Californians for Affordable Housing: New Coalition Calls Governor Brown’s Housing Plan a Developer Giveaway

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday July 27th

 

 

 

Contacts: Aimee Inglis, Acting Director, Tenants Together: 415-495-8100 x 1001, aimee@tenantstogether.org

Amy Schur, Campaign Director, ACCE: (213) 804-3161, aschur@calorganize.org     

Californians for Affordable Housing: 

New Coalition Calls Governor Brown’s Housing Plan a Developer Giveaway

 

A network of over 60 grassroots organizations in racially and economically diverse areas across California have formed Californians for Affordable Housing (CAH) to reject the Governor Brown’s housing plan “Trailer Bill 707” (a.k.a. “By-right”). The network is planning a week of actions during August 1-5 to object to a housing plan that would enable for-profit developers to obtain approvals of mostly market rate housing projects “by right” without public or environmental review. 

 

During the week of action August 1-5, you can follow the conversation online at #ByRight4Whom on Twitter @opposebyright and follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/opposebyright. The list of organizations part of the coalition can be found at: http://bit.ly/opposebyright.

 

Californians for Affordable Housing has outlined counter-points to Governor Brown’s plan that show how “by right,” if passed, would hurt most Californians:

 

This is not about affordable housing. Brown’s proposal does not address California’s real barriers to producing affordable housing. The proposal fails to address the need for dedicated affordable housing funding, the priorities of disadvantaged communities, or exclusionary zoning – the most fundamental affordable housing and displacement issues.

 

“Governor Brown’s plan is being presented as an affordable housing policy, but it would only  create 1 affordable home for every 19 luxury market-rate units. This is a bad deal for low-income families and communities,” says Sam Tepperman-Gelfant, Senior Staff Attorney at Public Advocates.

 

Strips away citizen input. Democracy is not a barrier for development. Exclusionary local zoning regulations - not community participation - keeps affordable homes from being built. Vivian Richardson, Board Chair of Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE) says, “Participation by low-income communities has proven to result in greater affordable housing, lesser environmental impacts, retention of small businesses and a stable, diverse economic base.”

 

Increases displacement. A policy that gives “by-right” control to for-profit developers simply deregulates luxury housing development, which causes displacement of lower income communities. We believe in a California that is home to people of all economic, social, and ethnic backgrounds. 

 

Erodes existing protections. Aimee Inglis, Acting Director of Tenants Together says, “This plan has the potential to undermine rent control protections by expediting demolition of existing housing without public input. With 5 California cities going the ballot this November to establish rent control protections, we won’t stand by and let Governor Brown undo our work.”

 

 

 

 

www.tenantstogether.org

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