“The walls are collapsing, but Californians can’t stop arguing over the wallpaper.” That was the blunt conclusion of the San Francisco Chronicle editorial board this week as it called on lawmakers to take meaningful action on housing and voiced support for Senate Bill 79, state Sen. Scott Wiener’s proposal to require local governments to approve mid-rise apartment buildings near transit stops.
The editorial board framed SB 79 as a critical measure to begin reversing California’s deep housing shortage and political decline. In its view, the state’s reluctance to build more homes threatens not only affordability and quality of life but also California’s long-term political clout in Washington.
“When California’s leaders really put their minds to something, there’s seemingly no stopping them,” the board wrote, pointing to the Legislature’s recent scramble to pass three complex bills in less than a week to call a Nov. 4 special election on partisan gerrymandering. “If only California could summon similar guts to harness the most powerful political tool in its arsenal — housing.”…