Yes in my backyard

I am 42 and the mother of an only child, age 11. I made the choice Angela George is contemplating in your piece—to have one child—and housing costs were definitely a factor. Giving your children opportunities costs money, and money spent on housing is less money available for youth sports, music lessons and college tuition—things that prepare our kids for life in a global economy and make them well-rounded adults.

California’s high housing costs are driven by a shortage of homes that puts homeownership out of reach for the middle class, and the single greatest barrier to building new housing in existing communities is the objection of current residents— NIMBYism. Knowing that, I founded a YIMBY organization for Orange County called People for Housing OC. We say yes-in-my-backyard to taller, denser housing on infill sites near job centers so future generations can also call California home.