As CHC members well know, the legislative session that began with a roar on housing – a call for $1.3 billion to restore investment in crucial affordable home programs – ended with a whimper a short time later. Legislators failed to take up Governor Jerry Brown’s “by-right” proposal in bill form, allowing the $400 million set-aside in the budget for affordable housing investment to evaporate. A new Census report this week illustrates the human cost of delay in tackling the affordability crisis – soaring poverty rates attributable to housing costs (see our “In Case You Missed It” section below).
From the leaders and companies who build quality homes and improve communities to the struggling Californians counting on us to succeed, it’s clear we can’t wait for action from the State Capitol – we must create it. That’s why CHC is working collaboratively on efforts like the influential California Economic Summit, where we are a leading voice shaping an ambitious agenda to create one million more homes for Californians. The Summit convenes top housing officials from the Administration and the Legislature alongside the state’s most influential business and civic groups to develop transformative policy ideas and break the political logjam that has left Californians stranded in crowded homes, living in their cars, or giving up food and medicine to pay the rent.
As co-leader of the Summit’s Housing Action Team, I invite CHC members to shape this important dialogue by participating in the fifth-annual California Economic Summit on December 13-14 in Sacramento. Learn more about the event and register below. I hope to see you there.
Sincerely,
Ray Pearl
CHC Executive Director
