For the last few years, politicians and real estate interests have pushed the narrative that people are fleeing California en masse, using that argument to justify policies that favor landlords and weaken tenant protections.
But new census data just shattered that myth: the Bay Area’s population actually grew in 2024. Contra Costa County, which was among the least affected by previous declines, now has more residents than ever before.
The implications of this are clear—California’s housing crisis isn’t going away, and the policies that have made rent unaffordable and homeownership unattainable are only becoming more destructive…