Los Angeles | In-Person

Are Housing Prices Destroying the California Dream?

Photo courtesy of Pixabay.

A Zócalo/AARP Event
Moderated by Dave Lesher, CEO and editor of CALMatters

Housing never has been more valuable than it is in today’s California—the average Golden State home is worth nearly a half-million dollars, more than two-and-a-half times the national average. Such prices reflect the enduring appeal of California as a place to live, and rising home values have helped millions of California homeowners to build the wealth they need to pay for their children’s education and their own retirement. But what are the hidden costs of this over-the-top home equity to California, its economy, and the aspirations of longtime residents as well as newcomers? What kind of pressures do soaring housing costs place on Californians—from young families struggling to buy first homes and achieve financial security, to older working people who want to retire but fear whether they can’t afford to keep living here? How much of a factor are housing prices in the decisions of Californians to live further from their jobs or depart the state entirely? California Senate President pro Tem Kevin de León, AARP ​housing policy expert ​Rodney ​Harrell, executive director of Housing California Lisa Hershey, and dean of the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs Gary Segura visit Zócalo to examine how our state’s housing market boom both enables and endangers the California dream of independence, the good life, and having a home of one’s own.

LOCATION:
National Center for the Preservation of Democracy
111 N. Central Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90012
Paid parking is available at the Little Tokyo Mall Public Parking Lot (318 E. First St.) Enter from San Pedro Street. Additional paid parking is available at the Japanese Village Plaza Parking Lot (356 E First St.) and the Office Depot Plaza Parking Lot (401 Alameda St).

The Takeaway

California’s Housing Crisis Is a Nasty Intersection of the State’s Worst Problems

Behind High Rents and Ballooning Mortgages Are Challenges Ranging from Homelessness and Transportation to Taxation and the Environment

California’s sky-high housing prices haven’t just made it hard to find and afford a place to live. They’ve put pressures on the economy, the environment, transportation, and health that threaten …