Our planning, environmental, housing and disclosure laws are some of the most progressive around. California is a place that fosters new ideas leading to new concepts. These can be anything from bold new forms of financing to unique housing strategies. While many of these innovative ideas fail, the ones that succeed are copied elsewhere in the nation. Our state has a complex system of regulations to insure that proper development occurs when the cities and counties use those regulations properly.
Development responds to demand.
The demand for new jobs and housing is extremely high and premium land suitable for development is scarce. We know development can contribute to congestion, pollution and other urban ills, but few of us would like to see California's economy become stagnant. So, we must find ways to develop while preserving quality of life. This leads to restrictions and anyone in business knows we have many. The issue is not simply the number of restrictions, but whether the restrictions achieve our overall objectives.