at the Bush-years idea that a home is less somewhere to live than it is an investment that needs to constantly and rapidly appreciate.

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Do you disagree with the property tax laws in California? I would've thought a "tax is theft" guy like yourself would be a fan of Prop 13.

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Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

This trend in California started in 1978. It's why Prop 13 was passed. Under it, homes can only be reassessed once they are sold or new ones are built. No other state has such a structure which disincentives the sale/construction of new homes.

As the situation currently stands, California's home shortage stands at over 2 million units and grows by 100,000 per year.

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“When I walked in this morning, and saw the flag was at half mast, I thought 'alright another bureaucrat ate it.'" - Ron Swanson

I like the idea of lower property taxes, but I would say California's law (as written) has led to a prime example of the law of unintended consequences where you are encouraging people to stay in their homes and never sell, but also making sure the cost of ownership for any new home will be significantly higher than the cost of ownership of an adjacent property simply based upon year of construction/sale.

A better strategy would be to cap property taxes at a certain % and re-assess as appropriate based upon the actual values of a property.

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“When I walked in this morning, and saw the flag was at half mast, I thought 'alright another bureaucrat ate it.'" - Ron Swanson

Hey look! Rent costs are falling in NY, where city officials have allowed developers to continue building feverishly.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... ord-breaks

It's funny how prices fall when you allow builders to answer to demand. It's almost as if the economists who specialize in micro and study supply/demand curves actually understand what they are talking about.

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“When I walked in this morning, and saw the flag was at half mast, I thought 'alright another bureaucrat ate it.'" - Ron Swanson

Pretty sure this was also part of the Clinton years, as well.

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