Check out these housing shorts about local and Statewide legislative issues!

• Measure B— On next week’s ballot you will find San Jose’s Measure B, an initiative that would amend the Envision 2040 General Plan, the San Jose municipal code, and the Evergreen East Hills development policy to allow the development of a 900-unit housing development in the East San Jose foothills on land now zoned for employment uses.  SV@Home took an oppose position on Measure B because we disagree with the use of the ballot box to zone for housing (setting a bad precedent), the housing planned is largely low density and high cost, and there is no assurance that any affordable housing will be built.  In our opposition to the project, we did raise the concern that the City’s inflexible position on the conversion of employment lands led to this proposal, and if no changes are made we expect that it will lead to similar proposals in the future.
• The Veterans’ and Affordable Housing Bond Act of 2019— We are gearing up for the November ballot where voters will have a chance to vote for $4 billion in funding for affordable housing, including $1 billion for housing for veterans.  The majority of the funds– $1.5 million– will be distributed through HCD’s Multi-Family Housing Program.  Click here to endorse the measure and find out more here!
• Senators Beall and Skinner Push for $5 Billion in Housing Funds— The 2018-2019 Senate Affordable Housing and Homelessness Proposal, which would allocate part of the State’s budget surplus, was approved by the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Subcommittee. The proposal is designed to be spread out over four years, and would, among other actions, backfill the over $500 million in low income housing tax credits that were a casualty of the recent federal tax reform actions.   This proposal will be acted on as a part of the budget negotiations in June.  Success is unclear– the Governor has proposed that only $359 million be set aside Statewide for homelessness, far short of the $5 million request.
• Some Bills Live and Some Bills Die— Friday was the last day for bills to make it out of their house of origin, and some key bills will have to live for another day.  Two of the most talked about bills– both authored by Assemblymember David Chiu –that would have reestablished a form of redevelopment and created tax incentives for developers building housing for the missing middle, failed to make the cut.  Others that SV@Home supported, like Senator Wieckowski’s ADU bill, will move on to the other house.  Find out more here.