With home prices and rents continuing to rise throughout California, the state faces an increasing need for more affordable housing. The legislature has mandated that communities construct more housing, and Santa Barbara struggles to meet its designated goal. In places like the Coachella Valley with severe shortages of affordable rentals, too many residents spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing. Many of the people who work there can barely afford to live there. In Santa Barbara’s exorbitantly expensive housing market, key people like teachers, law enforcement, emergency responders, nurses and college professors often live outside of the city and face long commutes. 1 Column Content Background Color White Ali...