California's Seniors Can't Keep Pace With the Cost of Housing | Rishi Kumar

California's Seniors Can't Keep Pace With the Cost of Housing | Rishi Kumar

June 21, 2026 · 37 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the rising homelessness among seniors in California and explores proposed solutions.

Across California, homelessness among older adults is rising, and it increasingly includes seniors who don't fit the public image of who becomes homeless. Some are losing housing for the first time late in life, after decades of steady work and stable housing. A citizen petition is trying to put a sweeping property tax exemption for homeowners age 60 and older on the statewide ballot, while San Diego County has tested a much smaller rental subsidy aimed at the same problem locally. One reaches for a sweeping fix, the other for something narrower, and neither has been tried at full scale yet. Rishi Kumar, a Silicon Valley tech executive and former Saratoga City Council member, is leading the signature drive for the statewide petition. San Diego County Supervisor Joel Anderson helped advance the county's rental subsidy pilot for older adults at risk of homelessness. Both explain what is pushing these seniors toward homelessness, and how hard either fix is to deliver. *Views expressed in this video/article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of California Insider.

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Guests: Rishi Kumar, Joel Anderson

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Organizations: California Insider, The Epoch Times

Places: California, San Diego County, Silicon Valley, Saratoga

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