Sponsorship Opportunities
for Affordable Housing Week 2017

Santa Clara County’s premier weeklong event highlighting affordable housing partners and solutions – Affordable Housing Week (AHW) – is scheduled to run from May 12th to May 19th!

AHW 2016 was a rousing success – with 24 events attended by close to 1,000 housers. Be a part of AHW 2017 and help make it an even bigger success!

This year’s program will kick off with a Policy Breakfast and will end with a large stakeholder convening to energize the community around housing solutions.  The weeklong program will also include affordable housing tours, forums on homelessness and regional policy, and more!

Join AHW 2017’s major sponsors – the Housing Authority of Santa Clara County and Knight Foundation!

Click here to learn more about the various sponsorship levels and benefits. Be involved from the ground up! Become a sponsor NOW!

Highlights

County Talks Measure A

SV@Home Board Plans for 2017

New SV@Home Employee!

We are delighted to announce that Mitch Mankin has joined SV@Home as the new Program Coordinator!  Mitch will be responsible for coordinating the many events SV@Home hosts each year, including lunchtime forums, roundtable meetings, and special member-only events. Additionally, he will work closely with Gina to manage member engagement, assist with social media and advocacy tools, and help with a variety of other administrative functions. Mitch comes to SV@Home with recent experience working for various Bay Area nonprofits and on several local ballot measure campaigns. He graduated from Brandeis University where he majored in Economics, and International and Global Studies and minored in Social Justice and Social Policy, and served as a leader in the Brandeis Labor Coalition.

Mitch will begin in his new role on January 27th and can be reached at mitch@siliconvalleyathome.org.

SV@Home Achieves Independence!

As most of you know, SV@Home has been incubated in the Housing Trust Silicon Valley since its formation in July of 2015.  We are excited to announce that, as of January 1st, SV@Home is now an independent nonprofit entity!  We are still awaiting our IRS letter, which is anticipated in the next 30-60 days, and which will give us formal 501(c)3 status.  The Housing Trust will continue to assist SV@Home by providing back office support.  We thank all the members of the Housing Trust for their support and guidance for these 19 months.  We couldn’t have done it without you!

Member Highlight

Thanks to our 2017 members who have recently joined or renewed their membership!  Destination: Home, Working Partnerships, City of Morgan Hill, Michael Fallon, HomeFirst, Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley, Affirmed Housing, and Bill Wilson Center.

Policy Updates

Federal and State Outlook

Our eyes are on Washington and Sacramento as we wait to see what 2017 means for affordable housing.  Here is the latest:

Federal Housing News

We still await news on the confirmation of Ben Carson as the next Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), as well as news on how HUD will fare under the Trump Administration.  Panelists at a recent California Housing Consortium event on Federal Housing Policy acknowledged Dr. Carson’s lack of housing knowledge, but agreed that the next level appointments — the Assistant and Deputy Secretaries — will be important to watch, as this is where much of the expertise is concentrated.

What we do know is that housing was on the President’s agenda in his first hour on the job.  As one of the first, actions of his Presidency, President Trump took action to reverse a scheduled .25 percent cut in mortgage insurance premiums issued by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), which was intended to offset recent increases in interest rates for middle-class homebuyers.  Experts have stated that this action will impact 1 million homebuyers throughout the country — many who are first time homebuyers and lower-income borrowers — and that prospective homebuyers in Santa Clara County and other areas of the country with higher home prices will be hit harder.

More to come.

State Housing News

Governor Brown released his proposed budget earlier this month with a similar message to what we heard last year— no new money for affordable housing without streamlining and other reforms that eliminate barriers and reduce the per-unit cost of housing development.  The budget narrative highlights the challenges of development and that the number of units produced annually falls far short of the need, citing local factors that include “permitting and impact fees, delays in permit approvals, and parking requirements” that “can add tens of thousands of dollars to the cost of constructing housing.”

We are hopeful that progress can be made this year.  As highlighted in our last newsletter, Senator Wiener introduced SB35, which is intended to “streamline, incentivize, and remove local barriers to housing creation.” Currently a spot bill, the author intends to work with various stakeholders to craft a bill that can get the needed votes and also the Governor’s signature.  A group of stakeholders recently sent a letter to the Governor with a proposed compromise position.  The proposals in the letter included:

• A $100 million fund to update local general plans and specific plans,
• Legislation to create a permanent funding source for affordable housing development,
• Better enforcement of existing housing laws, plus incentives for good actors, and
• Streamlined permitting for projects that meet specified requirements—including infill housing, prevailing wages, and sites that have completed environmental and public review.

Public Meetings

City Council Priority Setting Meetings

Several cities have scheduled opportunities to develop priorities for 2017, including:

Thursday, January 26th — City of Santa Clara Goal Setting Retreat —The City of Santa Clara will discuss priorities for the years 2017-2019.  At the meeting, the Council will entertain comments from the community on what the City’s focus should be for this two-year period.  If you are unable to attend the meeting and want to comment, the City asks that you send an email to mayorandcouncil@santaclaraca.gov so that your feedback can be included in the conversation.  The meeting will take place at the Santa Clara Convention Center, 5001 Great America Parkway, Santa Clara, in Great America Rooms 2 and 3 from 3:00 to 9:00.  Find more information here.

Tuesday, January 31st — Los Gatos Town Council, Priority Setting Session — The Town Council is scheduled to discuss priorities for 2017.  The meeting will take place at Los Gatos Town Hall, 110 E. Main Street, Los Gatos, beginning at 6:00pm.

Tuesday, February 7th (NEW DATE!) — San Jose City Council, 2017 Priority Setting — The San Jose City Council will discuss and select its top priorities for 2017.  Last year’s priorities included reviewing the mobilehome conversion ordinance, considering a Commercial Impact Fee for affordable housing, reviewing changes to the City’s second unit ordinance, considering modifications to the City’s Rental Rights and Referrals Program, and updating the City’s surplus lands ordinance.  Several of these items continue to be priorities in 2017.

Other Public Meetings

Wednesday, January 25 – City of Santa Clara Planning Commission, Affordable Housing Requirements/Impact Fees – As one of the six jurisdictions participating in the Santa Clara County multi-jurisdictional nexus study, the City of Santa Clara is currently exploring policy options related to a number of affordable housing requirements — an affordable housing impact fee applicable to rental apartments, a jobs housing linkage fee applicable to non-residential development and other updates to the city’s affordable housing policies.

Staff held four outreach sessions last week to share their proposal for a new affordable housing impact fee and jobs housing linkage fee.  The current proposal includes the following:

• A residential rental impact fee set in the range of $25 to $35 per square foot, with an option to provide 10% affordable units on site in-lieu of paying the fee, or off site with certain restrictions (to be determined),
• Jobs housing linkage fees set at $5 to $10 per square foot for office development and $2 to $5 for light industrial development,
• NO fees for hotel or retail development.

Check out the staff presentation from the outreach session for more details on the proposed fees.

This proposal will go to the Planning Commission this Wednesday, January 25 and City Council on February 21.

SV@Home submitted its initial comments regarding the staff proposal last week.  We support the proposed fee levels for the residential rental impact fee as well as alternative options for developers to build affordable housing in lieu of paying the fee, but we do not support the proposed jobs housing linkage fee levels.  Because hotel and retail uses often pay lower wages, creating jobs that increase the demand for affordable housing, we strongly recommend charging a fee for these uses.  Additionally, SV@Home recommends higher fee levels for office uses, given the high maximum supported fee level ($142.70 per square foot) identified in the nexus study.

We look forward to weighing in further as the details of Santa Clara’s proposed fees are fleshed out over the next few months to ensure that the final policy effectively addresses the needs of very-low, low-, and moderate-income households.  If you would like to be involved in SV@Home’s advocacy efforts related to impact fees in Santa Clara and beyond, please contact nicole@siliconvalleyathome.org.

Tuesday, February 7th – Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors, Measure A – Today, the Board of Supervisors will hear the first report from the County Office of Supportive Housing (OSH) regarding its initial plans for the implementation of Measure A, the $950 million housing bond measure that was passed by the voters this November.  On February 7th, OSH will return to the Board with a more detailed report.  The meeting will take place at 70 West Hedding, Board of Supervisors Chambers, at 9:30.

Tuesday, February 7th – State of the County – Dave Cortese was appointed the President of the Board of Supervisors for his third consecutive term, and will be hosting an event to celebrate the County’s accomplishments and talk about how the County will move forward in 2017 in meeting its goals.

The event will take place in the Board Chambers at 70 West Hedding Street, San Jose.  Doors open at 5pm, and the ceremony will begin promptly at 5:30.  Refreshments will be served following the speech.  Please click here to RSVP.

Saturday, February 11th — San Jose State of the City Celebration — This is an opportunity for San Jose residents and other interested people to hear from Mayor Sam Liccardo as he highlights his key initiatives and budget priorities for the coming year.  The event will take place in the Gunderson High School Gym, 622 Gaundabert Lane, San Jose, from 10-1pm.

Upcoming Events

SV@Home Events

In Two Days: Happy Housers @ SV@Home

Join SV@Home this Thursday for our first Happy Housers happy hour of 2017! For the first time, SV@Home is opening up its new home in Downtown San Jose’s Little Italy neighborhood! Come meet and chat with fellow housers and community leaders, enjoy refreshments, and hang out in our new space. Wine and beer, as well as appetizers from our neighbor, Paesano’s, will be provided.

Transit and parking info is available on the event registration page.

RSVP here: https://svathomeopenhouse.eventbrite.com

SV@Home Happy Housers Happy Hour & Open House
Thursday, January 26th
5:30-7:00 PM
350 W Julian Street, Bldg. 5, San Jose [map]
Food and drinks on us!

Other Upcoming Events

Bay Area League Day with a Focus on Housing

Join the League of Women Voters in a day-long conversation this weekend about key affordable housing issues and solutions for Silicon Valley! The day will feature four panels and a keynote speech by Assemblymember Tony Thurmond (Assembly District 15). Among the experts invited to speak is our very own Leslye Corsiglia who will be joined by Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez and SPUR’s Egon Terplan.

Join us for a comprehensive overview of the key regional and local strategies for Bay Area and Silicon Valley to pursue in 2017! Register now to save your seat and join the conversation!

Bay Area League Day with a Focus on Housing
Saturday, January 28th
9:00am – 3:00pm
Camden Community Center, 3369 Union Ave, San Jose

Building Hope Fundraiser 

Wednesday, February 15th
5:30pm – 7:30pm
Recovery Cafe, 80 S Fifth Street, San Jose

Join BIA Bay Area & HomeAid of Northern California in a Fundraiser benefitting Recovery Café in downtown San Jose. Recovery Café is a successful outreach facility that serves the homeless by coordinating critical services needed to put fragile lives back on track through nutritious meals, counselling services and a supportive community. RSVP to Pat Sausedo via email at psausedo@biabayarea.org.

Housing Trust Silicon Valley’s Annual Investor Briefing

Thursday, March 16th
10:30am – 1:00pm
Santa Clara Convention Center, 5001 Great America Parkway, Santa Clara

Housing Trust Silicon Valley’s annual luncheon event provides Housing Trust partners and the business community with policy and impact updates around affordable housing. Coming off of the success of Measure A and the other affordable housing measures in the region, the event will feature a keynote address, recognition of the year’s housing champions, updates on Housing Trust’s progress and a look to our future.

Find more info and register here!