New Year ... Same Affordability Crisis!
New Year ... Same Affordability Crisis!
New Year ... Same Affordability Crisis! New Year ... Same Affordability Crisis!
Housing costs keep climbing. Taxes and fees keep increasing. Gas, utility bills, insurance premiums, groceries and other basic necessities remain unaffordable for working families. Meanwhile, job growth has stalled, businesses are cutting back or leaving and lawmakers continue to pile on more costs and regulations that make everyday life more expensive for everyone.
This didn’t happen by accident. It happened because state leaders made choices that ignored warning signs, dismissed real concerns and prioritized political messaging over practical solutions.
California Deserves Better in the New Year
A new year usually brings hope. In 2025, Californians hoped that life might get a little easier, that costs might come down and that state leaders would finally take meaningful action to make California affordable again. But as 2026 begins, too many Californians are facing the same reality they’ve been struggling with for years: rising prices, shrinking opportunities and politicians in Sacramento that continues to look the other way.
The fact of the matter is simple …
California’s affordability crisis is not improving. In far too many communities, it’s getting worse!
Families Are Paying the Price for Sacramento’s Policies
From Los Angeles to the Central Valley to the Bay Area, the affordability crisis impacts nearly every household. Parents who grew up in California now wonder whether their children will ever be able to live here. Seniors on fixed incomes are being squeezed by higher costs they simply cannot absorb. Young adults are working harder than ever but falling further behind.
At the same time, California’s economy is slowing. Major industries that once defined California, such as technology, entertainment, manufacturing, agriculture and processing facilities are cutting jobs or relocating operations. California’s unemployment rate is the highest in the nation. Instead of addressing the root causes, state leaders are sticking to meaningless political talking points that don’t match the reality of the people they represent.
Affordability isn’t a talking point. It’s the single most defining challenge of this day and age in California. Unless California’s elected officials take it seriously, the consequences will continue to deepen: more families leaving the state and fewer businesses investing here, leaving those who stay absorbing the extra costs and falling further behind.
It’s Time For Real Solutions … Not More Excuses!
Californians deserve a state where their hard work leads to stability, not more stress. Californians voted for leadership to focus on expanding opportunities, lowering costs and restoring the promise that made California a place people aspired to call home.
In 2026, lawmakers must materialize solutions that are rooted in common sense: smarter spending, responsible budgeting, regulatory reform and policies that support growth instead of stifling it.
A new year offers a chance for a new direction. But it won’t happen by accident or optimism alone. It will happen only if Sacramento politicians can achieve it.