California’s housing crisis isn’t a riddle; it’s a chain reaction. We trace it from land policy and restrictive growth boundaries to code complexity, construction costs, and the quiet social fallout inside families, schools, synagogues, and neighborhoods. With demographers, advocates, and veteran builders around the table, we unpack why the median home price-to-income ratio ballooned, how the land share of a home soared past construction, and why four million people have left since 2000.

We share the human side too. A sociologist reveals how rising housing costs cut synagogue membership nearly in half among families most likely to join, as tighter budgets crowd out camp and education. Advocates argue for choice—compact, walkable neighborhoods for those who want them and room for larger lots inland—while spotlighting how public meetings are dominated by a few voices. The call is direct: younger residents and employers must show up so councils hear the demand for attainable ownership and missing-middle homes.

From the jobsite, developers explain what actually moves the needle. Modular manufacturing compresses timelines and slashes vertical costs, while disciplined preconstruction and fast pay keep trades engaged. We dig into how layered fire, structural, plumbing, and zoning codes shrink the set of buildable solutions, stalling adaptive reuse and office-to-housing conversions. The path forward blends targeted code modernization with strong enforcement, faster approvals, and a regional lens that points to the Inland Empire’s scale, jobs pipeline, and remaining land as the state’s most realistic release valve.

We close with a grounded view on homelessness: build dedicated supportive options at lower cost per bed, and simultaneously build far more homes for everyone to prevent people from falling into homelessness in the first place. If you care about affordability, mobility, and the future of California’s middle class, this conversation offers a practical playbook—align land policy, simplify codes, cut build times, and reclaim the civic microphone.

If this episode resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend who cares about housing, and leave a review with the one change you’d make in your city. Your voice helps build more homes.

Support Our Work
The Center for Demographics and Policy focuses on research and analysis of global, national, and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time. It involves Chapman students in demographic research under the supervision of the Center’s senior staff.

Students work with the Center’s director and engage in research that will serve them well as they look to develop their careers in business, the social sciences, and the arts. Students also have access to our advisory board, which includes distinguished Chapman faculty and major demographic scholars from across the country and the world.

For additional information, please contact Mahnaz Asghari, Associate Director for the Center for Demographics and Policy, at (714) 744-7635 or [email protected].

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This show is presented by the Chapman Center for Demographics and Policy, which focuses on research and analysis of global, national and regional demographic trends and explores policies that might produce favorable demographic results over time.