Policy Updates

✧Bay Area Housing Finance Authority - Regional Bond✧

Support Funding for Affordable Homes!

We at HLC are excited to be reaching out to ask for your and your organization’s endorsement of the potential $10-20 billion nine-county Bay Area affordable housing bond to be administered by the  Bay Area Housing Finance Authority (BAHFA).  

BAHFA was established by the California State Legislature in 2019 to come up with and implement region-wide solutions to the Bay Area’s affordable housing issues and raising funding for affordable housing across all nine counties. Its focus is rooted in the “3P’s” of affordable housing. These are:

• Protection for current residents to prevent displacement
• Preservation of existing homes affordable to lower- and middle-income community members
• Production of new (especially affordable) homes at all income levels

A lot of our cities and counties in the Bay Area address their housing needs on an individual basis, usually with limited to no staff and financial resources. BAHFA’s success is important because it takes a more regional approach through coordination and provides access to funds and resources -- it helps create a level playing field among all 101 cities and 9 counties in the Bay Area.  

For San Mateo County, the Bay Area affordable housing bond will generate $1 billion for the protection of at-risk renters and the creation and preservation of affordable homes, but it won’t happen without your support. Please pass this along AND sign on to support Affordable Housing funding HERE! 

If you have any questions, please direct them to kchan@hlcsmc.org! 

Housing Elements Review

After months of revision and review, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors revisited the county housing element at their meeting this past Tuesday. To recap: The county first released its draft housing element in November 2022; the county submitted a housing element draft to the state Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) in January 2023; and HCD sent the county a review letter on April 20, 2023. HCD’s review letter identified numerous opportunities to improve the county’s housing element, 

In response to HCD’s review letter, a coalition of organizations led by HLC, Housing Choices, Greenbelt Alliance, and United Way Bay Area sent a public comment letter to the county with policy proposals. Our proposals are intended to help the city not only comply with state law but also to create a great plan for housing that proactively meets the needs of San Mateo County’s most vulnerable residents. Our coalition asked for policy recommendations in four areas:

• Rezone for denser housing throughout the county, including 150 du/ac in unincorporated Colma and Harbor Industrial, as well as 35 du/ac in West Menlo Park.
• Commit to implementing tenant protections, especially a just cause for eviction ordinance.
• Address the housing needs of our county’s most vulnerable residents, including those experiencing homelessness, large families, people with disabilities, and farm workers.
• Identify new sources for funding affordable housing and increase funding from existing sources.

At the meeting, staff presented a thoughtful set of proposals primarily focused on rezoning in order to address HCD’s comments. These proposals represent significant progress within the county to promote fair housing and truly deliver on the county’s housing goals.

Several supervisors indicated support for bold plans to create a great housing element. Supervisor Canepa kicked off the discussion after the staff presentation, advocating strongly for rezoning within his district and throughout the county. Specifically, Supervisor Canepa recommended rezoning unincorporated Colma to allow 150 dwelling units/acre–a visionary proposal to promote denser, more affordable housing near transit and jobs. He also indicated support for rezoning in West Menlo Park, the wealthiest, highest-opportunity segment of unincorporated San Mateo.

“Whether you live in Atherton, whether you live in Brisbane, whether you live in Daly City, whether you live in East Palo Alto, whether you live in the great city of San Mateo–no one is immune to produce housing,” Supervisor Canepa said. “I’m supportive of two primary rezonings: Higher density rezonings intended to help generate more opportunity sites for the county, and also for some lower-density rezonings intended to promote the missing middle housing alternatives that can promote increased housing choice in high-opportunity, high-cost neighborhoods.”

Supervisor Mueller, who delivered comments after Supervisor Canepa, underlined his support for rezoning in Coastal Zone areas within his district, a crucial step for delivering more farm labor and coastal workforce housing. He also expressed interest in further exploring the staff’s proposal to pursue small-scale rezonings on commercial property in West Menlo Park, particularly on vacant lots and parking lots. Our coalition maintains that the county should rezone for multi-family homes throughout Menlo Park, not just in a tiny section. We deeply value Supervisor Mueller’s leadership and openness to exploring bold housing solutions. 

Next on the roster, Supervisor Slocum indicated support for increasing the Measure K allocation dedicated to affordable housing, though he recognized that doing so may be difficult within the housing element. He also asked county staff about opportunities to include a commitment to tenant protections in the county housing element, to which he got an ambiguous response. Supervisor Pine supported the discussion of strengthening the county’s tenant protections at a later date but questioned whether it would be appropriate to include a commitment within the housing element.

Last but not least, Supervisor Corzo seconded Supervisor Canepa’s support for rezoning throughout the county. She further sought to advance a range of policies geared to address the needs of farmworkers, those with housing disabilities, and more. We look forward to continuing to partner with all of the supervisors to advance great policies within the housing element. 

There are two ways you can support our campaign for now:

1. Email the supervisors to thank them for their leadership planning for new housing and tenant protections at boardfeedback@smcgov.org
2. Sign on to our county housing element petition! We’re already at 358 signatures and running. 

On an unrelated note, Daly City recently closed its formal 30-day public comment period for its housing element—the last one for the county. Though cities’ formal public comment periods have ended, members of the public can still submit comments to your cities and cc housingelements@hcd.ca.gov to ensure they get on the record.