BayCityNews

Silicon Valley Lawmaker Says, ‘Missing Middle’ Can’t Afford Housing

One Silicon Valley lawmaker wants the state to get into the housing market to assist residents in the “missing middle” — comprising those who earn too much to qualify for low-income housing but who don’t earn enough to afford a market-rate home. To help these residents, Assemblymember Alex Lee introduced Assembly Bill 309 earlier this year. If approved, AB 309 would enable California to build and lease homes to residents of various income levels, Lee said.

Published

5 months ago

April 24, 2023

Oakland Post

Between 2014 and February of this year, San Jose issued 21,898 residential building permits, 5,519 of which were for affordable housing. With the issuing of these permits, San Jose met 115% of its market-rate goal for this time period, as specified in California's Regional Housing Needs Allocation. But the city has only met 26% of its goal for affordable housing, according to a memo issued by the housing department last month.

By Sonya Herrera
San Jose Spotlight

To help these residents, Assemblymember Alex Lee introduced Assembly Bill 309 earlier this year.

If approved, AB 309 would enable California to build and lease homes to residents of various income levels, Lee said.

The buildings would be mixed-income, which proponents said would improve economic mobility for residents of lower incomes. Tenants also would have a say in how their buildings are managed and operated.

“To embrace housing as a human right, we must think of it as a universal good,” Lee said during a Wednesday affordable housing panel discussion hosted by California YIMBY, a statewide housing advocacy group. “No more means-testing, no more nitpicking, no more saying one person is more deserving than the other … Everyone deserves housing, and we should embrace that.”

Because the state would develop the buildings, it could lease each home without needing to make a profit, lowering costs to renters, Lee said. He represents North San Jose and Milpitas in Santa Clara County, as well as Fremont and Newark in Alameda County.

“Social housing, as we embrace it, is about making sure people don’t lose their housing because their income level changes, down or up,” Lee said.

In Santa Clara County, a two-person household earning between $106,000 to $161,000 per year qualifies as median- to moderate-income, according to last year’s affordable housing income limits — and therefore would not be eligible for housing targeted at lower incomes.

Lee said California’s intention of targeting affordable homes to the state’s neediest residents is laudable. However, it has the unintended consequence of discouraging tenants from increasing their incomes.

“You start creating ceilings on people,” Lee said. “You want more people to earn more money, to save more money … but you don’t want them to lose their housing.”

Between 2014 and February of this year, San Jose issued 21,898 residential building permits, 5,519 of which were for affordable housing. With the issuing of these permits, San Jose met 115% of its market-rate goal for this time period, as specified in California’s Regional Housing Needs Allocation. But the city has only met 26% of its goal for affordable housing, according to a memo issued by the housing department last month.

The average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in San Jose is $2,585, according to Zumper, an online marketplace for apartment rentals. San Jose is one of the most expensive places to live in the nation, and people looking to leave the region or the state is picking up steam.

Past polls and annual city surveys have shown a growing discontent with housing costs in San Jose, while the wealth gap and other inequities grow. Experts say the region could be at a tipping point.

Assemblymember Buffy Wicks, who represents Richmond and Berkeley, spoke on the panel with Lee and said the housing shortage is every city’s responsibility — and it’s the state’s responsibility to hold cities to account.

“‘No’ is not an option anymore,” Wick said. “If we have to do state laws that make it easier to build affordable housing … then that’s the reality of where we’re at.”

AB 309 is headed to the state Legislature’s housing and community development committee, though a hearing for the bill has not been scheduled, according to the state assembly’s website.

Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.

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Arts and Culture

SF’s Make Music Day Brings Free Concerts Across City

San Francisco was alive with the sound of music on Wednesday, thanks to free pop-up concerts that celebrated international Make Music Day. It was San Francisco’s second summer solstice celebration of the event, which differs from a typical music festival in that anyone is welcome to perform, no matter their age, experience, or musical persuasion. The event took place from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. in parks, libraries, community centers and more.

Published

3 months ago

June 25, 2023

Oakland Post

Singer-songwriter Jesse Loren Strickman takes the stage in Golden Gate Park at San Francisco's Make Music Day on June 21, 2023. (Deidre Foley/Bay City News)

By Deidre Foley
Bay City News

San Francisco was alive with the sound of music on Wednesday, thanks to free pop-up concerts that celebrated international Make Music Day.

It was San Francisco’s second summer solstice celebration of the event, which differs from a typical music festival in that anyone is welcome to perform, no matter their age, experience, or musical persuasion. The event took place from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. in parks, libraries, community centers and more.

The largest venue was Golden Gate Park, which held more than a dozen performances across four stages. The Golden Gate Bandshell, located in the park’s Music Concourse, drew dozens of people during its first performance by singer-songwriter Jesse Loren Strickman.

Among the crowd was Marty Noll, who said this was his first time out in three years without a mask.

“I just turned 77 and, you know, who knows how much longer you have left?” he said.

Noll found the concert online by chance and decided it would be a great opportunity for him and his wife to have a reunion with friends.

One of those friends, Paul Miller, said the event was fantastic. “These days it’s insanely expensive to go and see live music,” he said. “This is free, it’s great, and you don’t have to deal with thousands and thousands of people.”

Aside from the concerts at the park, many small businesses and community spaces hosted musicians. The Far Out Gallery, an art space in the Outer Sunset, participated in Make Music Day for the second time.

Gallery co-owner Peter Munks said he and his partner had a “magical experience” at Paris’ music day a few years ago, so when he saw that San Francisco was having its own iteration he signed up.

Munks, also a folk singer, opened the gallery with an acoustic set with songs from Bob Dylan, Phil Oaks, Joni Mitchell and more.

The city’s Make Music Day was orchestrated by the city’s Office of Small Business in collaboration with San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, the San Francisco Public Library, the Consulate General of France in San Francisco, the National Association of Music Merchants Foundation and more.

Make Music Day began more than 40 years ago as the Fete de la Musique in France as an effort to bring music everywhere, to everyone. It’s since spread to over 1,000 cities in 120 countries around the world.

Bay Area

Firefighters Rescue Man Who Fell Down Fort Funston Cliff with 2 Dogs

The San Francisco Fire Department said Wednesday afternoon that they have rescued a man who fell off a cliff in the Fort Funston area. The initial call came in at 11:39 a.m. Fort Funston is on Skyline Boulevard at John Muir Drive, west of Lake Merced. The high wind area has steep cliffs overlooking the ocean in the city’s southwest corner.

Published

3 months ago

June 25, 2023

Oakland Post

The San Francisco Fire Department logo, serving San Francisco, California. (San Francisco Fire Department via Bay City News)

By Bay City News

The San Francisco Fire Department said Wednesday afternoon that they have rescued a man who fell off a cliff in the Fort Funston area.

The initial call came in at 11:39 a.m. Fort Funston is on Skyline Boulevard at John Muir Drive, west of Lake Merced. The high wind area has steep cliffs overlooking the ocean in the city’s southwest corner.

The man rescued was uninjured. Fire officials said on Twitter at 12:24 p.m. that firefighters were on their way back down to rescue the two dogs.

Bay Area

President Joe Biden Concludes Bay Area Visit

President Joe Biden has concluded his three-day trip to the Bay Area after departing Wednesday morning from San Francisco International Airport on Air Force One. On Monday, Biden visited Palo Alto to announce a $600 million investment toward climate adaptation strategies across the country.

Published

3 months ago

June 25, 2023

Oakland Post

On Tuesday, Biden discussed the future of artificial intelligence technology with Newsom and a collective of tech leaders at the Fairmont San Francisco hotel. The discussion comes as AI tools like ChatGPT emerge into the public sector. The technology is both promising and risky -- Biden noted that while it may boost productivity, AI can also make spotting misinformation harder and put human jobs at risk.

By Olivia Wynkoop
Bay City News

President Joe Biden has concluded his three-day trip to the Bay Area after departing Wednesday morning from San Francisco International Airport on Air Force One.

On Monday, Biden visited Palo Alto to announce a $600 million investment toward climate adaptation strategies across the country.

He announced the investment at Lucy Evans Baylands Nature Interpretive Center and Preserve, a marshland estimated to protect nearly 1,600 homes from flooding and sea level rise. Biden noted the preserve as a “success story” in the efforts to better prepare for climate-induced natural disasters and mitigate carbon pollution.

He also announced an additional $67 million in federal funds for California to build power lines. Gov. Gavin Newsom, who also attended the announcement, said the assistance will support the state’s push for 100 percent clean energy by 2045.

A White House representative said Biden then went on to attend two re-election campaign fundraising events, one hosted in Los Gatos and another hosted in Atherton.

On Tuesday, Biden discussed the future of artificial intelligence technology with Newsom and a collective of tech leaders at the Fairmont San Francisco hotel.

The discussion comes as AI tools like ChatGPT emerge into the public sector. The technology is both promising and risky — Biden noted that while it may boost productivity, AI can also make spotting misinformation harder and put human jobs at risk.

The president said he is committed to implementing safeguards to ensure there are no threats to national security or the economy before these tools become public.

The discussion included input from Dr. Arati Prabhakar, Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, Tristan Harris of the Center for Human Technology and Jim Steyer of Common Sense Media, among other Silicon Valley stakeholders.

Later Tuesday, Biden attended two more fundraisers in Marin County and San Francisco before heading back Wednesday morning to Washington, D.C., according to White House officials.