Build faster, but how? California governor hopefuls split on housing at Ezra Klein forum

"Yes, it costs too much to build in California, but developers should also use more union labor with standard prevailing wages, argued former state Attorney General Xavier Becerra. "There's a pretty wrenching tradeoff here," said moderator and New York Times reporter Ezra Klein, who co-authored , a book that has served as a defining text for a pro-growth progressive movement. Becerra, surging in the polls, bit back. "We should not believe that we have to build homes by making it so it's impossible for the carpenter who builds a home to never be able to afford to buy it.""

"Former member of Congress Katie Porter, urged caution. "You can actually solve labor by not going backwards on housing in labor policy," and warned now was not the time to "do prevailing wage in residential." No matter that her position means that "I took the heat from labor." Affordable housing costs more to construct per square foot than market rate housing, because the projects "face more delays. They face more obstacles. They face more community resistance. They face more restrictions on zoning," said Porter - a reasoning that agrees with Abundance's viewpoint that excessive veto-power can hinder housing construction. "Every time you have uncertainty about whether something is going to happen, the costs go up.""

"San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan, who's been neck and neck with Porter in polls, was also keen on building. "If we build the housing, we make up the revenue over time. We have more property taxes, more sales taxes, more workers, more jobs, more dynamism," said Mahan. "But it's a tough tradeoff to make because you get yelled at by the park advocates, by t"

California’s housing crisis drives a debate over building faster and at lower cost. Candidates agree that more homes must be produced, but they differ on how to achieve affordability. One view argues that construction costs should be reduced while also requiring greater use of union labor and prevailing wages. Another view warns against expanding prevailing wage requirements for residential projects, citing affordability concerns and political tradeoffs with labor. Affordable housing is described as costing more per square foot due to delays, obstacles, community resistance, and zoning restrictions. Uncertainty and veto power are linked to higher costs. Building more housing is also framed as a way to generate revenue over time through taxes, jobs, and economic dynamism.

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