Gimme Shelter

Seattle has a lot in common with San Francisco. A thriving economy increasingly dominated by major technology companies. A deep blue electorate with a strong environmental ethos. And of course, a soaring cost of living that has made living in either city a prohibitively expensive proposition for many long-time residents. But Seattle has responded to its housing crisis much differently than its Bay Area counterpart: Seattle has built a lot more homes.

Please subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Soundcloud, Google Play and Overcast. One housing issue will overshadow all others this election: Rent control. Matt and Liam discuss why renewed negotiations to remove a controversial rent control initiative from the ballot went nowhere, and what the campaigns will look like this fall. First, Matt proposes a solution to the Los […]

A grab bag of topics on this pod. First, the Avocado of the Fortnight asks what would Yeezus do about California’s housing crisis (2:00)? Then, a discussion about what the primary results mean for housing, up and down the ballot (4:00). Next a recap of what important housing bills survived major legislative deadlines. Then finally […]

Please subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Soundcloud, Google Play and Overcast. Matt and Liam discuss a handful of tenants’ rights bills with uncertain futures currently making their way through the Legislature. First, an Avocado of the Fortnight asks what historians will make of a Los Angeles-area gas station decades from now (2:30). The Number of the Fortnight introduces […]

Housing has become a major issue in California’s race for governor. With the June primary less than a month away, Matt and Liam dive into each of the candidate’s plans to solve our affordability crisis. First, the Avocado of the Fortnight takes Matt to an extremely hot property in San Jose (2:50). Then a discussion […]

 Please subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Soundcloud, Google Play and Overcast. The most controversial and highly publicized state housing bill in recent memory has died. In an emergency version of the pod, Matt and Liam walk you through the reasons SB 827 failed to get through its first committee hearing, and where legislation like it could go […]

Please subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Soundcloud, Google Play and Overcast. Matt and Liam delve into one aspect of California’s housing crisis that doesn’t receive much attention: the shortage of construction labor to build the houses the state so desperately needs. An Avocado of the Fortnight (2:15) first takes us to Orange County, where the question of […]

Please subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Soundcloud, Google Play and Overcast. The hottest piece of housing legislation in the country is not being received well by many low-income communities of color. Matt and Liam explore the politics and policy of SB 827, a bill that would radically upzone a good swatch of California cities, this time from […]

Please subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud, Google Play and Overcast. Matt and Liam set up a “meet the podcast guys” booth at the Housing California conference, the state’s largest annual gathering of affordable housing advocates. They award an Avocado of the Fortnight to two leading gubernatorial candidates for evading some basic questions on their housing plans (2:00). Then […]

Please subscribe to us on iTunes, Stitcher, Soundcloud, Google Play and Overcast. State legislators are trying to revive redevelopment, the controversial “urban renewal” program that provided a major source of affordable housing funding before its elimination seven years ago. Matt and Liam explore how redevelopment worked and didn’t work, and what redevelopment 2.0 might look like. First, an Avocado of […]