Even with two working parents, even with solid careers, even with years of saving — families are being priced out of the communities they grew up in. Young people are delaying marriage, delaying children, or leaving California altogether. Seniors are being forced to sell homes they planned to retire in. Middle-class families are being squeezed from every direction.
And let’s be honest: this didn’t “just happen.”
Years of failed housing policy, excessive regulations, endless fees, frivolous lawsuits, and politicians more focused on headlines than solutions have created this mess. We’ve made it harder, slower, and more expensive to build homes — and then act surprised when prices skyrocket.
If we want Southern California — and all of California — to remain a place where families can build a future, we must change course.
That means cutting red tape that drives up costs.
It means protecting homeownership from Wall Street speculation.
It means prioritizing policies that help working families compete — not pushing them out.
Housing affordability is not a talking point. It’s a family issue. A workforce issue. A generational issue.
And it’s time Congress starts treating it like the crisis it is.
