Opinion | Do Liberals Really Want 'Abundance'?

Prop. 45, supposedly championed by 'abundance' progressives, is being gutted by the same unions and climate lobby that fund their campaigns.
The ballot measure would fast-track permits for housing and green infrastructure—too logical for Sacramento's donor class to stomach.
California Democrats are proving 'abundance' is just a buzzword they wave at donors, not a policy they'd actually sign.
Polling suggests the measure's fate hinges on whether voters realize their 'progressive' leaders are lying about wanting more housing.

Brief Summary

The left's shiny new mantra—'abundance'—is getting its Darwin Award moment in California, where Prop. 45 promises to slice through the state's legendary permitting red tape for housing and green projects. But here's the punchline: the very coalitions that coo about 'building more' are now bankrolling attack ads against it, because speed hurts their petty fiefdoms. Unions want prevailing-wage carve-outs; climate hawks want to micromanage every solar panel's carbon footprint. So the 'abundance' crowd is essentially telling voters: 'We love new things, just not if we can't extract a pound of flesh first.'

Why This Matters

For anyone who's ever waited three years to renovate a bathroom, this is your front-row seat to watching ideologues eat their own slogan. If Prop. 45 fails, it telegraphs that 'abundance' is a lifestyle brand, not a governing philosophy—meaning your rent stays high while politicians preen about 'systemic change.' But if it squeaks through, we might actually see California accidentally build something before 2050, which would be the political equivalent of a pig flying through a stained-glass window. Either way, your ballot is the only therapy session these politicians will admit they need.