Commentary: Adherence to Scriptures can solve Costa Mesa housing crisis

As I prepare to vote this November, I had some questions about homelessness and the lack of affordable housing in Costa Mesa, so I logged onto my computer recently and checked out the U.S. Bureau of Labor Stats website to discern what’s up with our economy..

I was pleased to see that Orange County has the lowest unemployment rate in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area, with combined statistical area at 3.6%.

In the U.S, healthcare occupations and related industries are projected to be the fastest-growing industries, adding the most jobs between now and 2024, and the median annual wages for these professions vary between $21,260 and $61,760.

I wanted to see what’s up with wages and housing in the city of Costa Mesa, so I logged onto the city’s website and found the C.M. median household income is listed as $66,491. Our housing demographic shows owner-occupied households listed at 39.8% compared with 60.2% renter occupied households.

It appears to me, looking at these numbers, that our city is already imbalanced with rentals being significantly higher compared to home ownership. So, with these wages and economic projections, will the percentage of rentals in our city continue to climb? How will that affect our community? Just where are we headed?

Next, after reviewing the industries listed on the city’s website, I added up 47.6% of firms are listed as retail trade, services and other, which correlates to our median income.

So, do the majority of those who are employed in this city have the financial means to afford housing here? Are they all expected to live elsewhere? What will that do to traffic? Is this sound planning? Should our city provide housing commensurate with the incomes for the area?

The Costa Mesa city website lists 11 major development projects, and I’m guessing they will all come with hefty price tags, in addition to adding more apartments, so our rental percentage is likely to rise compared with home ownership. Does that matter? Is this good for our community? Are these positive trends long term?

I certainly do not have the answers, but whenever I seek wisdom and discernment, I look for answers in the Bible. I ended my online journey here: openbible.info/topics/poverty. I found 84 Bible verses about poverty, 50 about the poor, 15 about the homeless, 34 about helping the homeless, 40 about feeding the hungry, 37 about the needy, 100 about wealth and 100 about hypocrisy.

Sometimes I hear people ask, “What is the relationship between social action and evangelism?”

Well, coming from a Christian perspective, I refer to the story of the Sadducees and the Pharisees. The Sadducees were aristocrats and tended to be wealthy and held powerful positions, including the 70 seats of the ruling council called the Sanhedrin. The Pharisees were mostly middle-class businessmen, therefore they were in closer contact with the common man. Religiously, the Pharisees accepted the written Word as inspired by God.

Interestingly enough, the Pharisees were rivals of the Sadducees, however, they set aside their differences only on one occasion, to put Christ to death.

Both the Pharisees and the Sadducees earned rebukes from Jesus. I think perhaps the best lesson learned from the Pharisees and the Sadducees is to not be like them. I certainly believe it is a perspective worth considering, as we elect officials who will represent the interests of those who work, live and invest financially in our community.

LAURENE KEANE lives in Costa Mesa.