Right now in California we have a homeless epidemic that reaches beyond the traditional losers, junkies, drunks and the mentally ill. Now people with two or more jobs live on the streets and in growing numbers. When that demographic gets big enough we'll see a violent communist revolution. And don't say it can't happen because communism failed. People increasingly don't remember that. Leastways not the ones living on the street.
So is the answer to keep doing what California is doing or is it to learn from California, Seattle, and Oregon and maybe consider that those highly taxed very liberal states might be doing something wrong?
It's unfortunately really hard to say, because the whole issue is incredibly complicated.
You cannot separate the highly taxed liberalism from the intensely expensive cost of housing, "no growth" attitudes, etc.
People with money come here, because they like it or work here. People with money (workers in the Bay Area, retirees, etc.) buy property.
More people come here. Rents go up. The renters are pissed because it's $3000/month for 2 bedrooms. But that is, in fact, less money per month than buying the same place.
More people means higher rents. Pulling homes off market for AirBNB means higher rents. You could build more apartments - but that means more people, less parking, more traffic, and more strain on an already suffering infrastructure.
And as was mentioned before - it's so complicated because a fair number of the homeless are actually employed, but priced out.
Gosh I wish I had a solution to it, but I don't. I hate the traffic, I hate the congestion, I hate seeing the homeless (including the ones who just drift into town because "why not"). It's not going to be easy, that's for sure.