Episode 33: How to solve the housing crisis | Scott Epstein

The Nick Halaris Show

This week on The Nick Halaris Show we are featuring civic activist Scott Epstein. Scott is the Director of Policy and Research for Abundant Housing LA, an innovative pro-housing advocacy group making waves here in California, a former candidate for city council here in Los Angeles, and a lifelong social justice and housing activist.

I wanted to have Scott on the show to learn about what he’s seeing on the front lines in the fight against NIMBY forces, explore his vision for how we might fix our broken housing market, and highlight the important work he and his colleagues at Abundant Housing LA are doing. Scott is someone who has literally dedicated his life to causes like housing affordability, climate change, and the fight against poverty, so I had a feeling this would make for a rich conversation and it did not disappoint.
In this informative, engaging, and inspiring episode, we discuss:

- Why the NIMBY’s are winning without actually representing the true will of the majority

- Abundant Housing LA’s innovative 3-part strategy—policy, community organizing, & politics—and how it’s working in the fight for more housing

- Why Scott’s 3 big ideas—zoning reform, by-right development, and getting rid of parking and the double staircase requirement—could go a long way in solving the housing crisis

- Scott’s experience with grass roots political activism in LA’s Neighborhood Council System

- What it’s like to run for city council in a place like Los Angeles

&

- Much, much more

Scott also shares how growing-up in a household of social justice advocates informed his mindset and career choices and why wanting to make LA a cooler place led him down the road of civic activism and public service. He also recounts how his own experience as a victim of the housing affordability crisis—i.e. living in a slum—motivates and animates all the work he does today.