Noah Smith on YIMBYism, California Land Use, and the Best-Run City

Economist and writer Noah Smith returns to the podcast to talk to Dan Romero and Erik Torenberg about housing, politics, land use, and policing in California and beyond. Moment of Zen is part of the Turpentine podcast network. Learn more at www.turpentine.co or email Erik@turpentine.co

TIMESTAMPS:

(00:00) Episode Preview

(01:07) Antonio is the Dennis Rodman

(01:42) Noah’s new podcast with Turpentine: Econ 102

(02:05) The left and right version of “it’s time to build” i.e. Ezra Klein vs Marc Andreessen

(04:50) California skewed political identities

(07:00) California vs Texas GOP stance on immigration

(09:30) Should Gary Tan strategize from the left or the right, structurally

(11:11) Can the Asian block become a machine in SF? In California?

(12:50) Is LA better run than SF?

(17:40) What’s the best-run city in the US

(20:58) Sponsor: NetSuite

(22:15) Best format for affordable housing in cities

(26:30) California is a class society based on land

(28:40) House-rich progressives in California

(31:00) Prop 13, property tax, and SALT debates

(39:30) The tide of YIMBYism

(51:10) Effective building in Japan

(58:00) YIMBY movement in SF lost because of crime

(59:00) The future of San Francisco

(01:09:00) Policing

(01:16:00) WWII and the atom bomb

(01:22:00) Will patriotism come back?

(01:25:00) Biggest misconception about Japan?

LINKS:

Noah's Substack https://www.noahpinion.blog/

Book Recommendation on Prop 13: Golden Gates https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Gates-Fighting-Housing-America/dp/0525560211

X / TWITTER:

@noahpinion (Noah)

@dwr (Dan)

@eriktorenberg (Erik)

@moz_podcast

SPONSORS:

Beehiiv:

Head to Beehiiv, the newsletter platform built for growth, to power your own. Connect with premium brands, scale your audience, and deliver a beautiful UX that stands out in an inbox. 🐝to https://Beehiiv.com and use code "MOZ" for 20% off your first three months.

Shopify: https://shopify.com/momentofzen for a $1/month trial period

Shopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. Shopify powers 10% of all e-commerce in the US. And Shopify’s the global force behind Allbirds, Rothy’s, and Brooklinen, and 1,000,000s of other entrepreneurs across 175 countries. From their all-in-one e-commerce platform, to their in-person POS system – wherever and whatever you’re selling, Shopify’s got you covered. With free Shopify Magic, sell more with less effort by whipping up captivating content that converts – from blog posts to product descriptions using AI. Sign up for $1/month trial period: https://shopify.com/momentofzen

NetSuite provides financial software for all your business needs. More than thirty-six thousand companies have already upgraded to NetSuite, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you're looking for an ERP platform ✅ NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/zen and defer payments of a FULL NetSuite implementation for six months.