On the list of topics critical to California’s future, the cost of housing beats almost everything. High housing costs provide the main reason people leave the state. Costs limit economic growth by reducing the number of workers able to take jobs. They’re a prime factor behind the insanely long commutes so many Californians endure, as people search for affordable housing far from employment centers. High costs also drive the homelessness crisis.
Last year, the governor focused on rebuilding the state’s dysfunctional mental health system and pushing a bond measure, which voters narrowly approved in March, that will fund construction of facilities with 10,000 new treatment beds. The way elected officials have focused the debate on the plight of the homeless is understandable, given the crisis the state has faced, but it’s left a lot of voters with a limited conception of the role public policy plays in the housing market.