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Weekly Update
Jan. 29, 2014

 

In this Issue:

SHA_News

SHA News
IHO_Update
Board of Supervisors Votes on Changes to the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance    
 

 

SHA's partners at Sacramento ACT hold a prayer after Tuesday's Board of Supervisors Meeting

 

During final talks on Sacramento County's Inclusionary Housing Ordinance at the Board of Supervisors meeting Tuesday, our coalition pushed for a strong affordable housing policy for Sacramento County's low-income workers. Some members of our group discussed the Board of Supervisors' responsibility to the community's affordable housing needs from a faith-based perspective, while others underscored affordable housing's role in economic justice or environmental sustainability. Each speaker allied with our cause urged our elected officials to do the best they could for their constituents by preserving a mandate to build affordable housing in new developments and including an in-lieu fee that is sufficient to address the need for affordable housing. 

 

We handed over nearly 500 letters of support for a fair Inclusionary Housing Ordinance, including letters from Assemblymembers Pan, Cooley and Dickinson. In spite of our best efforts and combined advocacy, the Board of Supervisors voted to approve an ordinance that does little for our fast-food workers, retail employees, daycare workers, and so many more who earn poverty wages.

 

In 3-2 vote, Phil Serna, Roberta MacGlashan and Jimmie Yee landed on an agreement that made few concessions to low-income Sacramentans. Don Nottoli is to be commended on his "No" vote, wanting more discussion on an increased fee and an inclusionary option--where developers would be required to build affordable housing units in new developments and not be able to fee-out entirely. You can see the details of the approved proposal below, with SHA's take on its components:

  • Developers must pay a $2.50 in-lieu fee per square foot of market-rate units built in new developments. This $2.50 will be deposited into a Housing Trust Fund, which will subsidize affordable housing. We believe that $6 is the minimum in-lieu fee that would make it possible to grow the housing trust fund at a pace that would address the need for affordable housing in our community. This represents a departure from the last ordinance, which mandated developers to build affordable housing without an option to pay a fee. 
  • The $2.50 fee is based on an average unit size of 2,250 square feet.
  • There will be no fee cap in place based on square footage. This was one of our asks--to have developers take responsibility for the size of each of their units without a cap. Supervisor MacGlashan added this component to the proposal. 
  • A $50,000 subsidy from the housing trust fund will be applied to each affordable housing unit in market-rate developments. The Sacramento Housing Alliance maintains that the required subsidy will be closer  to $105,000 per unit in each development. 
  • Guidelines will be set for 50% of in-lieu fees to be applied toward affordable housing in new developments, with a 10% Extremely Low-Income component (Extremely Low-Income represents 30% of the Area Median Income: $23,000 for a family of four).  
  • The above elements will create a 10% affordable housing plan for new developments in the unincorporated areas of Sacramento County. This percentage is a decrease from the 15% in the last Inclusionary Housing Ordinance. 

 

The formal adoption of this proposal will take place on Tuesday, February 11 at a time to be announced. 

 

Affordable housing is what stabilizes many struggling individuals and families. We will continue to fight for low-wage workers in our community by pushing for a robust Mixed Income Housing Ordinance in the City of Sacramento. Please join us for this campaign by attending the workshops discussed in this e-newsletter.

 

Thank you again for your amazing partnership. 

 


Sac_News_and_Review
Sacramento News & Review: Affordable housing advocates settle for a bland bargain

 


After Chairman Jimmie Yee got done disenfranchising

 some 20-odd housing advocates with his arbitrary limits on public comment, his fellow conspirators on the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors took to replacing their landmark affordable housing policy with New Coke.

 

The taste in everyone's mouth is still pretty nasty.

 

During a roughly three-hour hearing on Tuesday-one that played like deja vu for anyone following the county's months-long reexamination of its six-year-old inclusionary housing ordinance-planners, builders, advocates and politicians quibbled over everything, from the average square footage of Sacramento County homes to whether progressive housing targets halted development, or if the economy did.

 

Read Raheem Hosseini's full article here.

SHC
Sacramento Hunger Coalition: SNAP Cuts Proposed - Contact Your Member of Congress Today!

 

 

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) cuts are on the table--$8.6 billion to be exact. This would leave behind many families who rely on SNAP to provide them with healthy food. In addition, new proposals for a lifetime ban for people w/ prior felony convictions, identity requirements, a work program, restrictions on homeless restaurant meals program, and more, are being discussed. Now, more than ever, we need your support.

 

Please send the email below or make a call to your Member of Congress today, and spread the word to your friends, family and colleagues. 

 

I am writing to ask the California Congressional Delegation to vote "No" on H.R. 2642 which includes $8.6 billion in cuts from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly food stamp program) proposed in the Farm Bill Conference Committee. These savings would come from cuts in the level of assistance provided to some SNAP beneficiaries who receive the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) and are on top of the $11 Billion (nearly $1/2 B in CA alone) in SNAP Cuts that began on November 1st.

 

Cuts to SNAP have not only made families hungrier, but more vulnerable to poor health. These cuts also impacted the retail economy (according to the Los Angeles Times) and have squeezed the food banks dry (according to USA TODAY). SNAP Cuts are job killers too. The USDA-ERS estimates that for every $1Billion in SNAP, between 8,900 to 17,900 jobs are created, which means the opposite is true.  

 

While we are still reviewing the language, not available January 27, it appears that the bill proposes other changes to SNAP eligiblity and process that would reduce program efficiency, be very complicated to implement and increase hunger.    

 

We have heard that a vote on the Farm Bill Conference Report could happen as soon as Wednesday on the House Floor.  Were asking you to vote "No."

 

To learn more about strong opposition to SNAP cuts from CA Leaders, including letters from our State Legislature, Los Angeles County and our County Administrators, by clicking here

Community_Workshops
Action Alert! Attend Community Workshops for the City of Sacramento Mixed Income Housing Ordinance
Today's Community Workshop at South Natomas Community Center
 

   

  • January 29 (Today), 6 to 7:30 p.m., at South Natomas Community Center, 2921 Truxel Rd.
  • February 5, 6 to 7:30 p.m., at Pannell Meadowview Community Center, 2450 Meadowview Rd. 
Thanks to your excellent advocacy and support last year, the Sacramento City Council decided in favor of gaining community feedback in an extended stakeholder's process to assess potential changes to the Mixed Income Housing Ordinance before they are made. 
 

Your participation and input is needed at a series of workshops (listed above) to prevent the City of Sacramento from making drastic changes to the City's Mixed Income Housing Ordinance. These changes would hamper the construction of housing built for residents of low, very low and extremely low income levels in mixed-income neighborhoods. Join us at these community meetings to oppose changes to the Mixed Income Housing Ordinance. Together we will advocate for inclusionary communities and healthy neighborhoods, which create opportunities for everyone to fulfill the American dream. 

 

Click here for more information about the Mixed Income Housing Ordinance and its proposed changes.

 

Sac_Biz
Sacramento Business Journal: Affordable housing a tough sell for new SHA director 
 
Darryl Rutherford, the new executive director for the Sacramento Housing Alliance, said he's determined to keep the conversation going about affordable housing.

  

To carry the banner for affordable housing when the overall housing market has come back may not get the best reception from builders. But Darryl Rutherford, the new executive director for the Sacramento Housing Alliance, said he's determined to keep the conversation going.

 

Chief among the immediate challenges, said Rutherford, is working on attempts by both the city of Sacramento and Sacramento County to amend or change inclusionary housing ordinances. For Sacramento County, Rutherford said, it's unfortunate because the existing ordinance hasn't gotten a chance to work.

 

"When they adopted this measure, they spent two years in litigation over it, then the economy collapsed," he said. "It was just very, very bad timing, when we were hoping to see the ordinance get a chance to build out."

 

A new county proposal to create affordable housing funding by charging a per-square-foot fee is probably short of what would be needed, Rutherford said, so his group would like to see the fee be higher, and possibly some consideration for dedicating land for affordable housing as well.

 

For the city of Sacramento, a bid to add "affordable by design" standards to new homes also needs work, Rutherford said, because of fears it'll result in units becoming market rate even if they're not intended to be.

 

Read Ben van der Meer's full article here.

localnews

Local News
Habitat_for_Humanity 
The Sacramento Bee: Sacramento Habitat for Humanity delivers its 100th home
 
Sacramento Habitat for Humanity CEO Ken Cross, left, hands over the key to a home Saturday to Bouchaib Achak during a dedication ceremony of homes built by Habitat for Humanity in Sacramento. 
 

With gifts at their feet symbolizing prosperity and shelter, the families gathered on a small stage in south Sacramento to take their final step toward homeownership. Four sets of keys jangled in the palm of Ken Cross, chief executive officer of Sacramento Habitat for Humanity. The families were not only about to unlock a new front door, but they also hoped to open a world of stability and home affordability that was once foreign.

 

It's a scene that's now hit the century mark. On Saturday morning, Sacramento Habitat for Humanity dedicated four new homes: its 99th through 102nd. Sacramento Habitat for Humanity has assisted low-income local families in building affordable homes and guided them toward ownership since 1985.

 

Read Chris Macias' full article here.  

RCAC
RCAC Seeks Homeownership Options Manager


Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC) is seeking a Homeownership Options Manager to lead, support and coordinate housing field staff and their activities for strengthening the network of nonprofits doing homeownership activities such as self-help housing, single family housing development, rehabilitation, financing, marketing, sale and homebuyer preparation in rural communities.

 

Major responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Develop and manage measurable outcomes for the unit that demonstrates RCAC's value to communities and nonprofit developers in the rural west; assist in developing relationships and proposals to attract resources to this work; work in a team of managers to lead, develop and inspire RCAC's work. 

 

Survey
Highlight the Need for Affordable Housing in City of Sacramento Survey
 

      

 
Take the Survey Now

 

The City of Sacramento wants to hear your input on the best ways to make our community an economically and globally competitive place to work and live.

 

Affordable housing is one of Sacramento's largest areas for economic improvement. When our workforce can afford a place to live, they will have money left over for other necessities, such as food, childcare, medicine and transportation. Not only does this benefit low-income workers and their families, it strengthens our local economy. 

 

9,200 city homes are overcrowded as families double up and live in unsafe conditions.These are our community's pharmacy aides, childcare workers, bank tellers and restaurant cooks. Please let our leaders know that building more affordable housing should be prioritized to help Sacramentans gain financial stability. 

statenews

State News
SB391_Updates
California Homes and Jobs Act: Take Action

 

 

 

Everyone in California needs a safe and affordable place to call home. Rents and mortgages within the reach of working families are critical to maintaining California's business competitiveness. Let's get California building again by passing the California Homes and Jobs Act (SB 391). 

 

Has your city and county supported this important bill? State legislators often look to their local counterparts as barometers of local voters' sentiments. A number of city councils and county boards of supervisors have signed on as endorsers--has yours? If not, the SB 391 campaign can provide sample resolutions and answer any questions you have. Contact Karen Naungayan (knaungayan@housingca.org).

 
One Easy Action You Can Take Today

Now that the Legislature is back, we have a quick and easy action for everyone to take.  

  • Take Action: Sign a petition asking Assemblymembers to make homes and jobs a priority in 2014.  

Who will receive the petition? 

When you "sign" by typing in your name and address, the petition will automatically be emailed to your Assemblymember (based on your zip code). At a later date, we may also print a copy to deliver to Assemblymembers.

 

If you're signing on behalf of an organization, be sure to note that in the "Comments" box.

 

Please share the petition far and wide:

  • Email to your contacts.
  • Include in your next newsletter 
  • Post it on Facebook
  • Include it in a tweet
  • Share it on LinkedIn
Monterey_County_Weekly
Monterey County Weekly: Why people fear affordable housing, and why they really shouldn't

 

 

 

The phrase "someplace else" is one that's been bandied around in my presence more than a few times lately. Someplace else. As in, those people need to live someplace else because that project needs to be built someplace else, because if it's not built someplace else I'm going to be forced to move someplace else.

 

And I'm wondering: Where exactly is someplace else?

 

The first instance that comes to mind happened Dec. 18, at a meeting of the Downtown Salinas Vibrancy Committee. The point of the group is as the name suggests: How do we bring more - more business, more liveliness, more restaurants, more families (those all-important families) - to Oldtown?

 

About 75 people attended the Dec. 18 meeting held at the National Steinbeck Center. We broke into small groups and were asked to share ideas, with the premise being that no idea was deemed too wild, too big or too dumb to share. One idea: If a developer is going to build, they should build mixed-use developments, with retail on the ground floor and apartments above. And make those apartments a mix of market rate, below-market rate and very low-income too.

 

National_News

National News
Trans_Form
TransForm: Congress Shouldn't Punish Transit Riders and Reward Car Drivers - Take Action Now
 
Do you think people who drive to work should get a tax break for their parking costs nearly twice that of those who take public transportation to work? 

That's exactly what happened on January 1st when Congress failed to extend the federal tax benefit that allows employees to deduct $245/month from their paychecks (before taxes) to apply towards public transportation costs.

Now the tax benefit for transit riders is just $130/month.  Meanwhile, Congress increased the tax benefit for car drivers for their parking costs from $245/month to $250/month!  It's not fair, and frankly, it's not right.

Currently there are two bills pending in Congress that would make the tax benefits for transit riders equal to those of car drivers (HR 2288 and S 1116).

Tell your Congressperson right now to support this legislation so public transportation riders don't lose out in 2014.

JOIN THE SACRAMENTO HOUSING ALLIANCE
 
 
Our mission is to work for safe, decent, accessible, affordable housing and healthy communities for homeless and low-income people through advocacy, education, leadership development and civic engagement.

Jessica Merrill

Communications Director

Sacramento Housing Alliance
1800 21st Street, Suite 100, Sacramento, CA 95811
(916) 455-4900 x302
jessica@sachousingalliance.org 
www.sachousingalliance.org

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