California’s housing crisis continues to drive residents out of the state. Three years ago, Megan and Ben Finch relocated from San Francisco to Portland, Oregon, in search of more affordable housing for their growing family. Despite their combined incomes as a lawyer and a teacher, the Finches spent 40 percent of their take-home pay on rent for an 800-square-foot apartment. This stark reality has prompted activists like Sonia Trauss and Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin to advocate for greater housing density across the Bay Area. However, critics like Rick Hall, president of Livable California, argue that simply increasing high-end housing won’t solve the affordability problem. The housing crisis remains as urgent as ever, and the debate over restrictive zoning laws that limit development to single-family homes—with growing calls to expand multifamily housing—continues.