As I look out the window of my California Housing Finance Agency office in downtown Sacramento at 5 p.m. on a Wednesday, I see a lot of cars. Filled with public employees, teachers, nurses and construction workers, the cars aren’t going to nearby homes. They are lining up to jump on the freeway and drive to the distant homes their drivers can afford. These are middle-income, working families who can’t find housing in the region’s most important job center. And this isn’t just a Sacramento problem, it’s a California problem. While it’s no secret that our state is in a housing crisis, what isn’t as widely known is that the crisis is affecting people with good, stable jobs. Even those making 120 percent of their area’s median income – $91,000 for a family of four in Sacramento and $77,750 in Los Angeles – are having trouble finding an affordable place to live.
Categories:SacBee