"incapable of even a modicum of good governance"? really? You can't point to a single way in which these local communities govern better than the State of California? Thats laughable - at best.

Perhaps you should re-read the article, where it shows that >90% of the local communities failed to create zoning plans that comply with state law. That's their fault - they had literally years to prepare, for a >30 year old law, and failed. The latest events are the consequences of their own ineptitude. They thought they could just get away with not zoning for new construction of any significance, which is basically a protection racket.