Could 'excess state properties' be turned into affordable housing? Governor Newsom is looking into it
SACRAMENTO (KGO) -- On Tuesday, California Governor Gavin Newsom sat down in a roundtable discussion with Californians struggling with astronomical rents. He talked about having just received a detailed survey of what he called "excess state properties "-- tens of thousands of parcels of land -- and he's analyzing which ones could be made available for housing.
Governor Newsom said he's looking at a land swap and development strategies as he met face to face with citizens battling the affordability crisis-- including a 27-year-old struggling with rent, a single mom, and a senior trying to live on a fixed income of $1,000 a month.
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The Governor said, "The California dream is in peril. When one-third spend over 50-percent of their paycheck on housing that puts the entire economy at risk. "
Governor Newsom went on to say, "The point is a sense of urgency, the desire to work with the legislature on the rental side and prevention side and make sure we do everything on the production side. We are 49 out of 50 in per capita housing units. We've got to quadruple our housing production on an annual basis in order to create some price equilibrium."
The Governor said he would be open to a rent, adding, "you can't build your way out of this overnight. You can't Your way out of this overnight."
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He said jobs, transportation and housing are all intertwined and have to be attacked as one.
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