In Part 2 of this conversation on The Greatness Machine, host Darius Mirshahzadeh sits down again with real estate developer and former mortgage industry executive Jon Irvine to dive deep into America’s housing affordability crisis and the groundbreaking California legislation that could reshape how homes are built across the country. Jon shares a pivotal personal moment, selling a modest 2,000 sq ft Beverly Grove home for $3.35 million, that crystallized why younger generations are being priced out of homeownership. From there, the conversation explores California Senate Bill 1123 (SB 1123), a transformative zoning law that could allow developers to build up to 10 homes where only one previously stood, at price points 30–50% below comparable market properties. The episode also touches on the role of AI in streamlining permitting, the lingering impact of the LA wildfires on housing policy, and Jon’s ambitious plan to build 500–1,000 homes in the Los Angeles basin over the next three to four years.
In this episode, Darius and Jon will discuss:
- (00:00) Introduction and Recap of Part One
- (02:53) The Future of Housing and Home Ownership
- (05:47) Transitioning from Lending to Development
- (08:12) The Challenges of Affordability in Housing
- (11:16) California’s New Housing Law: SB 1123
- (13:50) Understanding the Housing Shortage Crisis
- (16:50) The Transformative Impact of SB 1123
- (19:37) Navigating the Development Process
- (22:00) The Realities of Building in California
- (25:21) Challenges in Real Estate Development
- (29:43) Streamlining the Entitlement Process
- (32:29) The Impact of SB 1123 on Development
- (36:59) Addressing California’s Housing Shortage
- (42:30) Creating Affordable Housing Solutions
Meet Jon:
Jon Irvine is the Founder and CEO of Westcove Development, a Southern California real estate development firm specializing in design-forward, small-lot single family homes in high-demand, supply-constrained markets. Drawing on California’s evolving housing legislation — including SB 1123 — Westcove manages the full development lifecycle from acquisition and entitlement through construction and sale. Jon brings nearly three decades of senior executive experience in residential finance, having held leadership roles at Change Lending, Banc of California, OneWest Bank (under CEO Steven Mnuchin), and Mr. Cooper/Nationstar, where he led initiatives across capital markets, production, and strategic growth. Through Westcove, he channels deep institutional finance expertise into scalable residential development built to meet California’s urgent housing needs.
Meet Darius:
Darius is your host of The Greatness Machine. Darius is a mad scientist, high-growth CEO, serial entrepreneur, author, conscious capitalist, speaker, and entertainer. Darius is on a quest to create 1,000,000 Core Value Driven Organization by 2030. He is calling this “The Core Value Revolution.” Darius is an alumni of the Birthing of Giants Entrepreneurial Program at MIT and Stagen Integral Leadership Program. Darius’s accolades include being ranked #9 Top Rated CEO in America on Glassdoor, has won numerous Stevie Awards, and has founded and grown organizations that have been ranked #40 in the Inc. 500 and were ranked #3 Best Places to Work By the San Francisco Business Time. He is all about the P’s: Passion, Pizza, Puzzles, and, especially, Pink Unicorns. His book, The Core Value Equation, is an Amazon #1 Best Seller and is available at www.thecorevalueequation.com.
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