By Antonio Ray Harvey, California Black Media<\/p>\n
Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland), the keynote speaker at \u201cA Conference on Housing\u201d in Sacramento on Feb. 24, says solving California\u2019s housing crisis at all levels \u2014 and providing affordable, environmentally responsible homes for low-income families and communities of color \u2014 can go hand in hand.<\/p>\n
Wicks, widely recognized as a leading legislative champion for housing production and affordability, delivered her remarks at the one-day event organized by Capitol Weekly and the University of California Student and Policy Center.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we can do so in a way that still respects our environmental values,\u201d Wicks said in her keynote remarks.<\/p>\n
The conference explored solutions focused on increasing supply, improving financing, and addressing labor shortages to make housing more affordable and accessible. It included policy experts, industry representatives, academic researchers, and state lawmakers with deep knowledge of California\u2019s housing crisis.<\/p>\n
The event comes amid ongoing legislative efforts to tackle California\u2019s housing shortage, which disproportionately impacts low-income Asian, Black, and Latino households.<\/p>\n
Wicks told California Black Media (CBM) that there is \u201cnot a single bullet to solve the housing crisis,\u201d but the solutions require building for all income levels, including affordable housing for low-income residents and middle-income, market-rate housing for professionals.<\/p>\n
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Asm. Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland), right, delivered the keynote address at Capitol Weekly\u2019s \u201cA Conference on Housing\u201d on Feb. 24 in Sacramento. Wicks emphasized the importance of building housing for low- and middle-income residents and advancing equity in housing solutions. At left is Rich Ehisen, editor-in-chief of Capitol Weekly, a nonpartisan publication focused on California politics. Credit: CBM photo by Antonio Ray Harvey.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we fundamentally need 2.5 million homes,\u201d Wicks told CBM. \u201cWe need low-income subsidized, we need the missing middle, the market rate, we need multi-family, single-family, and workforce housing. We need the all-above strategy. We need to be creative around that approach.\u201d<\/p>\n