Of all the candidates, Chiang is calling for the most government spending on housing. He has a goal of the state helping to finance 1.6 million homes for low- and moderate-income Californians from 2019 to 2030. Among the big-ticket items he's pitching: a future $9-billion bond measure to subsidize new low-income construction, property tax breaks for developers who agree to set aside part of their projects for low-income families and additional tax revenue to cities that approve more housing.

How do you know that California's housing problem has hit crisis proportions? When state lawmakers introduce more than 130 bills to try and fix it. The state's housing market has long been unaffordable for far too many Californians. But in recent years, the problem has become impossible to ignore. Rapidly rising rents are forcing more residents to spend a staggering percentage of their take-home pay to keep a roof over their heads.

To the editor: The problems in Mexico with the construction of housing tracts is heartbreaking but not surprising. Having visited Baja California a number of times over the years for vacation, I was always bothered by the way business was done. One day I would be charged one price, then the next day the price was different for the very same thing. Tours promised to start at a certain time never left on time. I only got a good honest effort if the hired people knew I was willing to provide a good tip.

While it's tempting to compare August housing starts to pre-recession peaks, homebuilders arguably built too many homes during this period. A better norm is the 50-year average, of which we're still about 20 percent below, McLaughlin said.

Last year, the homeless services authority cut funding for about 2,000 transitional housing beds operated by 58 agencies, and more cuts are on the way. The authority competes for funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, which is shifting money to permanent housing.