1. United States
2. Calif.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to sponsor legislation creating a statewide Rental Assistance Office to help California families withstand the economic pressure of rising energy costs. California is already an expensive place to live, and energy costs are becoming another force pushing working families toward instability. More than half of Californians say rising gas and electric bills are a major problem, and millions of households have already fallen behind on utility bills. When energy costs rise, rent does not pause. Groceries do not pause. Childcare, transportation, and medical costs do not pause. For working-class families, even a few hundred dollars can be the difference between staying housed and falling into crisis. These are the people California depends on every day: school staff, caregivers, service workers, logistics workers, public employees, and the families who keep our communities functioning. A Rental Assistance Office would give the state a direct, organized way to prevent hardship before it becomes homelessness. It should provide emergency rental support, coordinate with utility assistance programs, help families navigate applications, and prioritize households most at risk from sudden cost spikes. This is not only compassionate policy. It is practical policy. Preventing displacement is far less expensive than responding to homelessness after families have already lost housing. California cannot ask working families to absorb every crisis alone. I urge you to sponsor a Rental Assistance Office so the state has a real safety valve before energy costs push more families past the breaking point.