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Wednesday, Mar. 13, 2019 Glendale Community College Student Newspaper
Consider
Volume 113 | Issue 1
Behind California’s Housing Shortage
just one of four Los Angeles County residents make enough to purchase a median-priced home in their area, suggesting that incomes have yet to catch up with the drastic spike in housing prices witnessed over the last decade. This doesn’t only pose a threat of economic instability for buyers and renters, but also creates a societal class imbalance. It has meant a significant delay in milestone events for millennials – some of whom end up chasing out-of-state housing opportunities. A general rule advises that no more than 30 percent of one’s monthly gross income should be spent on housing. That 1969 principle stems from the advocacy of Sen. Edward Brooke who called for housing affordability. Today, however, the idea of spending less than a third on housing costs is simply unfeasible. That is certainly true for 75 percent of Angelenos, as they do not earn nearly enough to fall into those less than “one-third” parameters. “Many Americans are [seeing] a theme that involves their income and wealth being expropriated through various channels,” said Richard Kamei, sociology professor at Glendale Community College. “The low pay they receive for their work, high mortgage or rent that they pay [and] the exorbitant interest on their credit card debt,” Kamei elaborated, are stifling middle-class Americans.
a staggering fact:
Leaving La La Land
Unable to decide which California home to buy? A mid-century craftsman or a ranch-style home? For most in L.A., they can’t afford either. However, opportunities are nearly boundless across the midwest and even some parts of the east coast. During the first quarter of 2017, over 19,000 Californians moved out of state to do just this. A large chunk of these migrants settled in cities boasting relatively affordable housing conditions. Las Vegas, Dallas, Austin and Kansas City are just a few regions marked by opportunity. Statistical data suggests that even though wages in Texas are lower than in California, purchasing a home within the Lone Star State remains far more feasible than in California. According to Zillow, the median price for a single-family home in Texas is currently $277,062 — less than half of what a median priced home costs in California, when comparing just prices and not condition or size of the property. This insinuates that a $500,000 price tag can get you a semi-mansion in a San Antonio, but a two bedroom apartment in Glendale. In addition, an average Texas resident earns a yearly income of $68,000. Simple calculations would suggest that a Dallas resident adequately falls within the 30 percent payment rule.
30 percent of Angelenos with $100k salaries now rent — rather than own
esigner
ris Graphic D
s-Mor Tobias Grave
By Marian Sahakyan Editor-in-Chief To put it into perspective, an individual can probably afford to buy a house as a single entity without a need to pool resources, assuming they earn an average income in Texas.
A change in the electoral map
The sheer volume of Californians unable to find housing in their own state has led many to flee its sunny beaches and seek residential opportunities in more affordable areas in the country. As a result, the blue-state diaspora has grown in neighboring states like Colorado, Nevada and Texas — once traditionally known for their
conservative ideologies. Now, these states are shifting toward a different hue: purple. “The gains made by Democrats in Texas at the various governmental levels during the 2018 midterm elections were interesting,” emphasized Kamei. “This is definitely a positive sign for progressives. On the other hand, there are some Americans who are feeling threatened by the rapid changes occurring in their states and the country.” Ultimately, Californians who relocate to other states and cities, causing a shift in migration pattern, do indeed, appear to effect a change in local and national politics. Pot is now decriminalized in Colorado and
Nevada. Just last November, Democratic candidates like Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Ben McAdams of Utah, were elected to represent their congressional districts.
To stay and to rent
Neo, an executive member of the Glendale Tenants Union, has lived in different Los Angeles neighborhoods and cities for 25 years, and says that he has seen how the increase of new luxury apartment complexes in neighboring areas, has degraded tenantlandlord relations in more, traditional “momand-pop” style apartment buildings, all across Glendale. [Continued on page 2]
In This Issue News. . . . . . . . . . . 1- 2 Features . . . . . . . . . 3-5 Opinion.. . . . . . . . . 5-7 Sports . . . . . . . . . . 7 - 8 Entertainment. . . . . 8