COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO
BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
1600 PACIFIC HIGHWAY, ROOM 335, SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA 92101-2470
AGENDA ITEM
DATE:
September 27, 2022
22
TO:
Board of Supervisors
SUBJECT:TitleINCREASING THE REGION'S WORKFORCE HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES (DISTRICTS: ALL)
Body
OVERVIEW
As the cost of living and housing prices continue to rapidly increase in the San Diego region, many middle-class individuals and families are unable to afford adequate housing. This spring, the median price for a single-family house in San Diego County reached $950,000, an increase of 28.5% over the previous year's price. According to recent calculations, an annual household income of at least $245,000 is needed to afford a median home price in our region. In addition to real estate speculation and investor purchases of residential homes, a major factor contributing to the sharp rise in local housing costs is the inability of the San Diego region to produce enough housing stock to keep pace with demand. Market forces make the cost of non-subsidized housing unattainable for many middle-class earners, and most housing subsidies are currently focused on supporting low-income affordable housing initiatives. This has resulted in a significant gap in housing for our workforce, including our teachers, healthcare workers, public safety officers, and those employed in construction and other trades. This lack of housing production has also prevented many of those living in affordable housing units from transitioning to the next level of home ownership, causing waitlists for affordable units to grow rapidly.
The lack of middle-class housing affordability in San Diego County has pushed some of our local workforce to live in areas distant from their jobs - even in other counties, or across the U.S.-Mexico border - resulting in dramatically increased commute times, vehicle miles traveled, and greenhouse gas emissions. San Diego recently surpassed San Francisco as having the most unaffordable hous...
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