California Land Use, The Best American City, San Francisco Politics, and more with Dan Romero "Econ 102" with Noah Smith and Erik Torenberg

Noah Smith guests on the Moment of Zen podcast (hosted by his Econ 102 co-host Erik Torenberg and founder Dan Romero) to discuss California land use, housing, politics, policing, and more. Subscribe to listen to Moment of Zen, a weekly show about tech, business, and culture, wherever you listen to podcasts: https://link.chtbl.com/moz

We're hiring across the board at Turpentine and for Erik's personal team on other projects he's incubating. He's hiring a Chief of Staff, EA, Head of Special Projects, Investment Associate, and more. For a list of JDs, check out: eriktorenberg.com.
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Econ 102 and Moment of Zen are part of the Turpentine podcast network. To learn more: www.turpentine.co
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TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Episode Preview
(01:07) Antonio as Dennis Rodman
(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?
(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?
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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
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X / TWITTER:
@noahpinion (Noah)
@dwr (Dan)
@eriktorenberg (Erik)
@moz_podcast

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This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at erik@turpentine.co.