Uploaded August 2023 | Updated September 2026, 21 hours ago

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Noah Smith guests on Moment of Zen, talking to Dan Romero and his Econ 102 co-host Erik Torenberg about housing, land use, Japan, politics, and policing in California. Subscribe to listen to @MomentofZenPodcast a weekly show about tech, business, and culture on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts: link.chtbl.com/moz

We're looking for sponsors to partner with us on our show! If you or your business might be interested, contact us at erik@turpentine.co or through our website turpentine.co

TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Episode Preview
(01:30) The left and right version of “it’s time to build” i.e. Ezra Klein vs Marc Andreessen
(03:50) 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?

LINKS:
Noah's Substack https://www.noahpinion.blog/
Book Recommendation on Prop 13: Golden Gates amazon.com/Golden-Gates-Fighting-Housing-America/dp/0525560211

X / TWITTER:
@noahpinion (Noah)
@dwr (Dan)
@eriktorenberg (Erik)
@moz_podcast