Unlike Texas, California thankfully hasn’t been gerrymandered to death. It still has a functioning democracy.

California's housing crisis is a result of small-c conservatives wanting their property values to rise forever. Prop 13 and it's consequences have been a disaster for the state.

Prop 13 is a disaster, but it was not the product of any specific political persuasion.

It was even well-intentioned, but the unforseen (although predictable in direction if not magnitude) consequences are in fact disastrous.

I have wondered about how to repeal Prop 13, but I can't come up with a repeal that doesn't do equal and opposite damage.

> I have wondered about how to repeal Prop 13, but I can't come up with a repeal that doesn't do equal and opposite damage.

I haven't thought enough of the consequences, but what I have been pondering is complete removal of property tax on your personal residence. You have to spend 50% + 1 day to count it as your residence.

Any commercial property or nonresidence would continue to have property tax.

There would be some cheats, like people claiming to have spent 50% + 1 day despite not having done that, or somebody living in an apartment complex they own to avoid tax, but overall I think it would solve a lot of problems.

The only drawback I see is less tax revenue.

Over the course of a decade go from a max of 2%/year to something like 10%/year. Maybe some extra tax breaks for those who lost equity when selling a long-term residence (doubt, probably just slow their growth)

Right, some kind of phase-in would be necessary.

The opposite damage I'm talking about is forcing people to lose their houses for inability to pay current-FMV property taxes. Mostly older/retired/fixed income people. This would apply to any phase-in schedule too.

You could implement some sort of right of first refusal for any multi-family build on that land.