Zócalo's Connecting California
Rent Control Won't Solve California's Housing Problems
Why is it so expensive to rent an apartment or buy a home in California? Joe Mathews says it's not for a lack of rent control. The real problem, he says, is the state simply does not build enough housing.
By Joe Mathews • • 4m ListenBack in the 1970's, rent control was a hot button issue in California, as communities looked for ways to make housing more affordable. Now the debate is heating up again. Last year, the Northern California city of Richmond became the first community in the state in 30 years to pass a new rent control law, and there's talk of new rent control laws or expansions of existing ones from San Jose to LA. to San Diego. But in this edition of Zócalo's Connecting California, columnist Joe Mathews says rent control is not the way to fix sky-high housing costs.