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July 29, 2024
Million New Housing Units Through Use of Developable Land Owned by California Schools
SACRAMENTO—State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond will hold a press conference on Tuesday, July 30, at 10 a.m. to launch a statewide effort to accelerate housing development by utilizing the significant amount of developable land owned by California’s local education agencies (LEAs).
Combined, California LEAs own 75,000 acres of developable land, providing the potential to create an estimated 2.3 million new housing units throughout the state. According to recent data from the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA), the housing gap in California could be addressed by creating 2.5 million new homes over the next eight-year development cycle.
“California’s housing crisis is undeniable, but it is not unsolvable,” Superintendent Thurmond said. “We know that families across our state are impacted, from the homelessness crisis facing our urban areas, to the long commute times impacting families priced out of once-affordable neighborhoods, to the staffing crisis in schools whose educators can’t afford to live where they work. I believe that California has enough resources and ingenuity to solve this, and the data shows that California’s schools have the land to make this happen. As school leaders, we can get this done for our communities and restore the California Dream.”
At Tuesday’s press conference, Superintendent Thurmond will convene local and state leaders with a track record of building successful housing efforts on land owned by California’s school districts.
Following Tuesday’s press conference, Superintendent Thurmond will convene a panel of housing experts at a Housing Summit on August 14 to identify policy recommendations that can accelerate housing development throughout the state. For information about the Housing Summit, please reach out to Jenna Anderson at [email protected].
WHO: State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond
WHEN: Tuesday, July 30, 2024, at 10 a.m.
WHERE: Media Room at CDE Headquarters, 1430 N Street, in Sacramento. Direct access to the Media Room can be found on 15th Street on the east side of the building.
CONTACT: Members of the press interested in attending must RSVP to Liz Sanders, CDE Director of Communications, at 916-268-2081 or [email protected].
All other inquiries should be directed to [email protected].
