Families Are Being Squeezed From Every Direction

Media
Dec 1
3 min read

I want to speak honestly with you about where we are right now as a country, because the numbers coming out this week should concern every family in Southern California.

Across the nation, we’re watching economic warning signs stack up in a way we haven’t seen in decades. Mass layoffs are surging. In fact, job cuts in just the first nine months of this year have already surpassed the full-year total for every year since 2009, outside of the first pandemic year. Last month alone saw the worst October for layoffs in 22 years. That’s not a slowdown — that’s a flashing red light. When hundreds of thousands of workers lose their jobs, families lose stability, savings disappear, and communities feel the impact.

At the same time, homeownership — the foundation of the American Dream — is slipping further out of reach. The median age of a first-time homebuyer in America just hit 40 years old. That’s the oldest age ever recorded. A generation is being pushed further and further back from building wealth, buying a home, and putting down roots. In a place like San Diego County, where housing costs have skyrocketed, the dream of owning a home isn’t just delayed — it’s drifting out of sight for many young families.

And renting isn’t providing relief. Mortgage payments now consume over 30% of a typical buyer’s income, a historic high. Rent-to-income ratios are the worst they’ve been since 1980. When people are spending a third of their paychecks just to keep a roof over their heads, how do they save for a future? How do they get ahead?

Insurance costs are making everything worse. The data shows that since 2019, home insurance premiums have risen far faster than homeowner income. Here in San Diego, incomes grew about 24%, but insurance costs jumped nearly 50%. Families are being hit with higher bills they simply can’t absorb. This is happening while wages stagnate, layoffs mount, and the cost of everyday essentials — electricity, gas, groceries — continues to climb.

This didn’t happen by accident. It’s the result of years of reckless economic decisions, misplaced priorities, and a Congress that has completely lost touch with how real people live. For seven years, our current Congressman has had every opportunity to address the growing affordability crisis, and he hasn’t. Washington is full of people who talk about helping the middle class while voting for policies that make life harder for working families.

I’m running for Congress because we cannot continue down this path. Families in San Diego need someone who understands what they’re going through and is willing to take action — not just make speeches. We need to get our economy under control, lower the cost of living, and finally put homeownership back within reach. We need policies that strengthen our job base instead of hollowing it out. And we need a government that stops punishing families for simply trying to get ahead.

People are working harder than ever, but falling further behind. That should never be the American way. It’s time for change — real change — and I’m ready to fight for it.