A PLAN FOR AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING FUTURE

 

We need to take steps to make sure our city is once again affordable for working families to live, raise a family, and retire here. By building all housing with an emphasis on affordability for all worker

 

Faster, Streamlined Permitting Process

This includes giving the city’s Planning, Building, and Code Enforcement Department the resources it needs to move projects through the approval pipeline more quickly. We also need to allow up to four General Plan updates per year in order to be able to respond quickly to changing circumstances and opportunities that arise to increase the housing supply and grow smartly.

 

San Jose Deserves a Fair Deal from the Legislature

San Jose is not Cupertino or Palo Alto and that is why I am opposed to SB 9. That legislation imposes a one-size-fits-all approach to residential zoning that does not take into account a community’s history or commitment to smart growth. San Jose is by far Santa Clara County’s leading city for building both higher density and affordable housing. We should not be held to the same standard as other communities that both historically and currently are resistant to adding affordable housing and increasing density.

 

Housing at All Affordability Levels.

I was one of the leaders of the effort to pass the $950 million Measure A housing bond because it dedicates significant funds for first time home buyer assistance and for building affordable rental units. The bond has already resulted in 4,400 units of affordable or supportive housing being built or being in the construction pipeline.

 

I currently sit on the Valley Transportation Authority Board of directors and am leading the effort to develop affordable housing on approximately 200 acres of land that are on transit corridors. This will not only add more affordable housing in San Jose but also help decrease the regional carbon footprint by making transit more attractive to those living in the adjacent developments.

 

Stand Up to Slumlords

We need to strictly enforce city building and safety codes, particularly on older rental units that are subject to the city’s rent control ordinance. Those property owners who have repeated or serious code violations, or both, should have their ability to raise rents frozen or limited until the rectify their code violations and make their properties livable.

 

 

The Skilled Trades: Middle Class Jobs for the 21st Century

One of the big bottlenecks in local housing development is the shortage of skilled workers in the construction trades. I will bring together our local school and community college districts, building trade unions, and developers to increase the number of apprenticeships and training programs and expand our pool of skilled workers.

 

These are good jobs that make a middle class wage with benefits, and they do not require a college degree. One of the great tragedies of the past few decades has been the hollowing out of the middle class in San Jose, and throughout the Bay Area, where people without a college degree have little hope of maintaining a middle class lifestyle. This has left far too many in our community angry and frustrated. Increasing opportunities to join the skilled trades is one way to help solve this problem while increasing housing affordability at the same time.