"Last year's presidential election underscored, particularly to Democrats, that the costs of living were a major factor in the outcome. Inflation had increased sharply during Joe Biden's presidency, and voters' angst about rising prices worked against Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign to succeed him in the White House. Not surprisingly, therefore, when the California Legislature opened its 2025 session, its dominant Democrats declared that they would focus on taming the state's notoriously high costs for housing, fuel, utilities and other necessities of modern life."
"The situation is even gloomier in a report last month from the Public Policy Institute of California and the Stanford Center on Poverty and Inequality. Using methodology similar to that of the Census Bureau, they calculate that 16.9% of Californians were poverty-stricken in 2023 and another 17.9% were near-poor. That translates into 13.2 million Californians struggling to put roofs over their heads, food on the tables, fuel in their cars and electric power in their appliances and light fixtures."
California's supplemental poverty rate is 17.7%, tied with Louisiana and about 5 percentage points above the national rate, reflecting nearly 7 million impoverished residents. The three-year Census calculation rose 2.3 percentage points from the prior period, indicating living costs rising relative to incomes. A PPIC and Stanford analysis estimates 16.9% in poverty and 17.9% near-poor in 2023, totaling 13.2 million Californians facing basic needs shortfalls. Los Angeles County records the highest county rate at 19.9%, the Central Coast is at 19.3%, and Sacramento the lowest at 13%. State Democrats prioritized curbing costs for housing, fuel, and utilities.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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