View our previously recorded HAC events below!
The HAC is a monthly, informal brownbag discussion convening Housers to engage on hot housing topics. Every month, we select a topic or current event, bring in an expert to give a brief presentation, and then open up the discussion to ask questions, float new ideas, and identify potential areas for shared action.
September 2020 HAC: Did California’s Legislature Fail?
Crying babies. Eleventh hour negotiations. A global pandemic. Raging wildfires. The last week of the California Legislature’s session was a wild ride. Against the backdrop of multiple crises and a ticking clock, many fewer bills were passed than in a typical year. In the end, many important housing policy issues went unresolved, leaving a lot to be done in 2021. So what should the leigslature’s top priorities be?
To discuss this topic, we are thrilled to be joined by Michael Lane of SPUR, a longtime housing advocate and expert on housing policy in the CA legislature, and Graciela Castillo-Krings of Sacramento Advocates, who previously served as a advisor to former Governor Jerry Brown. Join us to answer the question: did the legislature fail?
August 2020 HAC: Proposition 15 Provides Funds for Affordable Housing & Community Services
Join SV@Home as we dive into Proposition 15—the Schools and Communities First Initiative– at the August HAC! Listen to leaders of the Proposition 15 campaign and find out what it has to do with housing. The Schools and Communities First Initiative, which is on this November’s ballot, is expected to raise billions of dollars a year by exempting commercial properties worth over $3 million from Prop 13 limits on property taxes. SV@Home has endorsed Prop 15 and we will be talking through the details and providing opportunities to get involved!
Speakers:
- Nina Senn, League of Women Voters
- JR Starrett, Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California (NPH)
- Moderated by our own Mitch Mankin, Policy and Advocacy Associate
July 2020 HAC: Funding Affordable Housing- San Jose’s Commercial Linkage Fee
A major opportunity for affordable housing funding in San Jose is approaching – the campaign for a Commercial Linkage Fee (CLF) The health and economic shocks of the pandemic have laid bare the vulnerability of communities of color and lower-wage workers in Silicon Valley where overcrowding and high housing costs have magnified the crisis. The greatest hurdle to developing the affordable housing needed to help stabilize families and communities is a lack of dedicated local funds. One of the standard tools to generate this funding charges a small fee to developers of non-residential properties– commercial and office space– to help provide affordable housing for the new employees, many of whom won’t be able to afford the high local rents. This tool – the Commercial Linkage Fee – helps respond to the pressure that new jobs put on an already strained housing market. San Jose is the last major city in Santa Clara County without such a fee.
Even in these uncertain times, big developments moving ahead around the city have the potential to raise hundreds of millions of dollars of critical affordable housing funding over the next 5-10 years. Please join us for an update on where we are at in the process, what moving pieces to look out for, and how this all relates to expanding opportunities for real people. Leaders of the campaign will report on the findings of city studies about the range of possible fee levels — set to be released on July 17th, and discuss opportunities to get involved as advocacy efforts ramp up over the coming weeks.
June 2020 HAC: How do we dismantle the racist legacy of homeownership policies?
Racist housing policies have historically, and up through the present day, prevented communities of color from enjoying the full benefits of homeownership, both in the Bay Area and across the United States. These policies have manifested themselves through practices including red-lining, racially-based covenants, and other forms of economic exclusion. With June officially designated as “National Homeownership Month,” this is an important opportunity to reflect on how systemic racism has shaped homeownership opportunities in California, especially in the Bay Area, and what actions are needed to dismantle this legacy.
We’re thrilled to welcome special three special guests:
- John Gamboa, Vice Chair of The Two Hundred, a statewide coalition of community leaders, opinion makers, and minority advocates, working to mitigate the growing racial wealth gap through homeownership and home building in California.
- De’Zhon Grace, Economic Equity Fellow at Greenlining Institute, a policy, research, organizing, and leadership institute working for racial and economic justice.
- Kevin Coleman, Partner at Urban Farmers Inc., a real estate development firm that balances real estate fundamentals, architectural creativity, and social responsibility to develop quality workforce housing.
Our expert speakers will share their work to advance equitable housing and homeownership opportunities, as well as their expertise on what other actions need to be taken to improve racial equity in homeownership.