A couple months ago, California legislators shut down an attempt to make housing more affordable in the state. Now they’re moving forward with an alternative measure, but there’s a major problem — it probably won’t do anything.
California suffers from a severe shortage of affordable housing. The state ranks 49th in the nation in housing density, a measure of housing units per person. That lack of supply has real consequences — according to Zillow, the median home price in California is more than double the national average. Renters have suffered too, as at least 30 percent of residents in every single metropolitan area (comprising 98 percent of the state population) cannot afford local rents. That number is closer to 60 percent in some areas.
