For Immediate Release

Founder Melissa Breach is the former Chief Operating Officer for California YIMBY and Executive Director of the League of Women Voters of California

Launched today, Prosperity California is working to strengthen relationships between advocates for abundant and lower-cost housing, climate change mitigation, and racial and economic justice. Working to build political power at the intersection of these issue areas, the organization will ensure more Californians have better access to housing they can afford, clean air, safe communities, and economic opportunity.

“California has set critical goals to make housing more accessible and affordable while also addressing the impacts of climate change. But our policies are not living up to the promises we’ve made,” said Prosperity California founder Melissa Breach.

Today’s high cost of living has left Californians struggling to make ends meet and unable to save for the future. This has led to severe wealth inequality, especially for communities of color. At the same time, the impact of climate-driven natural disasters, declining tax revenues, and a collapsing insurance market have left vulnerable Californians struggling in every corner of our state.

“We have created a cycle of economic insecurity that makes it impossible for many to achieve the California Dream. Prosperity California was founded to align public policy and budget priorities with California’s ambitious equity, economic, housing, and climate goals,” said Breach.

Many elected leaders recognize that we need to enact bigger, bolder policy reforms to reach critical state goals. But without broad cross-sector support from advocates across issue areas, the reforms we can pass are often too limited or narrow to match the scale of the problems we face.  

“Many of the policy solutions are known; what we lack is the political will to get these reforms passed. Big change requires a big tent. That is what Prosperity California is building,” said Breach. 

Prosperity California brings together experts and activists from across California, unified by a shared commitment to a future where everyone can prosper. 

“Car traffic is the single biggest source of pollution in California. Creating more housing in existing communities near jobs and other resources is essential to lower carbon emissions. We can put California on the right path by building the political muscle needed to advance climate, housing and equity solutions together, said Ethan Elkind, Prosperity California Advisory Board member and Director of the Climate Program at UC Berkeley Law’s Center for Law, Energy and the Environment (CLEE)

“California’s fundamental housing infrastructure is a direct result of historic, and deliberate discriminatory practices that limit low income, communities of color’s access to rich, vibrant neighborhoods. These communities are rent burdened, unlikely to be homeowners, and disproportionately harmed by catastrophic, ongoing climate impacts. Our communities deserve better. Envisioning an equitable California means cultivating connection, and establishing common ground that will lead our state to transformative change,” said Melanie Morelos, Prosperity California Advisory Board Member and Government Affairs Strategist at The Greenlining Institute.

“California’s housing crisis has rapidly changed communities by increasing poverty, homelessness, negative environmental and climate impacts, and wealth disparities. Only effective and detailed collaboration across more sectors than has happened to date will get us both the policies and implementation needed to actually solve this major challenge,” said Sibley Simon, Prosperity California Advisory Board Member and President New Way Homes.

Robyn Leslie serves as Vice-President of Programs at Prosperity California, where she will lead the organization’s policy and coalition-building efforts, including the Alliance for Housing and Climate Solutions.  The Prosperity California team also includes: 

• Graciela Castillo Krings, Senior Advisor, Contract Lobbyist
• Erin Boltz, Senior Advisor, Campaign Strategist
• Salim Shariff, Senior Advisor, Digital Strategist

Contact:
Erin Boltz
erin@boltzpublicaffairs.com
202-378-8064