Editorial Board

California Needs a Housing Revolution

Living space is scarce, rents sky-high, and homelessness pervasive in the Golden State. It doesn’t have to stay that way.

Different city, same problem.

Photographer: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America

Along Santa Barbara’s cherished Pacific beachfront, old campers, modified pick-up trucks and shabby cars are parallel parked on the adjacent road. It’s growing dark, and the denizens of these cramped, four-wheeled apartments are settling in for the night.

California remains a land of great beauty and soaring promise, with dynamic industries and spectacular vistas. But if the state does not aggressively address its housing crisis, its future is at risk.