Opinion: California’s housing crisis deepens
By Dan Walters, Sacramento Bee
Three dry statistical reports issued simultaneously last week reveal the stark dimensions of California’s deepening housing crisis.
Dan Walters
A Census Bureau report says that in 2015, California saw 98,188 permits for new units, up from 83,657 in 2014.
A deeper data dive reveals that during the 11-year period from 2005 to 2015, local governments issued permits for just under 1 million units, but there were wide variations during the period.
In 2005, at the height of the housing boom, California saw 205,000 housing permits issued, but as the bubble burst activity dropped to as low as 35,000 in 2009 before beginning a slow rise.
