THE GUARDSMAN & THEGUARDSMAN.COM | VOL. 160, ISSUE 5, OCT. 21 – NOV. 3, 2015 | 3
Prominent Journalists Spar Over San Francisco Housing Crisis
news
Otto Pippenger
workers and outsource housing to market-rate units,” Weinberg said. us,” Redmond said. Market-rate units are intended Edwards-Tiekert wondered if to pay for affordable ones through staff writer technology workers would even be taxes and fees. This November San Francisco willing to give up San Francisco and Redmond repeated opposition residents will determine the future of live in the surrounding area if nearby to the construction of market-rate housing in our city for years to come cities were to create the housing. affordable units on the grounds that by voting on this year’s housingHe asked the panelists to explain it is self-defeating to subsidize houscentric slate of ballot initiatives. On what would need to happen to sta- ing by raising property values with Oct. 7, three city journalists known bilize the Mission. new construction – especially since for covering the housing crisis comRedmond answered that in Proposition K would only guarantee peted to promote their positions in 33 percent affordable construction an intense three-person debate at on public land. “2,000 to 3,000 the Bayanihan Community Center. Estimating that Proposition A A QUICK INTRO TO HOUSING PROPOSITIONS The debate, “Will the would create no more than 1,200 Latino families have Rent Come Down After November? affordable units out of the 10,000 been forced out of Taking Stock of This Year’s Ballot needed, Redmond said that cur- The following Propositions will be four of the eleven total propositions Measures” was put together by rent goals will not be met without on the ballot for voters in San Francisco on Nov. 3, 2015. These proposthe Mission in the Urban IDEA, a local progressive new local sources of revenue. He als aim to regulate development or further address the housing crisis past few years...that’s think tank formed in 2013, to proposed increasing property taxes in San Francisco. According to Gabriel Metcalf, CEO of public policy help create “big ideas” about houson homeowners, or creating a city research company (SPUR), housing is the most contentious issue on the not OK.” ing, sustainability and services for income tax, concluding that a bil- San Francisco ballots for 2015. The following information are sourced —Tim Redmond progressives in San Francisco. lion dollar bond would be needed from Ballotpedia.org. Moderator Brian Edwardsto create enough revenue to build Tiekert, 48 Hills editor Tim addition to affordable housing, 10,000 units. Redmond, Cory Weinberg of the subsidies should be given to various Cutler, Redmond and Weinberg San Francisco Business Times and nonprofits to keep these organiza- all agreed that rents and residents are Proposition A, if passed, will authorize the city to use Kim-Mai Cutler of TechCrunch tions local. Weinberg answered that both going to continue growing for $310 million in bond money to fund public housing met in front a murmuring crowd the current plans to build below- the foreseeable future. The debate programs. The general obligation bond will allow the of city planning graduate students, market-rate housing are a step in offered a multitude of solutions, but city to build, buy or improve affordable housing in nonprofit developers, members the right direction. the decisions that matter first are San Francisco. of the density advocacy group Edwards-Tiekert’s next question those the public will vote on this San Francisco Bay Area Renters was how the mayor’s Proposition K November 3. YES on A— you want the City to issue these bonds to Federation (SFBARF) and more. housing development goals should A low-turnout election is expectfund affordable housing projects The speakers proposed solutions be paid for. ed, with hundreds of millions of NO on A— you don’t want the City to order these bonds. to the pressures on housing caused “The problem with building dollars and decades of ramifications by the influx of technology-sector affordable housing is that construc- coming down to the difference of a money and workers. tion of affordable units costs pretty few hundred votes. The subjects of discussion much the same as construction of Proposition F, if passed, will place restrictions and reguincluded four contentious housing lations on private short-term housing rentals in San ballot items – Propositions A, F, I Francisco. For instance, this legislation will limit private and K, plus speculative inquiries rentals to 75 nights per year, and insure these rentals are about the stability of the technolpaying hotel taxes and following city code. ogy industry, need for outlying cities to create housing and the emerging YES on F— you want the city to impose regulation on voting patterns of technology workprivate short-term rentals ers and companies. NO on F—you don’t want the city to impose regulation Discussion began with on private short-term rentals. Redmond making his case for Proposition I. “We know 2,000 to 3,000 Latino families have been forced out of Proposition I, if passed, will establish an 18-month the Mission in the past few years, moratorium on the construction of all market-rate housand we’ve gotta say that’s not OK,” ing more than five units in the Mission District and Redmond said. “We need to halt requires a neighborhood stabilization plan to be set for what’s going on in this city long the district by Jan. 31, 2017. The measure would require enough to create a plan for how to the city to withhold city permits for these developments. stop residents from being forced out.” YES on I— you want this 18 month moratorium to be Weinberg noted that the set for market rate housing in the Mission. Mission actually only has about NO on I— you don’t want this 18 month moratorium 2,000 units planned for constructo be set for market rate housing in the Mission. tion currently, and that the scarcity of Mission housing ensures that prices will continue to rise with or Proposition K- Proposition K, if approved, will expand without the moratorium. target income levels of housing developments of surplus Cutler argued that it was easier public lands to include units affordable to homeless and to decrease demand than increase those with income less than 55 percent of the median supply at a cost of roughly $600,000 income. The measure will require 15 percent of housfor each unit. ing built on surplus city property be made affordable She blamed competition in the to residents earning 55 percent of the area’s median Mission on South Bay cities like income or less. Cupertino for allowing technology companies to bring in workers withYES on K— you want to expand the range of income out creating sufficient new housing levels included in future housing developments on surfirst, and said wealthy new arrivals plus city property. are competing with existing resiNO on K— you don’t want these changes. dents out of necessity rather than Moderator Brian Edwards-Tiekart, Tech Crunch journalist Kimchoice. Mai Cutler, SF Business Times journalist Cory Weinberg, and 48 Redmond agreed that outly- Hills author and owner Tim Redmond (Right to left) during their ing cities are causing much of the October 7th panel titled “Will the Rent Come Down After November?” at the Bayanihan Community Center. (Photo by Otto problem. “It’s insane that places like Pippenger/The Guardsman) Cupertino can bring in 10,000 opippenger @ theguardsman . com
Alphabet Soup
PROPOSITION A
PROPOSITION F
PROPOSITION I
PROPOSITION K