Santa Cruz Sentinel: Mark Beach: SB 2 is an important step forward

It’s no secret that California is facing a housing affordability crisis that’s getting worse by the day. Every year, our state falls another 100,000 homes short of what’s needed to keep up with demand and stabilize the cost of housing. According to the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC), 31 percent of mortgaged homeowners and 46 percent of renters spend more than 35 percent of their income on housing — compared with 22 percent and 41 percent, respectively, nationwide. And while California’s 38 million residents represent 12 percent of the nation’s population overall, our state’s eight million homeless residents make up 22 percent of the nation’s homeless. While the cost of housing is especially high in Los Angeles and the Bay Area, this is an issue faced by the vast majority of Californians, causing many to consider leaving the state altogether when they retire.