SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - Kathy Kreiss is 65 years old, lost her job as a hairdresser due to the pandemic and is now living out of a van.
“It’s been really rough because we got just so much money to last and we’re trying to save money to get into a house. It’s just been really rough. Yeah, basically just trying to figure out where to cook and everything, wash your face,” Kreiss said.
It’s no secret: America’s Finest City is also very costly.
Real estate company Zumper ranks San Diego the eight most expensive rental market with a 2-bedroom apartment costing a little more than $3,000 a month.
“The rent is way higher than what we can afford and what the wages are,” Kreiss said.
Food in general in the U.S. is costly, too.
The most recent U.S. Department of Agriculture food plan shows it costs a family of four with two kids between six and eight years old is $1,023 per month on its low-cost plan.
“If we’re going to make smart policy that’s aimed to help people, we need to start with the data,” California State Sen. Steve Padilla, of District 18, said.
Padilla’s filed a bill that would require the state to create a formula to codify what a living wage is county by county in California.
“We need to get that data analyzed. We need to know what that truly looks like with a specific link to housing. And we need to have that thing reported out annually and put in the lap of the legislature,” Padilla said.
Padilla said having this data that’s specific to California and the housing market could allow the legislature to get creative to help out those who are struggling with the rising cost of living here.
“Maybe about the programs we have in the social safety net. Maybe about pilot programs with large scale employers who are willing to adopt a better standard for their entire workforce and put more of their employees into housing,” Padilla said.
Until then, Kreiss said knowing how much a true living wage is would be a big help.
“If we’re struggling, what’s going to happen to our kids? What about our grandkids? I really think about the environment and what’s going on right and we could use help from the government,” Kreiss said.
Padilla said this bill is waiting to find out which committee will review it.
