SEC. 2.
The Legislature finds and declares the following:(a) California is experiencing a rental-housing crisis. According to analysis by the National Low Income Housing Coalition, California has only 22 affordable and available rental homes for every 100 extremely low-income households.
(b) Due in part to lack of supply, California cities have some of the highest rents in the nation. San Francisco’s rent is the most expensive in the country, averaging $3,300 per month for a one-bedroom unit, and San Jose, Oakland, Los Angeles, and Anaheim are all in the top 10 for highest rents in the nation.
(c) About 29 percent of
California renters spend more than one-half of their income on rent, which can make it difficult for families to afford basic items like food, clothing, transportation, and health care. In 2015, more than 4 in 10 households had housing costs that exceeded 30 percent of household income.
(d) The housing crisis harms families across California and has resulted in higher levels of homelessness or displacement of previously housed individuals and families. One-quarter of the nation’s homeless population, and one-half of the nation’s unsheltered homeless, now live in California.
(e) Providing financial assistance to keep residents from being evicted will prevent evictions and potentially break the cycle of poverty.