Affordability disaster wrapped in blue ribbon

OAKLAND'S BLUE Ribbon Housing Commission recommendations — released in a 105-page report after months of deliberation — would, if implemented, be a disaster for housing affordability. They ignore the laws of economics, common sense and even the most important findings of the commission's own consultant.

I was the only economist on the commission. -more-

Bay Area needs to rethink rules on land use, zoning

The Association of Bay Area Governments projects that the nine-county Bay Area region will add nearly 1.5 million residents by 2030. That population growth will not be attributable to a wave of foreign immigration, nor to an influx of newcomers from other regions of the state or the country.

In fact, much of the region's burgeoning population will be homegrown - the children (and grandchildren) of those of us who already live here.

The question is: How and where is the Bay Area going to house its additional 1.5 million residents?

If recent history is a predictor of what we can expect between now and 2030, ...-more-