Pacific breeze and beaches be damned: Californians say the high cost of housing has them thinking about an exit strategy.
Around half of registered voters said they have considered leaving the state, with the most common reason cited is the high cost of housing, according to a University of California Berkeley poll, conducted for the Los Angeles Times.
The housing crunch is real across the state and is especially acute in Los Angeles, where the average sale price of a home continues to creep upward, setting a new record practically every month.
Young voters responding to the poll were more likely than other age groups to say that high housing costs made them consider a move out of state. They’re also the most likely to actually pull the trigger and leave, according to the Times.
Renters in L.A. are also feeling the heat. Rents continue to rise in the metro area, although growth has slowed considerably over the last year.
L.A. County is short more than half a million units considered affordable to renters in federally defined “low-income” brackets. More than 58 percent of those households spend more than 30 percent of their income on rent.
The state has responded with legislation to cap annual rent increases statewide in the form of AB 1482, which is awaiting Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature. Developers disagree. They argue that lawmakers must make it cheaper to build in order to allow them to construct enough affordable units. Last month, the state released a study that backed that up and suggested local lawmakers cut down on construction fees to spur development. [LAT] — Dennis Lynch