I think required parking spaces is a minor factor in why building is so hard in California. The biggest problem is that if you have plans for a building that me

I think required parking spaces is a minor factor in why building is so hard in California. The biggest problem is that if you have plans for a building that meets all the existing zoning and building regulations for the lot, it can still take many years (sometime decades) before one will be able to start construction. One has to deal with lawsuits by people who don't want it built, planning commissions that have to put their own stamp on the building, and public meeting after public meeting that resolve nothing. I have heard of a few different laws floated in Sacramento to help try and help with this problem, but I think it is more of a cultural value in many parts of California (like prop 13) where people feel a place should not change from how they found it when they moved to California. This is probably not something that can be legislated away.