November 2022 Newsletter

Dear Generation,

A friend recently told me that her employer’s gratitude coach emphasized that a meaningful gratitude practice had to include not just the easy obvious happy stuff (friends! good health!) but the challenges we face that serve to make us better people. It’s with both of those ideas, the easy stuff, and the challenging stuff, that I say, and I speak for the whole Generation Housing team: we are grateful for our jobs.

We are grateful that we have jobs that pay a living wage, that offer some flexibility in how and where we work, that provide quality healthcare benefits and retirement plan opportunities. We know that not everyone has all, or any of these things, and for these things we are deeply grateful. 

We are also grateful that we have the opportunity to make a difference in one of the critical challenges facing the people in our community, a difference that will be felt, if not immediately, in the not so distant future, as we help clear the way for more sticks in the ground, more house keys in hands, and more people who can do better with their paychecks than just “make the rent.”  We are especially grateful that we have the opportunity to make policy changes in our local housing system that can have enduring, generational impact. 

And a former school board colleague often said, real change is real hard. And we are grateful this work is hard. Changing institutional policy and practice requires that we be better problem solvers. It requires that we are courageously visionary, which requires a sort of public vulnerability. Committing to maintaining a collaborative, big tent organization requires that we learn to approach this work with humility, embrace the concept of redemption and forgiveness, admit and learn from our mistakes, and engage in difficult conversations, diving into the gray nuance of issues often fraught with political pitfalls, differing perspectives, deeply ingrained fears, and confusing data.

And speaking just for myself, as a practical matter, doing this work, which operates on several parallel paths, requires that I get better at organization and prioritization. Perhaps those skills will bleed over into my regular life and I will lose my keys less often and, at least sometimes, embrace a more relaxed pace.

And so we say thank you for the grant funding, contract funding, and memberships that make our jobs possible, thank you to our Advisory Board, committee members, and frequent volunteers for supporting our work, and thank you to each of you who are willing to join us in speaking up for bold housing solutions, even when it’s hard. You are Gen H.

Jen Klose, Executive Director

It's not too late to join us for #givingtuesday! Together, we can lift up our most vulnerable, improve the health and educational outcomes of our kids, spur the local economy, and protect and improve our environment. It all starts with housing.

This holiday season, take the first step towards housing solutions.

If you have not yet joined as a member, join We Are Gen H today. Together, we can increase the power of our own voices and create meaningful and lasting change.

If you are already a member, consider an additional end of year gift or gifting membership to someone who might be interested in housing solutions.

Sonoma County Housing Element Digest

The House Element process has been incredibly active over the past month for many of our jurisdictions as they race to meet the “soft” January 31, 2023 deadline for adoption of their new 2023-2031 Housing Element. The California Department of Housing and Community Development (“HCD”) offers a 120-day grace period after this date in order to help jurisdictions avoid having a non-compliant Housing Element. Non-compliance can result in a variety of outcomes such as lawsuits, loss of permitting authority, financial penalties, and what’s known as the “Builder’s Remedy”,* among other things.  To learn more about the consequences of non-compliance, check out this helpful Association of Bay Area Government’s handout.

The good news - all Sonoma County jurisdictions are currently on track to have HCD certified and adopted Housing Elements within the time period described above. We continue to monitor local activity around the Housing Elements and encourage everyone to follow our social media for updates or subscribe to specific action alerts here. We’re also providing all available information below. 

More transparency needed - Generation Housing and a coalition of partners have requested redlined versions of HCD Housing Element draft submissions that highlight how community input was integrated after jurisdictions' respective 30-day public review periods. To date, only the City of Santa Rosa and the City of Sonoma have offered redlined versions. We continue to press for redlined versions being posted to city websites for public consumption. 

For your information - If you live in a jurisdiction that has already submitted their draft Housing Element to HCD for the 90-day review, fret not. You can still submit public comment to the jurisdiction, just be certain to carbon copy (“cc”) - housingelements@hcd.ca.gov.  We would also love to see your comments too, so feel free to add calum@generationhousing.org to your cc line.

• Cloverdale: The draft Housing Element comment period closed on Sunday (11/27), however, we encourage you to still submit comments as you discover them. 
• Click here to track Housing Element updates on their website
• You can submit public comment to the City of Cloverdale by emailing CloverdaleHousingElement@4leafinc.com or mail/deliver to Cloverdale City Hall (124 N. Cloverdale Blvd)
• Click here to get Cloverdale specific action alerts!
• Cotati: The draft Housing Element was officially submitted to HCD on November 21, 2022 for the 90-day review period. 
• Click here to track Housing Element updates on their website
• You can still submit public comment by emailing Cotati@TheCivicEdge.com.  
• Click here to get Cotati specific action alerts!
• Healdsburg: The draft Housing Element was officially submitted to HCD on November 15, 2022 for the 90-day review period.
• Click here to read the draft Housing Element
• You can still submit public comment by emailing HousingElement@Healdsburg.gov 
• Click here to get Healdsburg specific action alerts!
• Petaluma: The draft Housing Element was officially submitted to HCD on October 31, 2022 for the 90-day review period. 
• Click here to track Housing Element updates on their website
• You can still submit public comment by emailing planpetaluma@cityofpetaluma.org. 
• Click here to get Petaluma specific action alerts!
• Rohnert Park: The draft Housing Element was officially submitted to HCD on September 20, 2022 for the 90-day review period. No word has been received at this time as to whether HCD has provided initial informal feedback. 
• Click here to track Housing Element updates on their website
• The Housing Element Environmental Document is now available at the link above as well. Public comment on this document extends through December 23, 2022. 
• You can still submit public comment on the draft by emailing housingelement@rpcity.org. 
• Click here to get Rohnert Park specific action alerts!
• Santa Rosa: The 90-day review period by HCD has ended. The City has received and posted to their website a letter from HCD that provides comments and additional direction on addressing some outstanding issues. Additional work is being conducted by the City with Generation Housing and other stakeholders to refine the draft before submitting a revised version to HCD for a second review period of 60 days. For more information about this, please email our Policy Director Calum Weeks at calum@generationhousing.org 
• Click here to track Housing Element updates on their website
• Comments on the draft Housing Element can still be submitted via email srforward@srcity.org, through their website comment form, or by mailing or delivering handwritten comments in person to the following address: 100 Santa Rosa Avenue, Room 3, Santa Rosa, CA 95404
• Click here to get Santa Rosa specific action alerts!
• Sonoma: The draft Housing Element was officially submitted to HCD on October 26, 2022 for the 90-day review period. 
• Click here to track Housing Element updates on their website
• You can still submit public comment on the draft by emailing publiccoment@sonomacity.org. For a redlined version of this document, please email watkins@sonomacity.org. 
• Click here to get Sonoma specific action alerts!
• Windsor: The draft Housing Element was officially submitted to HCD on November 2, 2022 for the 90-day review period. 
• Click here to track Housing Element updates on their website
• You can still submit public comment on the draft by emailing pstreeter@townofwindsor.com. 
• Click here to get Windsor specific action alerts!
• County of Sonoma: The draft Housing Element is currently available for public comment until December 4, 2022. 
• Click here to track Housing Element updates on their website
• Comment on the draft Housing Element can be submitted via email to PermitSonoma-Housing@sonoma-county.org or by regular mail to Permit Sonoma, Attn: Eric Gage, 2550 Ventura Ave., Santa Rosa, California 95403.
• Click here to get Unincorporated County of Sonoma specific action alerts!

To learn more about the Housing Element process and to track the progress for each jurisdiction, click here. You can find information about the Housing Element process here as well.

*Builder’s Remedy: A provision of California’s Housing Accountability Act (“HAA”) which affords a developer the opportunity to bypass local zoning code and general plans that are out of compliance with the Housing Element Law. It has only been used in a limited capacity until more recently. See this UCLA Lewis Center report for more information.

Important Meetings on the Horizon! Consider joining Generation Housing for the following meetings, as they will have significant impact on the respective jurisdictions. The agendas for all of them have yet to be released, however, you can expect to see that information as soon as it becomes available. 

• 12/5 Petaluma City Council - Introduction (First Reading) of an Ordinance Approving a Zoning Text Amendment to Chapter 11.040 (Alternatives to On-Site Parking) of the Implementing Zoning Ordinance to Provide a Reduction from the Parking Requirements in Table 11.1 (Number of Automobiles Required) for All Land Uses through a Conditional Use Permit
• 12/13 Santa Rosa City Council - Downtown High-Density Multi-Family Residential Fee Incentives
• 12/16 Board of Supervisors, Special Meeting - Specific Plan for Sonoma Development Center
• 1/24 Santa Rosa City Council, Study Session: Annexation opportunities for Santa Rosa; Federal Legislative Platform

Planning for more housing is a crucial first step on the path to meeting our affordable housing needs. It’s one that cities in Sonoma County are taking right now through their Housing Element process - a plan required every 8 years by the state to show how and where they will add homes within their boundaries. Planning, however, is a distinct process from building: and building requires financial support. Since the 1990’s, local jurisdictions have taken on a greater share of the cost for funding housing development. But the increase in the supply of housing will require new and ever larger sources of funding often beyond the reach of individual city budgets. In response to this need, the state’s Department of Housing and Community Development has added a new tool to prioritize funding for jurisdictions most committed to building housing. 

The Prohousing Designation is a status awarded to cities that accelerate the approval and construction of housing. Cities that win the designation from the state will be first in line for critical state housing funds from the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities program and Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program, to name just a few. Policies that qualify a city for the designation include those that significantly:

• Lower impact fees
• Streamline the approval processes for new development, and
• Increase allowable density

This means the state is willing to support housing where it is most likely to get built: in cities and towns that have created the policies that help ensure it does. 

Generation Housing is committed to helping those cities and towns create those policy changes required to spur more, mode diverse, and more affordable housing. Just as critical as planning, these state funds can eliminate the financial obstacles to building affordable rental housing, especially in previously exclusionary, high-opportunity neighborhoods. As of November 2022, we have begun working to understand the steps for achieving the Prohousing Designation. Evaluating the state’s sole winning application from Sacramento, we have initiated an in-depth review of the policies and jurisdictional codes that qualify a city for the designation. Beginning in December we will provide technical assistance to cities with a commitment to going above and beyond the state-mandated Housing Element requirements. Generation Housing, in collaboration with housing consultants and community advocates, will assist jurisdictions in crafting robust plans in support of the Prohousing application.

January House Party

Thursday, January 19

5:30-6:30 P.M | Doors Open at 5:00 P.M

Latino Service Providers, 1015 Center Dr, Suite A

Santa Rosa, CA 95403

We are thrilled to announce our January House Party, which will be co-hosted with our partners at Latino Service Providers!

Join us for a quick catch up on housing happenings and Generation Housing’s work around the county, and then spend some time getting to know other housing advocates!

Together, each of you, all of us, and all residents of Sonoma County. We Are Gen H, and we all need affordable places to live. 

The “We Are Gen H” pro-housing campaign lifts up the experiences of workers, artists, and students in the community and organizes community members to take action and show support for more construction of more types of housing in Sonoma County. 

Do you belong to a service, social, political, faith club or organization that wants to make a difference in our community? 

Housing is an issue that affects everyone in our communities. We need plenty of it, in order to house all of our community members, specially the workers who help power our local economy, and aren't forced to leave the north bay in search of better opportunities elsewhere. We need housing that people can afford, to make sure that their families have a decent quality of life, and the cost of housing does not get paid at the expense of other basic needs.

However, we need public and political will to ensure we meet our housing production goals. That is why, as part of our #WeAreGenH Public Will Building Campaign, we are looking for opportunities to introduce the work of Generation Housing to your club or organization. Because together, building a pro housing voice, we will make a difference. 

Please send any contact information to ramon@generationhousing.org or (707) 934-7124. 

Generation Housing has created endorsement criteria to help identify projects that will be prioritized for support. The endorsement criteria are designed with three key factors:

• Generation Housing’s guiding principles,
• Projects that will have a large impact in addressing local housing needs, and
• Projects that may require greater levels of support relative to other comparable projects.

The endorsement criteria are designed to serve as a tool for Generation Housing to prioritize allocation of its organization capacity in helping advance impactful projects for our community.

Marin housing mix shifts in environmental report for mandate | Marin Independent Journal

Parts of northern San Rafael and northern Novato could have additional housing assigned to them as part of the county’s effort to comply with an ambitious state housing mandate.

Realtor group laments past role | Press Democrat

The California Association of Realtors has apologized for the “leading role” it played in the state’s history of “segregation and exclusionary practices,” becoming the first state Realtor association to do so.

Final environmental report released for county's bid to transform Sonoma Developmental Center with housing | Sonoma Index Tribune

Sonoma County’s planning department has released the final environmental impact report for the long-debated plan meant to guide growth and open space protection at the Sonoma Developmental Center.

Close to Home: Santa Rosa needs protected bike lanes | Press Democrat

What if we told you there was a cheap and easy way to reduce traffic in Santa Rosa by as much as 25%?

It’s called Class IV protected bike lanes.

SMART approves $14.1 million for a second Petaluma train station | Press Democrat

The Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit agency’s board of directors has given the green light for $14.1 million to be used to complete construction of Petaluma’s second train station.

California Gov. Newsom campaigned on building 3.5 million homes. He hasn't gotten even close | Press Democrat

Just 13% of the 3.5 million homes he campaigned on building have been permitted, let alone built. He’s walked back the goal many times, settling on a new target earlier this year: Cities need to have planned a combined 2.5 million homes by 2030. So, a million fewer homes planned for, not built, and over a longer time frame.

How the lack of affordable housing is a crisis for North Bay health care | North Bay Business Journal

In a market where the average home price is north of $800,000 and rent at nearly $4,000 a month for a two-bedroom apartment, that people leave jobs or don’t accept offers may not be news to North Bay employers.

In Pushing Affordable Housing Measures, Local Leaders Ask Voters to Contend with Racist Housing Law | KQED

Oakland City Councilmember Carroll Fife wants you to know what Article 34 is. She wants you to face it, in all its historical ugliness, and do something about it.

Marin County movie theater closes, and housing might replace it | North Bay Business Journal

Marin County has lost another movie theater in Century Larkspur Landing, but city officials are eying the property as a potential residential redevelopment opportunity.

How Does Past Redlining Affect Present-Day Disparities in Educational Outcomes? | Urban Institute Initiative

This study examines how the HOLC maps relate to current patterns of school funding, diversity, and performance.

In the Sacramento area, when affordable housing is done well, it changes lives | Sacramento News & Review

Before securing affordable housing, artist Jose DiGregorio was sleeping in his art studio. Charnelle Burdine and Ashley Clark were living on the streets. Jessie Ann Wagster and her 15-year-old chihuahua, Jake, were living “day to day” out of her car.

Buchanan Mortgage Provides $35.5M Construction Loan for Multifamily Project in Downtown Santa Rosa, California | Rebusiness Online

Buchanan Mortgage Holdings, an affiliate of Newport Beach, Calif.-based Buchanan Street Partners, has provided a $35.5 million non-recourse senior construction loan for the development of an apartment community located at 888 Fourth in downtown Santa Rosa.

Demystifying Housing Policy:

Five Housing Terms Everyone Should Know

Housing affects all of us, yet the terminology used to discuss housing can be fraught with insider lingo and it can be difficult to fully grasp. So we’ve compiled a brief list of some of the most common terms used in the housing policy world to help everyone better understand and engage in the housing conversation.

HOUSING COST BURDEN

When 30% or more of a household’s income is spent on housing costs. Many households are severely over-burdened and pay more than 50% of their income towards housing.

HOUSING ELEMENT

A required element of all California city general plans, housing elements identify and analyze housing needs and include goals, objectives, policies and programs for providing a city’s fair share of affordable housing needs. Although state law mandates that jurisdictions rezone enough land to meet their regional housing needs allocation and each jurisdiction is required to have an approved housing element, jurisdictions retain local land use control and Housing Elements are only plans for housing. Advocates then push for implementation of these plans and work tirelessly to get these cities and counties to produce the homes their communities desperately need.

LAND TRUST

In the strictest sense, a nonprofit organization that sells affordable homes but retains ownership of the land under them in order to control, through the lease, the long-term affordability of the homes. The lease ensures that the home is resold to a low-income family, sold at a below-market price, and/or sold with a share of the appreciated value going to the nonprofit. The term is used more loosely to describe programs that subsidize fee simple homeownership for low-income families and impose similar kinds of long-term affordability controls.

YIMBY: Yes In My BackYard

Neighborhood support for housing development built near their own homes.



NIMBY: Not In My BackYard

Neighborhood opposition to housing development built near their own homes.

Visit our website to learn more housing terms at our Publications and Resources page and check out our Housing Glossary.