Rep. Katie Porter’s New University Housing Deal Causing A Stir

Katie Porter

Rep. Katie Porter’s four-bedroom, three-bath home in a lush enclave on the University of California Irvine campus is a steal in Orange County, California, where the average home costs $1 million.

The law professor and progressive Democrat bought it in 2011 for $523,000, paying less than market value thanks to a university program that entices academics who otherwise could not afford to live in the wealthy neighborhood. She had to keep working for the school in order to be eligible.

Rep. Katie Porter’s Residential Status Is Controversial  

Since Porter took an unpaid break from her $258,000-a-year teaching career to serve in the U.S. House, this type of subsidized housing has lasted longer than her time spent teaching. It has now been in place for nearly four years.

With her own net worth estimated at up to $2 million, Porter is a rising Democratic star and fundraising powerhouse who has been able to keep her home despite the uncertainty surrounding her return to school. The residential status of Porter does not go against House ethics laws.

As a result of a nationwide housing shortage that is driving up the cost of homes outside the on-campus development, it also coincides with a rise in interest in the school’s housing program, which has led to a years-long waitlist of more than 250 school academics and administrators, according to university data from 2021.

If Katie Porter, who has amassed a $19.8 million campaign fund, wins re-election to the formerly dependably Republican district that has grown more competitive in recent years, whether voters care will be put to the test in November. In a statement alerting Katie Porter that they would sponsor her application to the housing program when she was hired, school officials detailed their expectations.