The wildfires sweeping through Los Angeles County communities have destroyed at least 10,000 homes so far and more are in the path of still-uncontrolled flames.
Obviously the loss of so many dwellings, whether they be single-family homes or apartments, exacerbates what was already one of the nation’s most acute shortages of housing — a crisis that has worsened despite strenuous efforts by Gov. Gavin Newsom and legislators to make construction of new housing easier by removing local barriers.
State officials say California should be building 180,000 units of housing each year, but the trend is going the other way…