Affordability is on every candidate’s lips. I’m more interested in which policies they’re willing to change.
California’s Legislative Analyst’s Office has identified barriers to homebuilding as a major contributor to high housing costs. We have spent years making homes difficult to build, then wondering why they’re difficult to afford.
Carbajal supports buyer assistance and construction incentives. But I favor Bob Smith’s emphasis on expanding housing supply and examining additional land for development. I want more attention to what prevents homes from being built in the first place.
Protecting the coast matters. So does allowing the people who work here to build a life here.
The view is magnificent. The monthly payments are less photogenic.
What good is an environmental utopian dream if no one can afford to sustain it?
Nick Koonce
Santa Barbara