The Henry George Program

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.

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.

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.

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 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 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, 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...

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...

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.

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?