State Assemblyman Juan Alanis will be hosting a town hall meeting in Ceres on Tuesday evening, July 9 to discuss the lack of affordability living in the Central Valley.

The event is open to the public and will be held at 6 p.m. in the Ceres Community Center, 2701 Fourth Street.

Ceres City Councilwoman Rosalinda Vierra said the meeting was the result of a discussion she had with Alanis in April about home affordability.

The high cost of living in California is especially felt in the Valley where wages are lower than the rest of the state.

Housing costs have reached unaffordable levels for many residents because of short supply. In fact, California only produces between 70,000 and 110,000 housing units each year, far below what is needed. Some experts say California is 3 million to 4 million housing units short right now. The median home price in California is over $800,000, more than double the national average. Renters face similar challenges, with median rents for a two-bedroom apartment exceeding $3,000 monthly in many urban areas.

More than a quarter of renters in California have high-cost burdens, spending more than half of their income on housing, while over half of renters pay more than 30% of their earnings on housing, according to the California Budget and Policy Center). 

Vierra said affordability is a tricky issue as inflation is driving up the cost of everything. She said the city may be looking at increasing utility rates in the near future.

She said she is trying to get developers to build apartment units to help deal with higher rents.

For more information on the meeting: (as it develops) visit https://facebook.com/events/s/affordability-townhall-with-as/312573551917700/?mibextid=Gg3lNB