SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. & SAN JOSE, Calif. & SANTA CRUZ, Calif. & MONTEREY, Calif. - s4story -- US. Congressional Candidate Peter Coe Verbica, author of Hard-Won Cowboy Wisdom and a CFP® professional, releases a comprehensive plan outlining 25 federal initiatives to combat California's growing affordability crisis.

Verbica is running for US Congress, California District 19, which includes Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties.

While many of the cost drivers (such as housing, gas, utilities, and insurance) are the result of decades of restrictive state policies, Candidate for Congress Verbica emphasizes that federal lawmakers still have powerful tools to ease the burden on California families and businesses.

"California's affordability crisis is pushing out teachers, nurses, firefighters, small businesses, and young families," states Peter Coe Verbica. "While Sacramento bears responsibility for many of these cost pressures, if elected, I will focus on delivering federal solutions that can provide real relief."

STATE POLICIES AT THE ROOT OF THE CRISIS

US. Congressional Candidate Verbica notes several long-standing California-specific issues that have contributed to the affordability problem:

• Housing shortages caused by decades of underbuilding and abuse of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA);
• Gas prices inflated by abnormal fuel blend mandates and layered state taxes;
• Utility rate hikes driven by wildfire liability and lack of infrastructure modernization;
• Water scarcity and costs worsened by failure to build new dams or reservoirs in over 50 years, despite voters approving Proposition 1 which allocated $7.5 billion to water infrastructure in 2014;
• Insurance market instability due to rigid regulatory frameworks like Prop 103;
• Punitive labor laws such as the Private Attorneys General Act (PAGA), making it riskier to hire workers;
• An overall anti-business climate marked by overregulation and litigation threats.

25 ACTIONS A FEDERAL REPRESENTATIVE CAN TAKE TO HELP

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Despite these state-level challenges, Candidate for Congress Verbica lays out 25 actionable federal strategies aimed at reducing costs and improving conditions for California residents:

Housing

1.     Tie the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) funding to local zoning reform and faster permitting.

2.     Expand Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) allocations.

3.     Reform the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) to streamline federal land development.

4.     Repurpose federal surplus land for housing.

5.     Fund scalable modular housing technology.

6.     Pilot CEQA-exempt housing projects on federal land.

7.     Create federal grants for local governments that upzone.

Fuel & Transportation

8.     Standardize clean fuel blends nationally.

9.     Request EPA waivers to allow broader gasoline availability.

10.  Investigate fuel market manipulation.

11.  Expand EV charging networks in low-income areas.

12.  Incentivize remote work through federal tax policy.

Utilities & Wildfire Resilience

13.  Increase Federal Emergency Management (FEMA)/ Department of Energy (DOE) grid-hardening grants.

14.  Launch a federal wildfire reinsurance or bond market.

15.  Fund fuel reduction on federal forest land.

16.  Modernize interstate grid connectivity through the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC).

Water Infrastructure

17.  Fund critical storage projects like Sites Reservoir.

18.  Invest in desalination and recycling initiatives.

19.  Direct United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)/Interior support to agriculture efficiency.

20.  Reform federal Environmental Species Act (ESA) water-use rules to balance needs.

Jobs & Business Climate

21.  Consider the preemption of harmful labor regulations for interstate commerce.

22.  Establish a federal "safe harbor" employment category for startups, gig workers, and agricultural employees.

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23.  Hold hearings on the economic impact of PAGA.

24.  Provide tax incentives for reshoring California manufacturing.

25.  Expand Small Business Administration (SBA) legal and compliance resources for small businesses.

A FEDERAL PARTNER IN STATEWIDE REFORM

"The cost of living in California shouldn't be a reason to leave," US. Congressional Candidate Verbica adds. "We can't solve everything in Washington, but we can be a strong partner in turning things around. This plan is just the beginning, and we look forward to the very real possibility of working in cooperation with a Republican governor in California."

US. Congressional Candidate Verbica plans to introduce or support legislation aligned with these recommendations, while coordinating with local officials, stakeholders, and agencies to ensure federal support is targeted where it's most needed.

Incumbent politicians had their chance, and they refused to structurally fix social security for current and future generations. They are not the solution; they are part of the problem.  Vote for Peter Verbica for Congress.

Peter Coe Verbica is a fiscal conservative running for United States Congress, California District 19.  The district covers Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties.  Verbica grew up on a cattle ranch and graduated from Bellarmine College Prep, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara University School of Law, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  Peter Verbica is a CFP® professional and a Principal and Managing Director at Silicon Private Wealth.  He has four adult daughters.  He and his wife enjoy hiking, playing tennis and horseback riding.  His family donated the heart of Henry Coe State Park, the largest state park in Northern California.  For more information on the campaign, please visit peterverbica.com.

Paid for by Verbica for Congress.