ARTICLE
Elections can bring out the best of ideas and create opportunities for bipartisanship and at the same time produce chaos of disagreement that monopolize the airwave sound bites on campaign advertisements and campaign literature that will soon arrive in your mailbox. Of course, most national attention will focus on the economy, inflation, the cost of food and services, women’s right to choose their health care, immigration and border issues, the Russian-Ukraine conflict, the Israeli-Hamas War, and International trade. One issue that has raised the level of attention in every state and across the country is housing. Yes, housing is now at the forefront of this 2024 campaign. We know firsthand how critical it is to address our housing issues — specifically affordable housing and homelessness. During last week’s Democratic National Convention, one leader after another came forward, mentioning housing as a nationwide crisis. This is an ironic twist, as many cities that are commonly led by Democratic leaders have seen housing to be a liability in the cities that they control. It is also a sign of how hard it has become for city leaders to ignore the booming chorus of voices who can’t find affordable housing. It appears this election cycle will flip the switch, and there will be a pitched debate where one candidate will exploit the urban housing limitations and the alarming calls that can destroy suburbia. A call out by former President Obama highlighted the need for reform when he stated, “Clear away some of the outdated laws and regulations that make it harder to build homes.” For decades, the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) focused on housing at the bottom of the pricing market and left most housing issues to cities and counties. Adrian Todman, who leads the department, noted that HUD has a changing attitude. Affordable housing “has to be” top of the agenda, she said, adding that “we need to be doing everything we can to break down those barriers” that have contributed to a housing shortage in the millions. Two governors, New York’s Kathy Hochul and Colorado’s Jared Polis have housing as a policy priority. They both found out the hard way how politically combustible the issue is even within their party: Hochul pursued a modest approach to housing this year after facing blowback to a more ambitious proposal that failed in New York’s capitol last year, while Polis also had his original measures rejected by fellow Democrats in Denver before reaching a compromise this year. The White House just released a comprehensive report on housing affordability, mentioning the work done by California land use attorney Jennifer Hernandez. I have mentioned in previous eNews articles about Jennifer Hernandez’s policy research and the impacts of California’s regulatory environment on housing. The report (White House) highlights how burdensome CEQA regulations blocked nearly half of all proposed housing units in California in 2020 alone—delaying desperately needed homes for years. This acknowledgment from the Biden Administration shows that housing affordability is not just a California issue. The crisis is national, and while California often lags in many metrics, thanks to leaders like Jennifer Hernandez, housing ideas are finally gaining the traction they deserve. While the shifting policy strategy in this year’s election cycle is welcome news, Much of it comes down to state and local zoning and land-use regulations that can make it prohibitively expensive — and in some cities outright impossible — to build affordable units. According to the National Association of Home Builders, regulations from all levels of government typically account for 25 percent of the cost of building a new single-family home and about 30 percent of the cost of building a new apartment building. Economists and housing advocates are skeptical that a carrots-only approach will work: Many localities have traditionally resisted efforts to build new affordable housing within their borders, and mayors are often keen to keep the federal government off their backs. In Santa Cruz, we are ahead of the curve in many capacities to address our housing shortages and homeless population. Santa Cruz is recognized as one of only a handful of cities in California that is Pro-housing. Elections can set the tone and direction of any policy change. The real question is: Are the elected leaders in DC, Sacramento, and our local cities up to the challenge?
Elections can bring out the best of ideas and create opportunities for bipartisanship and at the same time produce chaos of disagreement that monopolize the airwave sound bites on campaign advertisements and campaign literature that will soon arrive in your mailbox.
Of course, most national attention will focus on the economy, inflation, the cost of food and services, women’s right to choose their health care, immigration and border issues, the Russian-Ukraine conflict, the Israeli-Hamas War, and International trade. One issue that has raised the level of attention in every state and across the country is housing. Yes, housing is now at the forefront of this 2024 campaign. We know firsthand how critical it is to address our housing issues — specifically affordable housing and homelessness.
During last week’s Democratic National Convention, one leader after another came forward, mentioning housing as a nationwide crisis. This is an ironic twist, as many cities that are commonly led by Democratic leaders have seen housing to be a liability in the cities that they control. It is also a sign of how hard it has become for city leaders to ignore the booming chorus of voices who can’t find affordable housing. It appears this election cycle will flip the switch, and there will be a pitched debate where one candidate will exploit the urban housing limitations and the alarming calls that can destroy suburbia.
A call out by former President Obama highlighted the need for reform when he stated, “Clear away some of the outdated laws and regulations that make it harder to build homes.” For decades, the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) focused on housing at the bottom of the pricing market and left most housing issues to cities and counties. Adrian Todman, who leads the department, noted that HUD has a changing attitude. Affordable housing “has to be” top of the agenda, she said, adding that “we need to be doing everything we can to break down those barriers” that have contributed to a housing shortage in the millions.
Two governors, New York’s Kathy Hochul and Colorado’s Jared Polis have housing as a policy priority. They both found out the hard way how politically combustible the issue is even within their party: Hochul pursued a modest approach to housing this year after facing blowback to a more ambitious proposal that failed in New York’s capitol last year, while Polis also had his original measures rejected by fellow Democrats in Denver before reaching a compromise this year.
The White House just released a comprehensive report on housing affordability, mentioning the work done by California land use attorney Jennifer Hernandez. I have mentioned in previous eNews articles about Jennifer Hernandez’s policy research and the impacts of California’s regulatory environment on housing. The report (White House) highlights how burdensome CEQA regulations blocked nearly half of all proposed housing units in California in 2020 alone—delaying desperately needed homes for years. This acknowledgment from the Biden Administration shows that housing affordability is not just a California issue. The crisis is national, and while California often lags in many metrics, thanks to leaders like Jennifer Hernandez, housing ideas are finally gaining the traction they deserve.
While the shifting policy strategy in this year’s election cycle is welcome news, Much of it comes down to state and local zoning and land-use regulations that can make it prohibitively expensive — and in some cities outright impossible — to build affordable units. According to the National Association of Home Builders, regulations from all levels of government typically account for 25 percent of the cost of building a new single-family home and about 30 percent of the cost of building a new apartment building.
Economists and housing advocates are skeptical that a carrots-only approach will work: Many localities have traditionally resisted efforts to build new affordable housing within their borders, and mayors are often keen to keep the federal government off their backs.
In Santa Cruz, we are ahead of the curve in many capacities to address our housing shortages and homeless population. Santa Cruz is recognized as one of only a handful of cities in California that is Pro-housing. Elections can set the tone and direction of any policy change. The real question is: Are the elected leaders in DC, Sacramento, and our local cities up to the challenge?