Californians can collectively combat housing crisis
Point fingers. Or join hands. California’s housing crisis, three decades in creation, impacts every community in our state. It also provides us with a collective opportunity — and responsibility — to address it.
Context: It’s been 30 years — 1989 — since our state consistently met its annual housing production goals to keep pace with our population. We won’t fix it overnight, but we must work to improve it every day. Four ways in which we can work together are policies, programs, production and a deeper philanthropic spirit:
• Policies: Kudos to Gov. Gavin Newsom and members of the California Legislature for taking the first step (“admit there’s a problem”) and setting specific, measurable goals to fix it (“3.5 million new homes over seven years”).
Policies impact the production of new homes, the preservation of existing homes and the protection tenants often need to stay in their rental homes. That’s why the Silicon Valley Leadership Group continues to champion streamlining the approval process and recent renter protection laws such as Assembly Bill 1482 by David Chiu, to cap annual rent increases to the rate of inflation plus 5%. In 2020 our Legislature must strengthen its focus on the production of new homes of all types, for all income levels, to meet the needs of hard-working Californians.
• Programs: Twenty-one years ago, the Leadership Group created “Housing Trust Silicon Valley,” capably led by CEO Kevin Zwick. Our initial goal: Raise $20 million in voluntary contributions to leverage $200 million in private development, initially assisting 4,800 families.
To meet a spectrum of need, we focused one-third for the homeless, one-third for affordable rental homes and one-third to help first-time homebuyers. Our Housing Trust Silicon Valley has now secured more than $250 million in voluntary contributions, leveraging nearly $3 billion, helping 30,000 individuals and families afford to live in the same communities in which they work.
• Production: We must be the “voice of the voiceless.” For two decades, Leadership Group members have endorsed more than 300 affordable home developments. In 2019 alone, we actively advocated for 13 sustainable developments, representing nearly 11,000 new homes. This is challenging work, in which we must build bridges with our fellow citizens. In the heat of public hearings, especially for affordable home developments, the emotion of the moment has led to personal attacks and threats of physical harm.
But here’s the irony; the lack of affordable homes is leading to a future in which our own kids will not be able to afford to live in the communities in which we’re raising them.
• Philanthropic spirit: When Apple CEO Tim Cook recently announced a $2.5 billion contribution for affordable homes; or Google CEO Sundar Pichai’s $1 billion announcement; Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s $1 billion announcement; Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins’ $50 million for homeless housing, a standard for unprecedented financial engagement was launched. When companies smaller in scale, but large in spirit, step up: Like LinkedIn, Pure Storage and others with multi-million contributions, it underscores our Valley’s willingness to place our wallets where our words are to serve communities and strengthen families. Even our small Foundation — the Silicon Valley Leadership Group Foundation — has contributed more than $2.5 million to Housing Trust Silicon Valley, through our annual Applied Materials “Silicon Valley Turkey Trot” to help currently homeless people secure safe, permanent and sustainable homes.
Let’s continue to show up (at public hearings for affordable home developments), speak up (for state policies that provide more homes) and stand up (for everyone in our community). This mission is best met by collective action. Our Silicon Valley Leadership Group founder David Packard said it best: “The betterment of society is not a job to be left to a few. It’s a responsibility to be shared by us all.”