Open Letter To Ezra Klein and the New York Times
I just listened to a story by the New York Times’ Ezra Klein about the failure of the high-speed rail project in California and the lack of afforable housing there.
I have two things to say about this: (1) both of these issues can be fixed without raising taxes or defunding other programs (2) Democrats can win in 2026 and beyond by addressing this issue.
A lot of housing’s problem is parking! There’s a book “The High Cost of Free Parking” that everyone in government (and interested citizens) should read.
The other thing that’s available in the housing market right now is a revolution in afforable tiny houses, like those from Boxabl. I saw a YouTube video by a real estate agent (if I recall correctly, in California that you can get a new Boxabl tiny home on a small lot for $500 total.
So if California and other states who have this will reform and give up the 17 car spaces for every housing lot, or whatever the book said; it’s been a while since I read it, then they can fix this with (small reasonable) property taxes on the additional housing.
Details can be left for the actuaries to work out, but there’s no reason to leave California to the MAGA wing and high-speed rail to the Japanese.
