Density is our Destiny

[timosman]

https://siliconvalleyathome.org/event/san-jose-measure-v-affordable-san-jose/


On Tuesday, September 11th, the San Jose Housing Department is set to return to the City Council to request approval of a report that lays out a bond allocation plan for the $450 million bond measure on the November ballot, now known as Measure V—Yes on V, Affordable San Jose. SV@Home will be there to support affordable housing for working families, seniors, people with disabilities, unhoused residents, and other populations struggling to find affordable housing in this incredibly expensive city.

The San Jose City Council is also scheduled to discuss the Santa Clara County Civil Grand Jury report on the 11th. All of the cities in the county have been agendizing their responses to the Civil Grand Jury report, which proposes specific recommendations for each city to address the affordable housing crisis. The recommendations impact all jurisdictions and open up opportunities to take action on affordable housing policy in each community.

One of the Grand Jury’s recommendations is for the City to take action to establish a Commercial Linkage Fee, a source that all other large cities in the County have adopted. This is a great opportunity to come out in support of more affordable housing in San Jose!

The meeting agenda will be posted on the City of San Jose’s site on Friday, September 1st.

[timosman]

https://svtaxpayers.org/2018-measure-v


You really have to admire the gall of those who put this $450,000,000 bond measure on the ballot.

Why? Answer: Because a significant reason why we don’t have affordable housing is San Jose City policies that restrict new construction of affordable housing.

According to the National Association of Home Builders 24.3% of the cost of new housing is government red tape and associated fees and permit costs. Not to mention the additional costs of hiring licensed professionals to get building plans through the slow and bureaucratic city building and planning departments.

Here’s the source for the above information: https://www.constructiondive.com/news/nahb-regulatory-costs-account-for-243-of-new-home-price/418745/

The main reason that we don’t have affordable housing is the law of supply and demand, the basic economic principle we learned in high school.

When housing demand exceeds the supply, the price of housing goes up.

So, why hasn’t the supply kept up with the demand?

Answer: too much government

The supply is restricted because of government zoning laws that limits housing density.

The supply is restricted because of government banking laws that restrict lending for new construction.


The supply is restricted because of government building codes that add unnecessary costs.

The solution to affordable housing is clear; we need less government, not more. And certainly not more debt!

You got to hand it to big government advocates, they’ve created this housing problem, and now they propose to solve the problem with more government and more debt.

Don’t let big government special interest proponents fool you, vote NO on Measure V.

Remember bonds have to be paid back, with interest.

If this measure passes, your housing expenses will increase whether you rent or own!

Please vote NO on Measure V.

[enhanced_deficit]

That old song lyric
" Destiny has density at all the right places..."

NVM :)

[timosman]

https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/11/06/san-jose-election-results-early-returns-show-support-for-housing-infrastructure-bonds/



https://www.mercurynews.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/salm0707roads01.jpg

San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo pushed a bond measure to fund road and bridge repair.

With polls closed and ballots being tallied Tuesday night, early returns showed San Jose voters supporting a major $650 million infrastructure bond that would fund road and bridge repairs along with improvements to the city’s police and fire stations.

As of 4:22 a.m., approval for Measure T appeared set to surpass the two-thirds margin required to pass with 68.9 percent of the votes with 90 percent of precincts reporting.

Mayor Sam Liccardo and a bipartisan coalition of organizations had campaigned heavily for the measure, which was backed by the entire City Council, in recent weeks.

“We’re looking across the country at a deeply divided electorate,” Liccardo said Tuesday evening. “In contrast, here in San Jose we’re seeing very strong support across the spectrum for people coming together willing to make sacrifices to make their city safer and more affordable. And I think the San Jose story is an important contrast to what’s happening in the rest of the country.”

The city has a $1.4 billion infrastructure backlog that is growing by the year. In addition to funneling some $300 million into improving San Jose’s streets, the city would spend $50 million — in some cases by purchasing land — to strengthen flood protections in Coyote Valley to prevent another flood like the one that devastated entire neighborhoods in 2017 from occurring.

“We’ve got a lot of rebuilding to do in this city,” Liccardo said. “I think a lot of our residents will be thrilled to see streets getting repaved that haven’t seen any paving equipment in two decades.”

Residents of Willow Glen could soon see the long-sought Station 37 become a reality.

A separate $450 million bond measure, Measure V, to fund housing for low- and moderate-income families is failing with 85 percent of precincts reporting Wednesday morning.

As of 4 a.m., the measure has received 61.29 percent of the yes votes, short of the two-thirds needed to pass.

Voters in Santa Clara County approved a massive $950 million bond measure in 2016 specifically aimed at housing homeless people, but Liccardo and others said it left many low- and moderate-income people behind.

Both measures need support from two-thirds of the city’s voters to pass.

In District 7, the race between Maya Esparza and sitting Councilman Tam Nguyen remains tight with 86 percent of precincts reporting.

As of 4:22 a.m. Wednesday, Nguyen held 50.61 percent of the votes. Esparza was trailing by 117 votes.

The matchup was a repeat of 2014, when Nguyen beat Esparza, who snagged endorsements from some of the city’s most powerful labor organizations, by only about 200 votes.

During the campaign, homelessness emerged as a dividing issue. Esparza, who serves as director of the nonprofit Destination: Home’s campaign to end veteran homelessness, supports moving people into permanent supportive housing. Nguyen argued during a candidate forum in August that some homeless people were beyond being helped by permanent supportive housing and endorsed the idea of “alternative” housing, such as sanctioned encampments.

In District 9, where liberal darling Don Rocha is terming out, Pam Foley appeared to be outpacing Kalen Gallagher.

A Gallagher victory had initially appeared like a long shot against Foley, an establishment candidate who has backing from the city’s prominent business organizations and the mayor, but the former teacher and school board member secured a spot in the runoff and gained steam throughout the fall.

A longtime small family mortgage business owner, Foley had been serving on the San Jose Unified School board.

“I’m really excited,” Foley said Tuesday evening. “I’m feeling good.”

[dude58677]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PqKmb7SSpTE