CREATE MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING & STRENGTHEN OUR INFRASTRUCTURE
I’m a housing expert. I spent nearly two decades building and creating homes for middle-class families and in the Sacramento area. I know the answer to California’s housing crisis is building more affordable homes for California families. Being able to afford a home matters to all families. Also, it is essential for every healthy community that first responders, police officers, firefighters, public school teachers and health care workers are able to live near the places where they work.
A recent study found that the high cost of housing is driving California’s #1 poverty ranking, and the California Budget and Policy Center cites high rents for keeping 1 in 5 members of our population in poverty. There are countless studies and reports showing what we all can feel – California has a housing crisis.
Communities still haven’t recovered from the 2008 economic recession. Homelessness is on the rise. Middle-class Californians are being pushed out of cities where they grew up. And many families are sacrificing more so they can stay in their homes or keep up with rising rent.
As Lt. Governor, creating more affordable housing and strengthening our state’s infrastructure will be a priority. We need to continue to invest in our roads, highways, bridges, transit hubs and waterways. Building more affordable homes – and investing in the infrastructure that supports them- creates good-paying jobs and stimulates our economy.