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In this wide-ranging conversation, Scott Wiener traces his journey from a childhood shaped by building community from scratch to becoming one of the country’s most influential pro-housing lawmakers. He walks through the moment the housing crisis “clicked” for him—defending tenants facing eviction, watching even compliant projects get buried in process, and realizing that scarcity isn’t accidental—it’s policy. Tune in to hear Scott and YIMBY Law's Sonja Trauss discuss how political courage actually develops: from lived experience, data, and the quiet realization that the loudest voices aren’t always the majority.
The conversation also dives into the politics of governing in the real world, from delivering constituent services that build trust, to navigating backlash across issues like housing and foreign policy. Wiener lays out an ambitious federal housing vision: massive investment, faster permitting, and aligning incentives so cities actually build. He makes the YIMBY case clear: if we want affordability, stability, and equity, we have to build more homes, faster.
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