It’s not news that California is in a dire housing crisis. Lt. Governor, and current gubernatorial candidate, Gavin Newsom told the New York Times recently:

It’s a crisis. We can’t live on intentions. At the end of the day, if you want to move the mouse, you’ve for to move the cheese. The middle class of the state is leaving in droves. This is a Code Red in California.”

That sentiment is why last night’s panel discussion at McGeorge School of Law could not have come at a better time. The California Legislature passed a package of 15 bills last year to address the housing crisis, and while there are some interesting impacts from that package of legislation discussed in the video below, it’s clear that much more still needs to be done.

We assembled a fantastic panel of experts last night discuss the housing crisis, some of the factors that led to how California got to where it is today, some potential fixes that the California Legislature is currently considering – primarily SB 827, a bill by California State Senator Scott Wiener that would override local zoning and permit the construction of eight-story housing near transit stops – as well as other potential changes likely to come into the Legislature’s sights in the near future.

The panelists were Liam Dillon, a journalist for the Los Angeles Times an co-host of Gimmie Shelter: The California Housing Crisis Podcast, Nick Cammarota (McGeorge ’91) of the California Building Industry Association, and Jason Rhine with the League of California Cities.

The event was organized by McGeorge’s Real Property Club, and was co-sponsored by McGeorge’s Government Affairs Student Association and the Capital Center for Law & Policy at McGeorge School of Law.