> Gov. Gavin Newsom's campaign promise to lead an effort to produce those 3.5 million units. He is leading an effort. Whether he's spending enough of his own p

> Gov. Gavin Newsom's campaign promise to lead an effort to produce those 3.5 million units. He is leading an effort. Whether he's spending enough of his own political capital is another question. But one of the problems in California is that the state constitution guarantees municipalities "home rule". That means very little can be accomplished without local cooperation, including local zoning board cooperation. It's like federalism at the state level--the central government can ban practices relatively easily, but it can't force positive action, only coerce through tax revenue incentives, which has its own constitutional restrictions, not to mention political barriers. California is a NIMBY paradise, legally speaking.