According to a grand jury report released last month, demand far exceeds supply when it comes to affordable housing in Ventura County.

In this race, which according to the report everyone seems to be losing, Simi Valley came in second, having built a total of 632 affordable units between 2000 and 2005, still 32 units short of the goal set by the Southern California Association of Governments' regional housing needs assessment. Oxnard, the largest city in the county, came in first with 848 units.

Of the 10 cities in Ventura County, only three (Ojai, Port Hueneme and Thousand Oaks) met the required level of affordable housing units. Most, even Oxnard, fell far short.

The grand jury found that, "In general, cities are paying very little attention to the very-low income level of needs for housing."

And who exactly fits into this very-low income level ($40,300 a year for a family of four)? Many entry-level teachers, nurses and police officers; not to mention waiters, bus drivers, landscapers, janitors, retail employees and yes, journalists.

If the numbers found in the study are accurate, it looks as if the dream of working and owning a home in the same community may be just that-a dream-for many of Simi's most vital employees. Instead, those workers will continue to shuttle in from neighboring communities, clogging the freeway and taking their salaries back home with them.

The report confirms that the Simi Valley City Council is trying to do its part by using its powers of approval and available funding to convince profit-driven developers to dip below California's lofty market rate. But with only a very few vacant lots left to build on within city limits, there's only so much that can be done.

The California real estate boom might have made millionaires out of some, but it left many others out of the housing market, permanently.

That's one problem that even a forward-thinking city like Simi Valley may find impossible to fix.