California lawmakers have been the most active on creating housing policy in their respective chambers of Congress this year. Apartment List has drafted a list of the top 25 most active lawmakers on housing policy, and Maxine Waters, Barbara Lee, Edward Royce, Nanette Barragan, Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris all made the list. In total, 83 housing-related bills introduced in the House of Representatives during the 115th Congress and the 32 bills introduced in the Senate.

“California is one of the least affordable states to live in the country, and it has also been one of the nation's leaders in proposing progressive policy—a likely driving force to having four representatives and both senators ranked in the top 25 of their respective chambers for action taken on housing policy,” Pete Haviland-Eduah, a policy analyst at Apartment List, tells GlobeSt.com. “Our research revealed that 46 out of 53 congressional districts in California have a higher percentage of severely cost-burdened renters than the average congressional district across the country. Additionally, 31 out of 53 Congressional Districts in California have members that serve in an underrepresented minority caucus in Congress. We found these measures to be strong indicators of those likely to create or support housing legislation at the federal level.”

Because the State is so burdened by affordability issues, it is no surprise that lawmakers are proposing solutions at the federal level. “These numbers show us that federal lawmakers in California are taking the concerns of constituents seriously,” adds Haviland-Eduah. “They have demonstrated that they are at work in Washington as well as throughout the state seeking solutions to solve one of California's most pressing issues.”

California isn't the only state suffering from affordability issues. The same report from Apartment List shows that 14% of all American households identify as being cost-burdened and spend 50% or more of their income on rent. That number out paces the current poverty rate of 12.7%, according to the report. While many Americans are suffering from household affordability issues, none of the 115 bills proposed have made it through the legislator. “For so many reasons, it's hard to pass bills in Congress and that's been especially true at historic levels for the 115th Congress,” says Haviland-Eduah. “This Congress has had to make adjustments between two administrations with very different priorities and agendas coming from the Executive Branch. That can make advocating for policies that may not grab headlines more challenging as well as dealing with the tumult that can come with a change in administrations.”

Among the legislation, Senator Kamala Harris proposed The Rent Relief Act, which would help Americans struggling to pay rent. Haviland-Eduah calls this one of the most “promising” among the proposed legislation. “It's a signal that lawmakers recognize the segment of those that are renting their home is growing and advocating for policies that support this demographic is an important component to ensuring all Americans can have a place to call home,” he adds.

While California lawmakers are working at the local level to combat the housing affordability crisis, lawmakers are also working locally to create housing policy as well. “This study focused on lawmakers at the federal level but without question, housing policy has been making waves in Sacramento too,” Haviland-Eduah says. “This highlights that lawmakers across levels who represent the people of California know that housing and its affordability is one of the most pressing issues in the state. This acknowledgement can have significant impacts on the legislative agendas and future elections in California whether the officials are serving in Washington, Sacramento, or local government across the state.”

Instant Insights /

California Leading on Housing Policy Initiatives

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