Eight years ago, as he began his campaign for governor, Gavin Newsom described fixing the state’s chronic housing shortage as a moral imperative.

“This is a question of who we are,” Newsom wrote in 2017. “Housing is a fundamental human need — let’s not forget the human face behind the dire statistics.

“Housing instability can cause genuine mental and physical adversity,” he added, “and lead to insufferable decisions: no one should have to choose between paying rent or buying groceries. Knowing that too many Californians face this kind of anxiety breaks my heart.”

Newsom pledged that as governor he would lead the effort to develop 3.5 million new housing units by 2025, “because our solutions must be as bold as the problem is big.

“I realize building 3.5 million new housing units is an a

See Full Page