Poll: On Housing, Californians Want What the Legislature Won't Give

Liam Dillon shares the results of a recent survey from the non-partisian Public Policy Institute of California about the preferences of the California public when it comes to dealing with the state's ongoing housing crisis.

"A strong majority of Californians want the state to force local governments to allow apartments in single-family-home neighborhoods near transit and jobs, according to a new statewide poll," according to Dillon's summary of the survey's findings.

"The survey from the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California released Wednesday found that 62% of adults surveyed were in favor of requiring cities and counties to permit apartment construction in communities that now comprise only single-family homes if they’re near rail stations or clusters of jobs," adds Dillon for more specificity.

The favorable performance for ideas similar to those proposed by the recently failed SB 50 raises the question is how the State Legislature's opinions and the opinions of the general public are so disconnected.

Dillon paraphrases Mark Baldassare, the institute’s president and pollster, as saying "it’s possible that lawmakers heard from those most passionately opposed to SB 50, whose views did not reflect the broader public sentiment."

In Baldassare's own words, "This particular solution, which has been very controversial in the Legislature, is not very controversial when it comes to the general public."

Additional poll results are include in the article, with numerous questions touching on other aspects of the state's ongoing housing crisis, like homelessness.