On May 4, 2023, UC Berkeley’s Terner Center for Housing Innovation published the research paper titled, “The First Step Is The Hardest: California’s Sliding Homeownership Ladder.” The paper tracks how homeownership rates have changed within the state. However, the intent was to specifically track affordability challenges. Co-author Issi Romem said: “The problem is when people don’t become homeowners because they can’t afford to.”