By Bianca Bruno, Courthouse News
SAN DIEGO (CN) – California Treasurer and Democratic gubernatorial candidate John Chiang called on the state’s Republican congressional representatives Thursday to vote against the GOP tax plan, which he said would decimate affordable housing in the state and increase homelessness.
Chiang said California – home to a fifth of the nation’s homeless population – stands to lose two programs which have produced two-thirds of the affordable housing units built in the state.
The Tax Cut and Jobs Act proposes eliminating the Private Activity Bond Program and the 4 percent Low Income Housing Tax Credit. The programs created more than 20,000 affordable homes in California in 2016 used to house low-income residents including veterans, seniors, persons with disabilities and those experiencing homelessness.
The programs have helped “those most in need of housing and least able to obtain it on their own,” Chiang said.
“If these to critical programs are eliminated, it will throw gasoline on the statewide housing crisis that is becoming a full-blown humanitarian and public health catastrophe,” Chiang said.
If the tax plan passes, California stands to lose 300,000 affordable housing units over the next 10 years, according to Chiang.
The treasurer pointed to San Diego’s hepatitis A crisis, which has killed 20 people and sickened 544 people, as a manifestation of the shelter crisis in the state. The virus has mostly affected San Diego’s growing homeless population – which increased 14 percent this year – and is being spread by unsanitary conditions, according to the Regional Task Force on the Homeless.
California currently faces a 1.5 million housing unit deficit, a housing shortage gap which grows by 60,000 units a year. The crisis led Gov. Jerry Brown to sign an avalanche of bills this year aimed at quelling the housing crisis, including a $4 billion housing bond which will go before voters next November.
But Chiang said if the GOP tax plan passes, it would effectively “cut us off at the knees” and gut the affordable housing funding mechanisms in California. He said many of the California districts represented by Republican Congress members will be “among the greatest casualties” if the affordable housing programs are eliminated.
The 14 California congressional districts represented by Republicans have benefitted from $2 billion in affordable housing assistance that has funded 101 projects and built more than 9,400 low-income housing units, according to data Chiang released Thursday.
“This is a callous tax plan that would benefit just big corporations and the wealthy at the expense of the state’s most vulnerable citizens,” Chiang said.
Some California Republican members of Congress have already said they would not vote for the Republican tax plan, including Rep. Darrell Issa of Vista, who raised concerns about individual tax cuts hitting his constituents unevenly.
Issa’s district has benefitted from $114 million in bonds and $59 million in tax credits. The programs have built nine affordable housing projects and 612 units in Issa’s district.
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39 Comments
There is no affordable housing now.
Affordable, Housing and California…it’s April 1st?
What affordable housing? Where?
For illegals and others that want others to pay their way in life… they get it.
Ruben Andre Norte Illegals need to be deported!
KJ Slo omg shut up
CA legislators have already eviscerated the taxpayer…..no guts left
California hasn’t had affordable housing in decades. So exactly what’s being “gutted”?
Hopefully the next Bill will be Stop expanding SCV act
What affordable housing? Rent isn’t even affordable.
Or… how about this… California needs to cut taxes? California is over taxed and abuses its citizens
What affordable housing???? California and affordable anything is funny???
Melanie Schweigel they are talking about your house.
If they eliminate or reduce the mortgage interest deduction and the deduction for state taxes, it certainly makes it less affordable to own than it already is. The squeeze of the middle class continues. The socialists are the ones the don’t believe in ownership of private property. Is a Convention of States needed to save our ship?
Well guess what California, a lot more might get cut with your brilliant idea to make us a sanctuary state!
Darla, the chickens come home to roost in Calif. the Dems have squandered billions, raised taxes(new gas tax) property taxes,sales tax,etc, and now they want more from the Feds because they’re broke. They invited the illegals,the homeless and offered them free health care,housing,education and let them vote! The party’s over!! Pay up!!
Shirley E Vercelli I totally agree.
Shirley E Vercelli I totally agree!
When was the last time housing in California was “affordable”?
The only thing crippling Affordable Housing is the Democrats that have destroyed California’s economy and job markets! Allowing millions of illegals and others to drain our systems on a daily basis for voters is why they do it! Chiang is a money laundering thief !
This tax plan will push citizens (hopefully) to force CA legislators to cut SALT’s
Affordable Housing in Canyon Country is renting a Single Family Home to a “Family” of 12 with 6 cars.
The dems have been running this state for years, where is all this affordable housing that your talking about that the GOP is suppose to gut ?
I really don’t believe what any Democrat has to say. Especially one from California. How about making GAS more affordable?!?!?!?!?!
Considering how many time our tax on gas has gone up, to supposedly help infrastructures
This whole world is trash unless ur off the grid and live in the wild … f the government
Where is this imaginary affordable housing you speak of?
What the California Democrats really mean is that the GOP tax plan will work so well that many people will benefit and like it, that it will gut their wallets and lose their voting base cause people will no longer want to be dependent on government handouts.
Not sure why I’d care.
So they raise the gas tax.
That’s Democrats go-to move. Raise taxes. That’ll solve everything. How’s that worked out so far?
There is so such housing that im aware of rents are sky high and is the root of the homelessness here in L.A. county
Yet Steve Knight WILL vote for this! Hey Stevie what about us?!! You know voters….
Damn Steve Knight will be a YES vote. He’ll say “I’m carefully researching the bill and haven’t made a decision” then on vote roll he’s say YES! (Screw us in CA25). then all the right wing will say this is a good thing, we need to pay more.
This is exactly what he will do.
Home ownership will go into the history books.
I’d like to know how anybody can still afford to live in SCV. I left because it was getting too expensive and crowded
The GOP tax plan is designed to ultimately force states to abandon all forms of non-corporate financial aid.