Fair Rents, Fair Bills: Understanding Rent & Utility Regulations

JOIN US VIRTUALLY ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 17TH 12PM

Join us for a learning session about San José’s Rent Stabilization Program and possible updates to the city’s rules on how utilities are billed in rental housing (known as Ratio Utility Billing Services, or RUBS).

We’ll break down:

  • What rent stabilization means
  • How RUBS works
  • And what these proposed changes could mean for renters and housing providers

You’ll also learn how to share your feedback and get involved as the city considers these updates and how it can impact you.

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October 30, 2025

Community Roots Collaborative Convenes for Affordable Housing Funding Workshop

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SV@Home held the sixth Community Roots Collaborative’s (CRC) convening of the year and had the privilege of having Thai-An Ngo with California Housing Partnerships present on the basics of how affordable housing is financed and how to approach fundraising for development, while emphasizing the pre-development stage. South Bay Community Land Trust’s (SBCLT) Organizing Co-Director, Juan Angel Lujano, also shared key takeaways in their experience in acquiring their Reed Street and Virginian Apartment properties. 

SV@Home held the sixth Community Roots Collaborative’s (CRC) convening of the year at the South Bay Community Land Trust’s (SBCLT) downtown San Jose office in the San Jose Peace & Justice Center. We had the privilege of having Thai-An Ngo with California Housing Partnerships present on the basics of how affordable housing is financed and how to approach fundraising for development, while emphasizing the pre-development stage. 

Thai-An was able to share information in a way that was digestible for the entire cohort, according to each of their community-development journeys. For some this might have been a refresher, for others it provided more depth, but for a good portion of our cohort it was brand new knowledge. What made this session so fruitful was the semi-informal, intimate space we provide at the CRC where Thai-An’s ability to swiftly, articulately, and gracefully respond to any and all questions came through luminously. Most of the cohort’s engagement worked within the framework of connecting the theories they just learned from Thai-An directly to the challenges they are experiencing in the work, allowing cohort members to move forward more confidently after the convening. SV@Home is so proud of how CRC cohort members are advancing so boldly into the complicated and risky world of development. And we are happy to continue being a resource and connector to our network of experts!

Since the CRC is also a community of shared learning, our most seasoned cohort member — SBCLT — was able to tie-in their own experience in fundraising with the teachings of Thai-An. SBCLT’s Organizing Co-Director Juan Angel Lujano shared key takeaways in their experience in acquiring their Reed Street and Virginian Apartment properties, using a moving story-telling format that had the entire cohort asking for more details and pro-tips. One major fundraising campaign that resulted from their deep tenant and community organizing approach to development was the creation of the People’s Preservation Fund for Land and Housing. This Fund’s purpose is to “continue seeding and growing our efforts to purchase land in the South Bay, to ensure its permanent affordability and prevent further displacement.” This fundraising campaign is ongoing and can use your continued support.

Lastly, SV@Home’s Policy & Research Associate, Revathi Konduru unveiled a new housing topics page and a publicly available resource list on community-based development made for our current and future CRC cohorts. We are grateful for Revathi taking on this giant undertaking and are excited to keep growing our resources to support community-based development in Santa Clara County!

SV@Home will bring this group of 15 Santa Clara County community-based organizations together for the final convening of the year next month and, then, will restart in 2026. Stay tuned for more!