WE NEED REAL CHANGE.
Stopping the politicians who are
taking away local democracy
Sacramento isn’t working for regular people – it’s time to shake things up.
It works for the big donors, special interests and career politicians – but it doesn’t work for the average Californian. As a mayor of a local city, I see this first hand – we get slogans from politicians, we get press releases from Sacramento, we even get blamed for problems they started – but we don’t get results.
The defenders of the status-quo in Sacramento need a wakeup call – and its going to take a people-powered grassroots movement to show them that they can’t get away with business as usual anymore. People are demanding more than promises. We are demanding solutions.
LOCAL CONTROL & DEMOCRACY
What is your plan for solving the housing crisis?
With the cost of one housing unit approaching $1M, it will take public money to provide affordable housing. We need grants from the Federal and State government. We should also make big corporations pay a share. The overwhelming growth of Meta, Google, Apple and other big companies caused the huge jobs/housing imbalance that contributed to the housing crisis.
The Density Bonus Law is overly generous in the benefits it provides developers for including just a few affordable units in a project. Developers also balk at impact fees, which means the cost of infrastructure must be borne by residents. We can’t give in to developer complaints that projects won’t “pencil out” when condos sell for millions and rents are upwards of $2,000/month.
I’m in favor of converting empty offices to housing wherever feasible.
If we return to “local control,” won’t every city pull up the drawbridge and go back to single-family sprawl?
The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) requires every city to submit a Housing Element that demonstrates how it will satisfy housing needs for every income category. Cities cannot “pull up the drawbridge,” but they can plan growth appropriate to their communities.
Do you support state housing laws like SB9, SB10, or SB423?
No. Over 100 housing laws mandated by Sacramento benefit for-profit developers who can now build whatever they want, wherever they want – even potentially in our once-protected coastal zones if SB 423 becomes law.
Yet we’re still short of housing stock. Permits are up a mere 16% since 2018. Only 132,811 permits were issued in 2021, less than half of what state officials say we need. Rising interest rates and construction costs make it harder to build.
Developers, real estate investment funds and some contractors’ unions donate heavily to Sacramento politicians. Investors buy up older affordable homes in poor neighborhoods and replace them with luxury and market rate units. Densification with new construction raises land values. Older homes and apartments disappear, tenants are displaced. Instead of preserving affordable rentals as a priority, the inevitable result of massive densification will be state-induced gentrification.
The State Attorney General now has a “strike force” to go after cities who challenge housing laws.
Should the “right to housing” be added to the state constitution?
I see this as virtue signaling. Assemblymember Matt Haney, author of the measure, noted it would not guarantee the government would provide housing for free. If we can’t fund it, it’s meaningless.
Are you in favor of eliminating single-family zoning in California?
SB9 already ended single-family zoning across the state. With lot splits, any former single-family property can now contain up to six units. Developers and real estate investors donated millions to politicians. In return, they got the right to destroy communities for their profit. That has to end.
Do you support Proposition 13?
Yes. It allows seniors and middle-class families to stay in their homes and communities and ensures new buyers can plan their futures without fear their home will become unaffordable . I will protect Prop 13 against any attempts to undermine its protections
Do you support Proposition 19, the “death tax”?
No. Parents should be allowed to pass their home – often their most valuable asset – to their children without a huge financial burden. This enables the next generation to enjoy the benefits of home ownership. Prop 19 should be repealed.
Do you support changes to CEQA?
CEQA protects our communities from environmental harm. Analysis is essential for making educated decisions about potentially dangerous development impacts. In a very few cases, CEQA has been used to slow or even stop critical projects contributing to rising housing costs.
We must preserve CEQA’s original intent to protect our environment, but I would be in favor of responsible reforms to make sure it is not abused.
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