Consider these numbers. Although 56 percent of Americans can afford to buy the average priced home, just 30 percent of Californians can do so. In the Bay Area, the so-called housing affordability index is just 20 percent. At 10 percent, my community in San Francisco has the worst affordability rating of all nine Bay Area counties, while Solano is the most affordable at 44 percent.

This quandary, caused by the absence of affordable homes, pushes Bay Area residents to rent and to commute long distances.. We are seeing the pains of these coping strategies crest to new heights today. Bay Area commuters face 124,000 hours of delay each day on area highways, over 45 million hours each year. And, renters face the most expensive prices in the nation.

A report released last month by Zumper, a renter’s search engine, found that three of the nation’s five most expensive cities to rent are located in the Bay Area. The average monthly rent for a one-bedroom apartment costs $3,670 in San Francisco, $2,180 in San Jose, and $2,160 in Oakland. Two bedroom rentals in these cities cost $5,000, $2,720 and $2,520, respectively.

Despite such enormous need for change, we had a mixed year for actions taken in Sacramento to spur affordable housing.

The premiere success of the year was passage and signature into law of Assembly Bill 2, which I proudly co-authored. The objective behind the bill was simple: to fill the void left by the dissolution of redevelopment agencies three years ago and the loss of about $1 billion in annual investment in affordable housing across the state. This bill allows local governments to form Community Revitalization and Investment Authorities to administer economic development and affordable housing programs in impoverished communities. Twenty-five percent of their revenue must be dedicated to affordable housing development.

The disappointments of the year came from Governor Jerry Brown’s vetoes of tax incentives to fuel affordable housing construction. One measure would have helped the state capture $600 million in federal funds for this purpose.

Looking ahead to when the State Legislature reconvenes in January, many hopes are riding on the fate of Assembly Bill 1335, which I am also coauthoring. It would create a $75 fee on real estate recorded documents, excluding home sales, in order to generate up to $500 million a year in dedicated funding for affordable housing construction. This bill awaits a vote on the Assembly Floor.

For the Bay Area, the need to act with urgency is both clear and decisive. We do not have enough housing to keep pace with our growing economy. Last year, nearly 114,000 jobs were created in the Bay Area, but the region’s housing stock grew by less than 40,000 between 2010 and 2014.

We cannot continue down this same path indefinitely without our communities paying the price for the region’s brutal housing market. With housing need and supply facing such an imbalance, costs are skyrocketing and pushing working people from their communities. We must confront this exodus and seize every opportunity to build affordable housing in order to keep our communities intact.

Phil Ting represents the 19th Assembly District, which includes the Westside of San Francisco as well as the cities of Broadmoor, Colma and Daly City.