California legislators will consider a towering stack of bills addressing the state's rising housing costs, a testament, they say, to their recognition of an emergency.
"We have a housing crisis and we need to act now," said Assemblymember David Chiu, who chairs the Assembly's housing committee.
It's unclear how many of the 130 bills will make it through the session. Past leaders such as Toni Atkins, the last speaker of the Assembly, had made housing affordability a priority, but she was unable to get key pieces of legislation passed.
Assemblymember Laura Friedman, a Glendale Democrat, acknowledged the tough road ahead for her bill, AB 1350. She said under her proposal, wealthy cities that aren't building their share of housing for lower-income residents would have to pay into an affordable housing fund.
"It’s only fair that every city takes on part of that burden to help put roofs over people’s head," Friedman said.
Friedman's bill reflects the frustration that some legislators feel watching the housing crisis worsen.
As excerpted from SPCR (audio available on page)