The Henry George Program

Henry George Program on Bonds: Talking Affordable Housing Bonds, Prop 5, Realtors, Democracy 2024-10-12

A deep-dive with Jordan Grimes and Derek of EB4E into affordable housing initiatives, the nitty-gritty of how the bonding for this operates, how to make regional affordable housing more efficient and accountable, and how Proposition 5, reducing anti-democratic measures against issuing bonds, will affect this for housing and transit. Sidelines on how to defeat realtors politically and more.

Eric Goldwyn on HSR Costs, Transit Costs, Part One 2024-10-05

In part one of a super-charged episode, we have Eric Goldwyn of the Transit Costs Project on to discuss the recent publication, "How to Improve Domestic High-Speed Rail Project Delivery"; what practical political and policy changes do we need to scale up high-speed rail and more useful transit to more places?

Marc-William Palen on Free Trade and Left-Wing Thought 2024-07-13

Marc-William Palen is a historian and author of "Pax Economica: Left-Wing Visions of a Free Trade World"; he's on the show to discuss how free trade was once not the purview of neoliberals and free-traders, but rather a varied group of left-wing ideologues, from pacifists to georgists to feminists, and how these strains influenced key aspects of super-national institution-building, but foundered against the cold war and American hegemony. What can we learn as the modern GOP invokes McKinley-era tariffs as a new model?

Understanding the Anti-YIMBYs & Anti-Georgists, with Stephen Hoskins 2024-06-22

Stephen Hoskins is on for a round of meta-discourse, as we try to classify and understand the many flavors of anti-yimbyism and anti-georgism for all corners for the ideological spectrum. With some discussion on New Zealand housing, and more‒

Christopher England on Georgist Reformers vs “The Interests” 2024-05-18

Christopher England is the author of "Land and Liberty: Henry George and the Crafting of Modern Liberalism", a history of the land reform movement in the time of Henry George and after‒today on the program, we talk about the contours of the political strategy and history covered in this text, in particular the make-or-break years of 1900-1920. How were "the interests" addressed, and what lessons does this have for us today?

Housing Element Deep Dive, with Kevin Burke 2024-01-18

Kevin Burke from East Bay for Everyone is here to talk about the latest in Housing Elements; we get into the weeds on how different jurisdictions have complied and struggled against the process, get into details on quantifying fair housing standards, talk about land value, and of course get into Builder's Remedy (which Kevin wrote about in the SF Chron in 2022.

Anti-Slum Reformers (History, Ideology, Politics): the Cincinnati experience, with Robert Fairbanks 2023-11-09

Robert Fairbanks is here to talk about his 1988 book, "Making Better Citizens: Housing Reform and the Community Development Strategy in Cincinnati, 1890-1960"; we discuss the rise of the anti-slum movement, how it evolved from decade to decade owing to different ideological and political shifts, and how it resulted in wide-scale urban renewal and the displacement of countless residents. The environment here is Cincinnati, but with fairly universal relevance.

Rohin Ghosh on DC, Tenant Movements, Democracy 2023-09-28

Rohin Ghosh has moved on to school in DC, and has been keeping busy by acquiring public office (!); he informs us all about how DC's ANCs work, as well as larger dynamics of housing in our nation's capital. Also talk on tenant organizing, as well what this means for democracy more generally.

Adriana Rizzo on Trains with Wires, Inland Empire, and UC 2023-07-13

Are you aware that it's possible to power trains from wires? It's more likely than you think; this and more, as our guest Adriana Rizzo (of Common Ground California and Californians for Electric Rail) writes in a new Streetsblog article. We talk all about electric trains, plus overall dynamics of the Inland Empire, and what UC grad students are doing to organize.

All About Marin County, with Jenny Silva & Warren Wells 2023-06-22

What can you find in Marin County other than redwoods? Is there is a future for people and nature co-existing? Is growth possible in such a slow-growth hotbed? Jenny Silva of Marin Environmental Housing Collaborative and Warren Wells of the Marin County Bicycle Coalition tell us all.

Technical Solutions to Inflation, with David Colander 2023-05-25

Professor David Colander was a co-creator of MAP: "A Market Anti-Inflation Plan", in the context of stagflation. We talk about the history and theory of this technical approach, how inflation can be understood as a political and institutional problem, and some of the other ways in which economics must be informed by an understanding of philosophy. Also featuring discussion on inflation for asset prices, including the conundrum of real estate.

NYC + PROPERTY TAX 2023-05-11

New York City (famous city) is also famous for having notoriously screwy property taxes; we talk about the details of this convoluted system, how we got here, and how people are trying to make the system more equitable.

On the Aesthetics and Economics of Vertical Shared Access/Single Stair Reform, with Ed Mendoza 2023-02-23

Everybody is talking about single stair reform AKA vertical shared access AKA point access blocks AKA skinny apartments etc etc etc... what's the big deal? Ed Mendoza of the Livable Communities Initiative is here to explain what it's all about, including a deeper dive about how it alleviates concerns over safety, etc, and what the costs of land assembly premiums are today. (Link to an article on land assembly mentioned in the ep)

Why Cincinnati Should Not Sell Off Its Municipal Railroad, with Josh Junker 2022-12-01

Cincinnati is the only city that owns a railroad; they're looking to change this by selling it off permanently. Josh Junker is here to talk about all the ways this is imprudent. Discussion also about other transportation issues, including the incomplete subway, and working with hostile state government.

Donald Shoup 2022-10-27

Donald Shoup is here to talk about parking.

2022-09-15: Theresa O'Connor on Fighting Anti-Homelessness in Chico 2022-09-15

Theresa O'Connor is based in Chico, and shares about the rise of anti-homeless politics on city council, what people have been doing to face off against it; changes in shelter and sweeps policy based upon court rulings, and what's next to take back city council in Chico.

2022-09-08: The 2022 Leg. Session Recap Episode, with Darrell Owens 2022-09-08

Darrell Owens is back to talk about the bills of 2022 in California: will Gavin sign the bills on parking minimum abolition and commercial upzoning? What happened when the public housing bill, AB2053, died? Also the new fast food sectoral bargaining bill

Cameron Murray on Australia, Landbanking, Public Housing 2022-08-11

Cameron Murray is an Australian economist with critiques of the common conceptions of how development takes place, generally disregarding the role of developers to landbank. We dig into the details here, talk about the promise of public housing (but also the political challenges), and dig into controversies over his discussion of "supply crisis myths"

Inflation, Housing, Volatility, Legitimacy, with Colin Drumm 2022-07-25

Colin Drumm (author of a fascinating dissertation on the history and theory of money and legitimacy) is here to talk about inflation indices and housing, and what it means for largely issues of equality, governance, and far more.

Andrew Crockett on Modernizing the Santa Clara County Assessor's Office 2022-05-05

Andrew Crockett is the challenger to SCC assessor (and hgp bête noire) Larry Stone, and is promising to focus on housing, competence, and honesty as part of a modernization campaign. He's previously worked in the office, and talks both about what sorts of changes he can bring to the office within the constraints of Prop 13, etc, as well as some nuts-and-bolts explanation of the office's work.

Lars Doucet on Real-Life Data and the Land Value Tax 2022-04-21

Lars Doucet authored three exciting papers on the empirics of the land value tax and is here to talk about what he's learned, some of the controversies that have cropped up over some of the studies, and the future of using data to implement LVT in as rigorous a way as possible.

Baseball and Real Estate Speculation, with Alan Joyce 2022-04-07

Alan Joyce is back on to talk about the San Diego Padres, how Joan Kroc was not allowed to donate the team to the city; how Petco Park was part of an ambitious city-directed real estate scheme, and the future of Major League Baseball, municipal finance, and land hustles.

Social Housing: The Why & The How, with Derek Sagehorn 2022-03-10

Derek Sagehorn is the author of East Bay for Everyone's 2021 paper California Housing Corporation: The Case for a Public Developer, and is here to take about the overall case for a public houser as a way to create a more robust, equitable, and efficient housing industry, as well as new legislation taking up the issue: Alex Lee's AB2053 (californiasocialhousing.org). We also get into some talk about UC Berkeley's CEQA woes: how can we make environmental law work better?

Parking, Value Capture, & Pretextual Planning with Michael Manville 2022-01-13

California nearly toppled minimum parking laws last year, and will likely try again (bless the name of Shoup); some weird discourse arose around why this is a bad thing... because of value capture?!!? (???) Enter Michael Manville of UCLA Luskin who spoke out against this analysis; he's here to talking about the nuts and bolts of value capture paradigms and parking policy, what happens when we create planning that we don't really intend to use, and much more; how can we undo the knots of our parking nightmare?

It's a Wonderful Life: A Georgist Analysis 2021-12-16

"It's a Wonderful Life" (1946, Frank Capra) is a Christmas classic, but also offers a great deal of insight into 20th century urban issues, the ideology of self-improvement through homeownership, lines of credit, and ex-urban sprawl. Do we live in George Bailey's world today, and what does this mean for us?

Illegal Housing Elements and Placeworks's Empire of Corruption, with Josh Albrektson 2021-11-18

Josh Albrektson of South Pasadena talks about his work fighting against illegality in his city's housing element, and how PlaceWorks is a contractor at the heart of a massive scheme to underbuild housing and make many rich. We also dig into the nuts-and-bolts of HCD's process, legislation to keep it on rails, and how people can keep our Housing Elements honest.

Gene Slater on "Freedom to Discriminate: How Realtors Conspired to Segregate Housing and Divide America" 2021-10-28

Gene Slater's new book is the secret history of Realtors, their role in create modern housing markets and politics, and importantly, their role for incubating racial segregation in our cities.How did Realtors manage to create a backlash against Fair Housing built around "freedom", establishing a California constitutional amendment, and laying the future of the modern right-wing?

Paul Williams on Public Housing, Social REITs, and Administrative Capacity 2021-09-16

Paul Williams has new article on public housing out, talking about the various potential space we have to explore the benefits of public ownership, with an emphasis on the bureaucratic apparatus we wield to achieve it; we talk about what this means for the future of economic justice in cities, and effective governance.

Darrell Owens on Housing Legislation Updates, and Vacancy Rates 2021-09-09

Darrell Owens is back to talk about the 2021 legislative wins (SB8, SB9, SB10) and losses (AB1401); and also to discuss the debut article on his new Substack ; what do we talk about when we talk about vacancies?

Georgism and Upzoning Debate; Opponent Patrick Condon 2021-09-02

Patrick Condon, Vancouver-based urban design professor, published Sick City in the last year, which invited a good deal of controversy; though the book was all about overcrowding, inequality, and georgist theories of land rents, it was most rapturously praised by Livable California and various homeowner NIMBYs. Why? And can we agree with all the book's conclusions?

Rohin Ghosh on Peninsula Non-Profits, and Youth Perspective in Palo Alto 2021-08-26

Rohin Ghosh was a high-schooler in Palo Alto just a few months ago, but has already had years of involvement in renter and houseless campaigns throughout the Peninsula, and is here to talk about what's it's like for teens in this crazy environment, as well as his perspective on the landscape of non-profits throughout the Peninsula, based on his work. Also talk about how cities are reflecting to RHNA allocations, tenant organizing in Palo Alto, and more

California Landlord Bailout ... Now What? with Shanti Singh 2021-07-29

While moratoria expires federally, California has one more go-round of "eviction protections"; landlords get paid out 100%, but where exactly are tenants today? Shanti Singh of Tenants Together is back to talk about how Sacramento crafts tenant bills; also talk about how SF CLT's is held up by dismal city institutions.

A Freeway Revolt in Downey, with Alex Contreras 2021-07-01

Alex Contreras is from Downey, CA (southeast LA County), which is facing off against a freeway expansion, which will destroy homes and take away public space. Who's responsible, and how is Alex and everybody else in the Happy City Coalition organizing to stop it?

Social Housing and Public Housing in Vancouver, with Jennifer Bradshaw 2021-06-24

Jennifer Bradshaw is a housing activist in Vancouver, and is here to talk about how social housing and public housing works in her city, and the dismal politics that pits them against each other. Who controls property wealth, and how can we organize to achieve more equitable ends?

Value Capture for Transit: Past and Future, with Derek Sagehorn 2021-06-17

Derek Sagehorn of East Bay for Everyone and Common Ground California is the co-author of a paper on transit value capture, and is here to talk about the dismal history of Bay Area transit and recapturing land value, and its more rosy future. What is Link21, and why do we need to take on Prop 13 and Prop 218 to make it work? Also featuring a discussion of the sort of *bad* "value capture" beloved by lazy non-profits, and how they almost killed AB1401.

Culver City Mayor Alex Fisch on Value Capture, and Posting 2021-05-27

Alex Fisch is the mayor of Culver City, and a powerful poster on California Housing Twitter; we talk about projects within the city to improve the homelessness crisis, as well as recapture value from land value uplift; also talk about regional cooperation amongst the many governments, and how Culver City addresses its racist foundations a century ago

Shane Phillips on The Affordable City & Rethinking Homeownership 2021-04-15

Shane Phillips of the UCLA Lewis Center is on to talk about his recent Atlantic article about the limitations of homeownership of a wealth-building tool; we also dig into his 2020 book "The Affordable City" and talk about what tools cities can use so that everything is less screwed up. Only the most controversial topics get discussed: vacancy studies, vacancy control/decontrol, the politics of rent control, home equity, generational inequities, and much much more

Ma'ayan Dembo on Alternatives to Policing on Transit 2021-03-25

Ma’ayan Dembo, formerly of KZSU fame, is back on the airwaves to share her academic research, done in conjunction with ACT-LA, about alternatives to policing in transit. In Los Angeles as well as the Bay Area, what interventions are effective, what best works to actually make riders feel safe, and how does this integrate into the larger homelessness crisis?

McDonalds: A Landowning Corporation, with Alan Joyce 2021-03-04

We finally talk about McDonald's, and the big business of landowning with McDonald's expert Alan Joyce. How did the McDonald's Corporation leverage land speculation to grow faster than its competitors? What special relationships did the rise of McDonald's have in common with suburbanization? And should McDonald's just go all-in on becoming a REIT?

Debunking Palo Alto's Think Tank, with Stan Oklobdzija 2021-02-25

The Embarcadero Institute is a think tank based in Palo Alto, producing slick-looking white papers about how California doesn't need so much housing, actually. Stan Oklobdzija, research director for CA YIMBY, is on to pick apart the claims these papers make. We talk shop on headship rates, RHNA adjustments, derpy quadratic fits, and much more.

Aloha Homes: Importing Singapore-style Public Housing 2020-12-17

Senator Stanley Chang is here from Hawaii to talk about Aloha Homes, a proposal to import what works about Singapore-style public housing (cheap, dense condos built on public land). History about housing and land in Hawaii, including its public trust model.

Palo Alto's Private Park, and the "Residentialist" Ideology 2020-12-10

Palo Alto has a large park that has a unique ban on non-residents. They're changing this prohibition... but not if Lydia Kou's referendum has anything to say about it. We have on former Palo Alto councilmember Cory Wolbach to talk about the history of this park, the legal challenge which Palo Alto settled but may resurrect, and how this fits into the particular ideology of many Palo Alto residents: “Residentialism”.

The 2020 Election Recap Episode, with Darrell Owens 2020-11-12

It's been a painful election in many ways (Prop 15 losing, Prop 22 winning), and local races were a mixed bag. Darrell Owens of East Bay for Everyone is one to give a post-mortem. For obvious reasons, we get to talking about municipal annexation, vacancy rate controversies, and value capture.

Eviction Crisis Update: Things Got Worse, with Shanti Singh 2020-11-05

We check back with Shanti Singh of Tenants Together to find out about Gavin Newsom's eviction moratorium and its many flaws, talk about how this relates to the financialization of housing, and talk about action plans between here and February.

On the SD-15 Race, Prop 22, and Transit, with Natasha Cougoule and Monica Mallon 2020-10-22

There's one wild race in the South Bay for the state senate, in which one candidate took dubious positions on housing, labor, taxes, and more... but still got the endorsement of Barack Obama. We talk about this race and more, with Prop 15 advocate Natasha Cougoule and transit advocate Monica Mallon; what's the deal with Prop 22, how do local and national political organizations align and depart ... and what's the role for young people in the changing political landscape?

The 2020 Voter Guide Ep, feat. Angie Evans and Jordan Grimes of Peninsula for Everyone 2020-10-15

It's election time! We have on Angie Evans and Jordan Grimes of Peninsula for Everyone to talk about each of the roughly 1,000 city council elections up and down the peninsula, plus local and statewide ballot measures... as well as discursions into the weird and woolly world of housing.

John Lashlee on a Democratic Socialist Platform for Mountain View City Council 2020-10-01

John Lashlee is running for Mountain View City Council on a Democratic Socialist Platform; we talk about what this means, in terms of creating a "snowballing" effect for municipal housing policy, police issues, and economic justice for residents. We also talk some theory, getting a marxist perspective to housing policy.

Darrell Owens on Streets for All, and Depolicing Traffic 2020-09-17

Darrell Owens of East Bay for Everyone is back, and answering the big questions: is disinvestment in minority neighborhoods the right approach for anti-gentrification (no); are there Black anti-tenant NIMBYs in SoCal who get confused for anti-gentrification advocates (yes); are duplexes scary (listen to find out). Finally, hear about Berkeley becoming the first US city to take the police out of traffic enforcement

Inside the NIMBY Mind, with Jordan Grimes 2020-09-03

Jordan Grimes has been live-tweeting Livable California calls over the last year, and comes on the show to share his insights into the ideology and political framework of California's NIMBY conspiracy. Learn more about Joel Kotkin, Jeffersonianism, what 'WIMBYs' are, and what the left should do about it. Also some brief updates on anti-eviction bills and whatever the hell was going on with Caltrain.

Chris Beiser on Administration Markets, Bureaucracies, and Interoperability 2020-08-13

Chris Beiser is back to talk about his recent article on Administration Markets; we talk what this means for the bureaucracies we see all around us. Topics covered: structured competition in South Korea, Estonian e-residency, automation, railroad standards, Zume pizza, railroad standards, city planning, and the role for risk and debt during the COVID crisis.

Stopping the Evictions, with Shanti Singh 2020-07-23

We're in the midst of an eviction crisis in the danger of getting much, much worse. Shanti Singh of Tenants Together is on to talk about what is getting done, and what can be done to stop this. (We agree not to go at each other's throats about land-use for an entire show!) Talk about local-level, state-level, and federal-level interventions; talk about neoliberal vs forward-looking approaches to remedy tenant issues, and on the struggle to organize tenants and build power.

SF: Still Cursed, with Max Kapczynski 2020-07-03

Max and I check in with San Francisco, in the aftermath of COVID, and discover it's still cursed. Talk about its aesthetic identity, the baffling lack of ideology of the progs, and more.

Crafting Municipal-Level Public Housing Policy, with Laksh Bhasin 2020-06-18

Laksh Bhasin (of the SF Berniecrats) is a co-author of the SF Community Housing Act, which looks to cross-subsidize public housing so that the city can operate units with less dependence on the vagaries of federal financing. We talk the nuts and bolts of the policy, interesting new ways it empowers its tenants, its political challenges, as well as the future of Article 34.

Asn Ndiaye and Ollie Zhu on Municipal Insolvency, Looming Austerity 2020-05-28

COVID has nuked tax receipts, and cities are hurting; what patterns do we see in their budget crises, and what can we do to avoid a new regime of austerity?

Monica Mallon on Improving Transit, Before the Virus and After 2020-04-23

Monica Mallon is a SJSU student and transit advocate, active in the plans to improve regional buses and more before COVID, and now active in trying to best help our transit agencies as we deal with a transit-unfriendly crisis.

Redistributing the COVID pain, with Darrell, Derek, and Diego 2020-04-16

Coronavirus is throwing the housing world upside-down; we talk to Darrell Owens and Derek Sagehorn of East Bay for Everyone and freelance writer Diego Aguilar-Canabal about the turmoil. Discussion about eviction moratoria, public housing, rent suspensions, municipal budgets, and more

Talkin' Monetary Theory, with Emil Guliyev (pre-virus) 2020-03-19

Discussing MMT, other currency theories, and more, with some focus on Silvio Gesell; recorded a mere month ago, from a very different pre-COVID world, but more relevant than ever--

Victoria Fierce on the RHNA Methodology Committee, Dem Central Committee, and Anarchism 2020-03-12

Victoria Fierce tells all about what it's like to serve on the RHNA Methodology Committee, her election to the Dem Central Committee, and how it fits in with an anarchist outlook.

State-wide Rent Cap/Just Cause, Local Urgency Ordinances, with Stasha Powell and Jordan Grimes 2020-01-30

Sacramento passed state-wide protections to limit rent increases and prevent just cause evictions, a real win for renters. BUT: various loopholes led to the need for a series of urgency ordinances on a city-by-city basis to prevent last-minute evictions. We hear from Stasha Powell, tenant activist (of One Redwood City) and Jordan Grimes (of Peninsula for Everyone) to hear about these actions, and some general thoughts about the challenges of implementation, and the future of tenant rights in California and beyond.

President Hotel Updates and Palo Alto Tenant Union history, with Roberta Ahlquist and Jeff Levinsky 2019-11-28

Roberta Ahlquist (of Women's International League for Peace and Freedom) and Jeff Levinsky (of Palo Alto Matters) are on the show to talk about the aftermath of the evictions at the President Hotel, where AJ Capital is still attempting for a hotel conversion, and we hear background on the Palo Alto Tenants Union.

Talkin' Prop 13 Split Roll (Schools & Communities First), with Derek Sagehorn 2019-11-14

Derek Sagehorn (of East Bay for Everyone) has been raising awareness for Prop 13 Split Roll (Schools and Communities First) through a series of walking tours, writing articles , and now comes on the show to discuss the nuances of the law, the urgent need to get this revenue to the cities who need it, the history of the political coalitions behind Prop 13, and more.

San Francisco: A Material Analysis of Its Disspiriting Politics, with Max Kapczynski 2019-10-31

San Francisco is cursed, and leaves everybody with a no-win decision between lacklustre "progressives" and incrementalist moderates. Why is this so, and what can be done about it? We use material analysis to learn more. Chatter about the November election.

Alex Nunez on Mountain View: RV Bans vs Anti-Displacement Policy 2019-10-10

Alex Nunez is a housing equity advocate for Cafecito and the Housing Justice Coalition, he's here to talk about the recent RV Ordinances in Mountain View, and discuss paths for real and effective anti-displacement programs.

Kelsey Banes on Housing Activism and Homeless Services in Palo Alto 2019-10-03

Kelsey Banes is a leading voice for housing production in Palo Alto, while working in supplying support for our neediest: the homeless. How are the systems of supplying both affordable and market-rate housing related to the needs and struggles of those who are housing insecure, and what can we do to help?

Landownership in Ag, the Myths of Family Farms, and Sustainability, with Sarah Taber 2019-09-17

Does landownership matter in agriculture? Turns out it does! Crop scientist and podcaster ("Farm to Taber") Sarah Taber is on the program to talk about how landownership drives power dynamics, creates inefficient classes of exploitative family farms, while destroying the environment. Showcasing approaches and technologies that deliver more productive and more sustainable results, from labor practices to alternate forms of ownership and tenure.

Book Club: "The Power Broker" by Robert Caro (with Max Kapczynski) 2019-08-15

The legendary book about a fatal love of highways, the drive for land acquisition, and the seductive world of municipal bonds.

Article 34: How California Made Public Housing Illegal, with Diego Aguilar-Canabal and Jordan Grimes 2019-07-18

Diego Aguilar-Canabal comes on the show to speak on his article about how an anti-public-housing movement began with Oakland homeowners, and Jordan Grimes discusses how the constitutional amendment that came out of this movement still affects affordable housing programs today. We talk about the unsuccessful Supreme Court challenge to this amendment, and rant for a while about how dumb dead-ends in leftist discourse undermine a future in which we are able to build public housing again.

On Having a Cupertino Planning Commissioner Threaten to Get You Fired, Local Democracy, and Free Speech, with Richard Mehlinger 2019-07-04

Ray Wang, a Cupertino planning commissioner, threatened to get Richard Mehlinger fired, after a hubbub over a NextDoor post in which Mr. Wang called YIMBYs "fascists". We discuss the story, what it means for participation in local democracy, with some tangents, on the real nature of fascism.

On the Data for Progress housing paper and the Dem Prez Candidates, with Asn Ndiaye and Ollie Zhu 2019-06-27

Talking politics, both with the exciting new white paper with all the best policy proposals (including land value tax), and some fun discussion on the dem candidates' housing plans.

Talkin' Highways and Inequality, with Clayton Nall and Alex Baca 2019-06-13

It's easy to take highway funding and construction as a natural and unavoidable fact, but in reality it's *people* behind it. In Clayton Nall's book "The Road to Inequality: How the Federal Highway Program Polarized America and Undermined Cities", the nitty-gritty of what this did to our politics is explored in depth. We are joined with Alex Baca, who explores the relationship of highway funding to the viability of the left in America.

SB50 on Ice (and WHAT Red/Brown alliance?) with Max Kapczynski 2019-06-06

SB50 is stalled for a year, but we recorded this *just* before, as we see efforts to block it underway by our favorite Palo Alto NIMBYs, aided by ostensibly woke anti-gentrification groups in direct coordination with homeowners. But mostly, about Lydia Kou being bad on twitter.

Lenny Siegel on Mountain View, Decades of Activism, and Progressive Housing, with some debate on local control with Pardis Beikzadeh and David Watson 2019-05-30

Lenny Siegel served on the Mountain View City Council from 2014-2018, serving one term as mayor, and has been a lifelong activist for progressive causes. How has Mountain View been able to address equitable solutions for housing better than its neighbors, and how can it do more? We also debate the contentious issue of local control, with Pardis Beikzadeh and David Watson of South Bay YIMBY saying that state intervention is necessary, and Lenny saying that other (perhaps bigger) solutions are needed.

Regional Activism, Gentrification, and Homelessness, with Sasha Perigo and Darrell Owens 2019-05-09

Sasha Perigo is co-chair of the Homelessness Working Group for SF DSA, and has worked in the past for fair housing in Marin County. What can we learn from sharing this perspective with Darrell Owens's activism in the East Bay, as well as a view from Silicon Valley, where the show is recorded? Plenty to talk about regional issues, as well as tenant solidarity as well as other socialists views on housing justice.

Georgism vs Yimbyism Debate; Opponent Sonja Trauss 2019-05-02

What's mightier, redistributing land vs building more housing? Are these ideologies necessarily at ends, and what's their respective roles in the current housing scene? Sonja Trauss of SFBARF/SF YIMBY/CaRLA makes the case that georgists are too focused on taxing the land to see that zoning needs reformed. Other topics are broached, from property rights, political orgs, and whether sweeping wealth redistribution is needed (we quickly agree it is).

SCoPE 2035, Take Two 2019-04-25

It's been about a year since the Stanford land-use/housing justice activism group SCoPE 2035 (Stanford Coalition for Planning an Equitable 2035) has been on, and there's a lot to catch up on: campus protests against university lawsuits, more challenges for housing Stanford employees, university dealings with Palo Alto, and more; we hear all about the challenges and advantages of being a group made out of current (overworked) Stanford students.

Holly Balcom on Portland Land-Use, Tenant Protections, and Land Taxes 2019-04-11

Holly Balcom tells us how, compared to the Bay Area, Portland, Oregon does so many things better: better cooperation between land-use groups and tenant groups, coherent regional government, an anti-sprawl Urban Growth Boundary, and even the exploration of land taxes. However, pushing back against suburban conformity and exclusion, NIMBYism, and unaffordability is very much an active challenge, and Holly lets us know about what's been going well, and what still needs attention in Portland.

Georgism, Memes, and Ideology, with Chris Beiser 2019-04-04

Chris Beiser runs the facebook meme group "Georgist Memes for Land Value Taxation Teens", and comments both upon the modern phenomenon of Image Macros as a way to spread ideas, as well as the functional value of ideology, the implications of modern technology with the evolution of ideology, and the special role of Georgism to navigate ideological rifts in the modern landscape.

CASA Part II: The Drama, with Asn Ndiaye and Jordan Grimes 2019-02-28

We continue the CASA talk by talking about the infighting, the disappointments, and most importantly, the cartoonish villainry we've seen. Rants about the CAA, Realtors, ranking NIMBY cities into a hierarchy of awfulness, and picking apart why some YIMBYs can't figure out how to get onboard with tenants rights.

CASA Part I: The Facts, with Asn Ndiaye and Jordan Grimes 2019-02-21

The CASA Compact is the "grand bargain" that could transform housing and tenant protections throughout the Bay Area. But what are the details? We pick apart the ten pillars and anticipate some of what we'll see in Part II of this series: CASA, the Drama.

JR Fruen on building a wall around Cupertino 2019-02-14

We've talked Cupertino on the program before, but never with a native.... until now (!) JR Fruen talks about the relationship between council and Better Cupertino, Mayor Scharf's comments on "building a wall around Cupertino", irregularities around commission appointments, and what all those lawsuits are all about.

Green New Deal for Whomst?, with Alex Baca 2019-01-17

Alex Baca has plenty to say about the shortcomings of the Green New Deal platform, with respect to the waste that comes from our land use decisions. We're also joined by Ollie Zhu, as we probe key questions about equity (for whomst?), chat about rust belt urbanism, and talk about the challenges of grow-the-pie solutions being balanced against zero-sum battles.

The Quaker New Economy project, with Olivia Hanks 2019-01-03

Quakers (The Religious Society of Friends) have for centuries combined a radical commitment to personality morality with works in the world, including reforming economic life. This continues today, as we talk to Olivia Hanks, program manager for the Quaker Peace & Social Witness "New Economy" project, looking at overturning the inequities of modern economic life, looking to bring natural resources in common and create a sustainable world for future generations.

Spotlite on Vancouver, with Jennifer Bradshaw 2018-12-13

Vancouver is a city with housing policies that are the dream of the Bay Area, with an recent end to single-family zoning as well as stronger tenant protections, but yet exclusion and tenant instability still persist. What more could Vancouver do to address this, and could a move by City Council to introduce a Land Value Tax help? Jennifer Bradshaw talks about this, her work in housing activism, why housing opportunity matters to those who desperately need it, and why high vacancy rates are good for renters.

Alex Schafran on "The Road to Resegregation: Northern California and the Failure of Politics 2018-12-06

Alex Schafran discusses his new book, which is about the new style of segregation we see throughout the greater Bay Area (even beyond the Altamont Pass), how even well-meaning people helped create it, and what changes to our politics we need to find our way out.

Max Kapczynski on "Local Control" and Exclusionary Suburbs 2018-11-22

Max is back on, and we talk about the grievance culture of those fighting to preserve "Local Control," focusing on the extreme measures being taken by the League of California Cities to preserve the rights of Beverly Hills and Palo Alto. Nuttiness ensues.

Darrell Owens on the Housing Crisis in the East Bay 2018-11-15

Darrell Owens, housing advocate wunderkind travels from the East Bay to share his experiences dealing with class and racial segregation reinforced by our land-use policy, and also finds time to rant about transit, blind spots in otherwise progressive policy, and so much more...

Off-The-Cuff Election Reactions, with Diego Aguilar-Canabal 2018-11-08

So, the election happened. Diego comes on the show (via a telephone submerged in molasses, sorry listeners) to talk about the good news in the East Bay and disappointing news in SF (including how this was tied to the shocking failure of Mayor Breed and Scott Wiener to endorse Prop C). Some South Bay election updates, though expect more in future weeks for all the in-depth details...

South Bay Election Talk, with Jason Uhlenkott of South Bay YIMBY and Max Kapczynski 2018-10-25

We cover city council elections in the major Santa Clara County cities, along with local measures, county-level elections, and the state propositions. Jason Uhlenkott is here to explain how South Bay YIMBY endorsed all the races, and we try to analyze all the major policy decisions.

Towards a Deeper Understanding of Rent Stabilization and Prop 10, with Yonathan Randolph 2018-10-04

Rent stabilization may seem simple, but as Yonathan Randolph lays out in his recent article, it interacts with a body of legal precedent that reflects what "fair rate of return" a landlord shall receive. What exactly does this mean for rent stabilization programs, and how does this compare to other powers (such as that to tax) to take land rents away from landlords?

Disney Parks and Land Value, with Alan Joyce 2018-09-27

What taxes *should* Disney parks owe, and to *whom* (considering that in Florida, they literally *are* the government). And does Disney resemble a NIMBY in how they resist residential equity in their enterprises? These questions are pondered with guest Alan Joyce, Disney Park aficionado.

Building Tenant Power, with Ollie Zhu 2018-09-20

Ollie Zhu is based out of San Jose, and is active in housing, through the Silicon Valley DSA and beyond. We talk about what it means for tenants to build power, the pitfalls of depending upon non-profits in place of bottom-up organization, the challenges of Silicon Valley's housing situation, and what the left could stand to articulate better about housing.

The Cupertino Hyperloop, Value Capture, The President Hotel, with Max Kapczynski 2018-08-29

Max Kapczynski of Palo Alto Forward is back to talk about the eviction process at Palo Alto's President Hotel, but first off: talk about the Cupertino head tax and the Cupertino hyperloop. What is it? Is it a savvy method of bringing Bay Area transit into the 21st century, or is it a ridiculous boondoggle (spoiler: it is a ridiculous boondoggle).

Jordan Grimes on San Mateo's Housing Deficit and its Homeowner Anger 2018-08-02

Jordan Grimes is an activist for housing and transporation in San Mateo, where efforts to add housing capacity are often met with hostility from homeowners, who often trace the city's problems to an influx of tech workers. Jordan, though, is a San Matean born and raised. Paul Leone also joins the program to talk about how San Mateo thwarts affordable housing. We talk process and policy, including the extension of Measure P, to set a hard limit on possible density.

Richard Mehlinger on Sunnyvale: Corn Palace, Blue Bonnet, and weak protections for tenants 2018-07-19

We talk Sunnyvale with Richard Mehlinger of Livable Sunnyvale, and Max Kapczynski of Palo Alto Forward. Sunnyvale still has a corn field, which is going to be developed... into single family homes (?!?!?!). We talk why, as well as the history and latest with the evictions of the Blue Bonnet mobile home park, to be turned into relatively low-density townhomes. Who bears the weight of change in Sunnyvale, and why? Too, we talk about the future of expanding tenant protections to Sunnyvale renters through a 12-Month Lease program, and how Catholic social teachings have influenced Richard's thinking.

Pastor Gregory Stevens on Palo Alto Hypocrisy and the Radical Leftist Vision of Christ 2018-05-31

Gregory Stevens was a pastor at Palo Alto First Baptist until a series of tweets about Palo Alto's failure to actually address its moral failings was shared with City Council, leading to his resignation. He's on to talk about the anarchist, anti-capitalist message of Christ, what it means to actually practice this moral vision, and why Palo Alto isn't doing it.

Glen Weyl on Radical Markets: Uprooting Capitalism and Democracy for a Just Society 2018-05-24

Glen Weyl is a co-author of a new book dedicated to William Vickrey, embued with the spirit of Henry George, and full of bold ideas to use economic policy in innovative ways to give workers the share they deserve and to bring forward a fairer world. We discuss these policies, including how they overlap and depart from the idea of the original land value tax.

San Jose Housing and San Jose Budgets, with Asn Ndiaye 2018-05-17

San Jose is one of the few places in the Bay Area that has more housing than jobs. San Jose has a seriously gnarly budget situation. How are these two things related? Asn Ndiaye has plenty to say.

Dialogue with the Opposition, with Michael Goldman 2018-05-12

Michael Goldman is a councilperson for Sunnyvale City Council. We recently had an extensive conversation about affordable housing at a Denny's after a council meeting, and are extended it onto the airwaves. It certainly seems that we disagree fundamentally about everything, but after we share ideas, what can we learn? Plenty of talk about urban economics and land markets.

The Palo Alto Process and the (Im)morality of Developers, with Max Kapczynski 2018-04-19

Max Kapczynski of Palo Alto Forward is back, to talk about recent goings-on in Palo Alto. An affordable housing overlay made its way through council, but what does it *really* mean about the housing situation at large. We expand this into a conversation about developers, and how money is made. Some claim they're no different than anybody else offering a service, and some claim that their form of making money is inherently immoral. Who's right?

Talking the PPP Social Housing Paper with Asn Ndiaye 2018-04-12

We talk with Asn Ndiaye about what leftist housing policy means, analyze the PPP Social Housing policy paper that everybody's talking about, and find time to discuss the importance of real estate in Sex and the City.

Non-Profit Affordable Housing with Paul Leone 2018-03-15

Paul Leone of the non-profit Midpen Housing Corporation is on to talk about the intricate, complex systems that produce affordable housing today. Max Kapczynski is back, as questions are asked about how to understand how policy impacts the production of affordable housing, and how affordable housing in California can work better.

Chris P. on the RV dwelling experience 2018-03-08

Chris P. of KZSU talks about the experience of living in an RV in Silicon Valley for 18 months.

Cecily Foote and Nani Friedman of Stanford's SCoPE 2035 2018-02-08

SCoPE 2035 (Stanford Coalition for Planning an Equitable 2035) is a group of Stanford Students, trying to influence the way that Stanford does land use, to give housing stability to Stanford students, faculty, staff, and the surrounding community. Cecily Foote and Nani Friedman talk about the organization's goals and progress.

SB 827: Is it the Housing Fix California Needs? 2018-02-01

Max Kapczynski is back, and we're talking about Scott Weiner's SB 827, which has created a nearly nuclear amount of buzz. What's it all about? Will it really fix housing? Will it have side effects? And does it have a chance?

Congestion Taxes: Are They Regressive? 2017-12-08

Everybody talks about regressive taxes vs progressive taxes, and many are saying that congestion taxes on our roadways would be regressive. Who's right and wrong?

Christine Peterson of the Foresight Institute: Vision Week 2017-11-24

We talk positive and negative visions of the future with the founder of the Foresight Institute, Christine Peterson. The Foresight Institute holds a conference looking forward to future technology and society: Vision Week, held December 2-3, 2017.

Max Kapczynski of Palo Alto Forward, of What People Can Do To Fix Housing 2017-11-17

What can someone do to make the housing situation better? That's the question we talk about with Max Kapczynski of Palo Alto Forward, fighting the fight for housing reform in the midst of the most ingrained NIMBYism one can possibly find. Perverse incentives, perverse incentives, perverse incentives: we have it all.

Fed Chair Talk with Edward Miller 2017-11-03

In the lead-up to the Fed Chair decision, we talk the policy-ineffectiveness proposition, modern controversies about monetary theory, and nit-pick about inflation.

Sarah Thomas on Catholicism and The Condition of Labor 2017-10-27

We talk about 19th century beefs in the Catholic church, the excommunication of Georgist priests, and how modern Catholics view economic principles.

Roundtable on Fairness and Idealism 2017-10-20

Mark and Jake start off talking about Esperanto for 20 seconds, and then get into a long discussion about the power of idealism, and how central the role of fairness is in popular consciousness.

Connecticut Talk with Real-Life Connecticutian Kedar 2017-10-13

Kedar gives us the scoop about urban and surburban development in Connecticut, with a focus on Hartford's experiments with Land Value Tax, municipal debt financing, and the millennial rush towards dense urban hubs. Additionally, we fail to deliver useful information about New Haven Pizza.

Diego Aguilar-Canabal on Disaster and Inequity in Puerto Rico 2017-10-06

Diego Aguilar-Canabal (of East Bay Forward) isn't here to talk about housing, but rather the disaster in Puerto Rico, how it has personally affected his family, and the unfair policies that continually works against the US Territory.

Price gouging, rationing, and the morality of transactions 2017-09-26

A roundtable discussion on how the issue of critical goods (water, food, fuel) is treated after a natural disaster. Is raising prices necessarily immoral? When is rationing necessary? And how can this be tied into theories of value?

Alan Joyce on the land economics of Eve Online and Second Life 2017-09-12

Alan Joyce (co-host of Earful of Convoy and Earful of Cocktail) comes on the program to explain the ins and outs of some of the weirder and wilder economic laboratories out there: videogames. How does scarcity in Eve Online resemble real estate bubbles? What does Second Life tell us about marginal land?

Matt Krisiloff on Y Combinator, Basic Income, and LVT on the United Slate 2017-08-01

We have Matt Krisiloff of YC Research to talk about the Basic Income project, Y Combinator's United Slate (which featured LVT as a plank). Should these be viewed as separate, or two ideas that are fundamentally linked? Also a conversation with Kedar about the technical and moral merits of a UBI versus a Jobs Guarantee.

Alvin Roth on Designing Markets 2017-07-25

2012 Nobelist and Stanford professor Alvin Roth has saved lives by designing better markets: clearinghouses to trade kidneys, as well as improved matches in public schools and medical residencies. He joins the show to talk about his life's work and the many lessons we can learn about fixing broken markets.

Steve Omohundro on AI Risk, Human Values, and Decentralized Resource Sharing 2017-07-18

Steve Omohundro shares plans for creating provably correct protections against AI superintelligence, and thoughts on how human values can be embued into AI. Resource allocation, decentralized cooperation, and discussions on how Blockchain Proofs of Work/Stake can possibly be compatible with basic needs.

Jack Miller on SCOTUS, Prop 13, and rationalized injustice 2017-07-11

Let's head back to the early nineties―Prop 13 was upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in an 8-1 decision, and Jack Miller wrote a 66-page barnburner about the injustice in the decision. We have Jack Miller on to talk about the jurisprudence of fair taxes, the importance of Horizontal Equity, and how this all came together in Nordlinger v Hahn.

Victoria Fierce on socialism and housing 2017-07-04

Victoria Fierce works for (pro-housing) East Bay Forward. Victoria Fierce is a member of (pro-economic-justice) DSA. This has led to an undue amount of drama. Does this have to be so? Why can't socialists and YIMBYs get along?

SF Supervisor Katy Tang and Home-SF 2017-06-27

Katy Tang represents the Sunset on the SF Board of Supervisors, and has led Home-SF, which works to end displacement while still building more units, by tying affordability to upzoning incentives. We talk about ending zero-sum thinking.

James K. Galbraith on inequality 2017-06-20

James K. Galbraith has produced a deep catalogue of books; in his recent "Inequality: What Everyone Needs to Know", he touches on the land value tax. We talk about that and much more.

Jeff Andrade-Fong and Josh Vincent on Influencing Housing Policy 2017-06-13

Jeff Andrade-Fong works with Tech for Housing to bring attention to tech workers about how housing policy affects them, and what they can do. Josh Vincent advises land policy on a city-by-city basis using open data and more. Changing policy is hard, but we talk about what people can do about it.

James Howard Kunstler vs Sprawl 2017-06-06

We talk to James Howard Kunstler, who has long been a voice railing against the ugliness of modern sprawl and its attendant psychic torment. How does a land tax offer a possible answer to this tragedy?

Stephen Barton and the Berkeley Landlord Tax 2017-05-30

Last November, Berkeley passed Measure U1, nicknamed the "Landlord Tax." It increased the tax rate for landlords of five or more rental units. Behind the bill was Stephen Barton, who's been working for affordable housing for decades. On the side, he's been writing about the Georgist history of Berkeley's leadership.

Nic Tideman on the Rognlie/Piketty controversy 2017-05-23

Tomas Piketty showed that accumulation of capital was driving modern inequality. But then a young economics student showed how scarcity of housing explains Piketty's phenomenon, not accumulation. We're joined by Professor Nic Tideman of Virginia Tech, to discuss Matthew Rognlie's influential paper.

Economy of Cities with Kedar 2017-05-16

Kedar is back to talk about mobility. We have depressed economies and cities with excess demand. Why?

Corey Smith of SFHAC 2017-05-09

Corey Smith of the San Francisco Housing Action Coalition talks about the policies and the politics to get the housing supply up to 5,000 units a year. All your favorites are here: CEQA and Prop 13. Some talk about the limits of empathy: are our land-use policies making us meaner?

James Hughes: Technoprogressivism 2017-05-02

We featured the libertarian transhumanist perspective of Zoltan Istvan a few weeks ago. Today, James Hughes, who couples a concern for transhumanism with a progressive attitude and a focus on economic justice.

Introduction to Georgism with Kedar 2017-04-25

Kedar and Mark have a conversation about Georgism, Prop 13, and why this all matters.

Zoltan Istvan: Funding a UBI 2017-04-18

Zoltan Istvan ran for President on the Transhumanist party, and is now running for California Governor as a Libertarian. He proposes a Universal Basic Income, funded by the leasing of federal lands. How does this compare to the Georgist ideal of a citizen's dividend funded by land rents?

Urban economics of the Asian Tigers 2017-04-11

Mark Mollineaux, Jacob Schwartz-Lucas, and Edward Miller discuss the land-use policies of Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and more. How responsible is municipal ownership to land to the world-class infrastructure and vibrant economies of these cities?