California lawmakers are considering legislation that would effectively abolish single-family zoning across the state. This isn’t sitting well with local government officials, and they have formed a coalition to lobby against the legislation.
In an OpEd in the Los Angeles Times, three leaders of the coalition argue against the proposed zoning changes.
These changes in the rules would be imposed on local governments but would not provide true solutions to the state’s affordable housing crisis.
In other words, allowing property owners the freedom to build more housing on their land is an imposition on local governments. In truth, it is zoning that is the imposition. Under zoning, government officials dictate how a parcel of land can be used, and the owner must obtain permission to use what is rightfully his. The authors go on to claim that
the proposed eradication of single-family neighborhoods and the undermining of local control over zoning are attacks on democracy.
This is true, and it is the primary reason that California (and every state) should abolish all zoning. Under zoning, individuals are subservient to the demands of the community. Abolishing single-family zoning would give property owners a little more freedom, and local officials are reticent to cede their power to dictate how others may use their property.
Further, the authors claim that housing legislation coming from the state is creating confusion and delays. But the fact is, it is zoning that creates confusion and delays. A property owner must jump through whatever arbitrary hoops zoning officials choose to erect, and the process of seeking approval to use one’s property can drag on for years.
Contrary to the authors’ assertion that the abolition of single-family zoning is a “one-size-fits-all” solution, more freedom for property owners opens the door to a multitude of solutions. Freed from the arbitrary constraints imposed by zoning officials, property owners will be enabled to find innovative and creative ways to produce housing.
It is impossible to predict what solutions individuals will create when they are free. But we do know that free individuals—and only free individuals—can and do find solutions.