August was an intense month for the housing world. There was the good: Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Barack Obama embraced a pro-housing agenda, with Harris declaring the importance of ‘ending America’s housing shortage’. And there was the normal sausage-making at the end of the legislative session in Sacramento with multiple HAC-sponsored bills moving to the Governor’s desk. But there was also the bad: the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority bond was pulled from the ballot. And it does leave us with some questions about what the future holds for housing.
Generally, I’m an optimistic person. I believe we’ve made significant progress on this issue in the near-decade I’ve worked at HAC, but I also understand we have a long way to go. I’ve experienced the ups and downs of policy, politics, and government. I’ve seen good leaders make mistakes and people I disagree with become more open to building more homes. I also believe we’re feeling the strongest-ever winds behind our pro-housing movement sails.
Yet, while pro-housing sentiment is at an all-time, it is juxtaposed against the reality that housing simply isn’t getting built at the rate we need to build it.
As I reflect on the past and look ahead to the election in a couple of months, a few things stand out to me. First, we have momentum, but we can’t take that for granted. There’s currently a window open to make legislative changes to create a better future for California. And we’re taking advantage of that opportunity by passing crucial legislation that will move the needle on housing for years to come. We should feel good and proud about the success we’ve had in the last decade.
I also understand that it’s not enough. It’s still unaffordable to live in many parts of California. We still have so many unhoused neighbors. We still have a housing system that takes far too long to create the number of homes we need. We still lack the financial resources to build the affordable housing we need for low- and middle-income residents. And we still have a strong anti-housing coalition that is fighting back against our progress. We clearly still have a long way to go.
So I see it both ways. There has been more good than bad, especially compared to the last 40 years. And we need to keep fighting because there are so many other problems facing our society that won’t be solved without the foundation a safe, secure, and affordable home provides. Education, health, poverty, and climate — all of these outcomes are connected to the state of housing in the region and state.
We will win this fight, but it will take time. And I can’t wait to keep working.
