San Diego’s Mayor Explains Why He Became a “YIMBY”

By Matt Levin.

San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer has a message for his fellow California Republicans when it comes to grappling with the state’s housing crisis: Embrace more development.

“This is not a partisan issue,” Faulconer, the only GOP mayor of an American city with more than one million residents, said on Gimme Shelter, The California Housing Crisis Podcast. “This is what we should be doing in San Diego to fix the problem.”

Faulconer made headlines earlier this year by pursuing a handful of pro-density policies in a city known more for its sprawl and affection for unobstructed coastline views than mutli-family apartment buildings. As a newly self-identified “YIMBY”—Yes in My Backyard advocate—Faulconer has moved to ease height restrictions and minimum parking requirements across San Diego.

“If we are going to remain competitive as a city and a region, we have to provide more housing,” said Faulconer.

On this episode of Gimme Shelter, CALmatters’ Matt Levin and the Los Angeles Times’ Liam Dillon discuss what Faulconer’s YIMBY turn means for California—and the limits of his pro-development turn.