Guest:
Joel Kotkin, Chapman University Professor
Guest Bio:
Joel Kotkin is a renowned urban studies scholar, author, and fellow in urban futures at Chapman University. His work has appeared in Forbes, The Daily Telegraph, City Journal, and more. A longtime Californian, Kotkin has spent decades analyzing demographic trends, class shifts, and political transformations shaping the Golden State. His recent commentary focuses on the decline of middle-class opportunity, rising costs of living, and the unintended consequences of progressive policy.
Show Summary
What happened to the California Dream? In this powerful conversation, Joel Kotkin joins Jon Slavet to unpack the root causes of California’s middle-class crisis. From skyrocketing housing costs and regressive climate policies to the rise of oligarchic politics and the exodus of working families, Kotkin makes a compelling case for how the state lost its promise — and what it will take to restore it.
He also calls out how the YIMBY movement, climate dogma, and one-party rule are shaping a state that serves the ultra-wealthy and subsidized poor — while leaving the middle class behind. If you care about California’s future, this is essential watching.
Chapters
00:00 – California's Middle-Class Collapse
01:10 – Kotkin on Coming to California in the 1970s
03:00 – Climate Policy: Idealism or Ideology?
05:00 – Who Really Pays for Green Mandates
06:30 – Why Reform Feels Impossible
08:00 – Billionaire Tax and Class Warfare
09:30 – Government Growth and Wealth Redistribution
11:00 – Why the Rich Get Richer in California
13:00 – California's Startup Problem
15:00 – Why the Middle Class Can't Stay
16:00 – The YIMBY Agenda Critiqued
18:00 – King for a Day: Kotkin’s First Fix
19:30 – The Closing Thought: Potential vs. Ruin
Connect with Joel Kotkin
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