Legislative lab rats

Zocalo Public Square commentator Joe Mathews has a modest proposal for our elected representatives in Sacramento: "why not experience first-hand the reality that so many Californians are living because of the housing crunch?" Mathews imagines lawmakers enduring daily commutes on clogged freeways, or navigating the bureaucratic morass that comes with trying to build a granny flat in their backyard. Heck, maybe lawmakers could even shack up with their parents for a while.This wouldn't be intended as punishment, Mathews says, but instead an opportunity to give them a clearer understanding of the problem.