State’s new bills attack single-family housing
We need affordable housing. We also need protection against laws allowing corporate developers and real estate speculators to buy up single-family zoned properties, the primary means for people of all ethnicities to acquire asset wealth.
But Sacramento legislators are giving the green light to developers who view singlefamily lots as a cash cow. They don’t see “home.” They see housing-unit height and density; escalating land prices and increased income-generating capacity. It’s like the gold rush of the 1850s, but for real estate investors. They’ve persuaded legislators to author laws that favor developers; leaving the public to fend for itself. During the past four years, legislators passed 67 housing bills. Many reduce local control, weaken environmental protection and impose unfunded mandates, as well as ignoring issues of water and sewage.
Two laws push the needle in the wrong direction.
Senate Bill 9 allows for splitting a single-family lot into two and building two accessory dwelling units on both. One home, surrounded by greenery and permeable surfaces, can now be divided into six units. SB 10 allows 10 units on a former single-family parcel if it is in a vaguely defined “jobs-rich” or “transit-rich” area.
You think it can’t happen here? You’re mistaken.
Join a virtual Marin Town Hall on Wednesday from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. with Maria and Jeff Kalban, founders of United Neighbors, for a visual tour of how these bills impact communities throughout the state, including Marin. To register, go to bit.ly/marintownhall.
Marin Board of Supervisors President Dennis Rodoni is part of the presentation. I will facilitate the discussion. Twenty groups have endorsed the meeting, including California Cities for Local Control, Community Venture Partners, Responsible Growth Marin and Sustainable Tam/Almonte.
Legislators are busy micromanaging cities instead of setting sound housing policy. It’s time to remind them they are elected to represent us, their constituents.
— Susan Kirsch, Mill Valley