Lowering Housing Costs

California is in the grips of a decades-long housing crisis. My own kids, who are teenagers and college-age, have told me they worry they will never be able to afford to live in their home state of California because of the high cost of housing. We face a generation of Californians in their 20s, 30s, and even 40s who are forced to defer starting a family and owning a home because the cost is just too high. Critical workers – like teachers, nurses, firefighters, and police officers – are forced to commute hours each day because they cannot afford to live in the communities they work. And more than 150,000 Californians are living unhoused on our streets and sidewalks. 

Time is money in housing, and I have a plan to speed up building by nearly two years, putting California on par with its peer states that also have worker and environmental protections. This will bring down the costs of apartment housing by 20%. To do so, I will enforce our housing laws to ensure prompt issue of certificates of occupancy, stop local delays that too often occur even after the projects receive a building entitlement, innovate in construction techniques, and make state investments in housing by contributing land and infrastructure investment. 

We must build build all sorts of housing for all sorts of people, including more housing for students and workers, for seniors who want to age in living communities or independently, for young and growing families, along with more affordable, income-restricted housing, and interim housing to help unhoused Californians stay sheltered and get the resources they need. As Governor, I will deliver on the housing that our economy and communities need to thrive.