Tenants want a good place to live, and property owners want a good place to rent. That shared interest is fundamental to how the Isla Vista housing market works.
Good intentions alone, however, do not make good public policy. Policy should be judged by outcomes, not intentions. The Isla Vista Pilot Inspection Program, though well-intentioned, has produced high costs, low participation, and minimal findings, all while depriving tenants of privacy and ignoring enforcement tools that already existed.
Any public program designed to improve housing conditions should be judged by a simple standard: Does the program meaningfully improve safety without creating unnecessary harm?…