Who will lead California out of the housing crisis?
That is among the questions being put before six gubernatorial candidates next week at a session CHC is co-hosting at the Housing California conference in Sacramento. This is a significant opportunity for the affordable housing community , and all of California, as we look to elect our next state leader. A governor who truly understands the depth of the housing crisis and prioritizes it early in his or her campaign will set the stage for how funding, policy and program decisions are made to build affordable homes and address homelessness for years to come.
Candidates Travis Allen, John Chiang, John Cox, Delaine Eastin, Gavin Newsom and Antonio Villaraigosa will speak one-on-one on March 8 with Sacramento Bee reporter Angela Hart, the Capitol newspaper’s leading housing reporter. She has interviewed CHC for many of her stories over the past few years.
With our Veterans and Affordable Housing Bond Act sharing the November ballot with the top-two competitors in the gubernatorial race, we want to seize this session next week to not only ask candidates’ plans for tackling the affordable housing crisis but also if they will support our bond to build affordable homes.
While recent polling shows California voters strongly support our bond to bring relief to veterans, struggling families and people experiencing homelessness, there are many issues weighing on voters’ minds such as education, jobs and the economy and the state’s water supply. This means we can’t take any vote or opportunities for endorsements for granted.
Whether you’ll be attending the conference and gubernatorial session next week or not, I hope you’re eager to hear from the candidates and how they will prioritize affordable housing over the next four to eight years. And also remember that we all have a role to play in leading California out of the housing crisis, including engaging in our bond campaign work now.
Sincerely,
Ray Pearl
CHC Executive Director
