December 2021 Newsletter

We wish you all the very best as 2021 comes to an end.

We appreciate all the YIMBYs that used their pro-housing voices this year. You showed up: signing petitions, providing public comment at council meetings, calling legislators, writing op-eds and letters to the editor, and talking with your neighbors, friends and family about housing.

Every action makes a difference. Thank you!

Our fight for abundant, affordable housing is ongoing. Please consider a year-end donation to the cause! #GiveMeAbundantHousing

See you in January for our Next Monthly Meeting!

We are skipping our regular monthly meeting in December.
Mark your calendar for January 13th. We are planning to have guest speakers to better understand initiatives that might appear on the ballot next Fall.

🔥The 831 Water Street Saga Continues🔥

The Santa Cruz City Council, faced with a "credible litigation threat" and after the CA HCD's State Accountability Unit Chief told them what they did was illegal, voted to rescind their denial of 831 Water Street. They will revisit whether the project meets objective standards on Dec 14th. We are amplifying the voices of community members that SUPPORT this project. Sign our petition!

TONIGHT (November 30), the Santa Cruz City Council will have a study session on RHNA Methodology and Objective Standards. These are two issues with which many cities are grappling (or in the case of RHNA, have grappled). Check out the full agenda and tune in!

The Year in Legislation - CA YIMBY Impact Report

California YIMBY focuses on education and advocacy for legislation in the State Capitol and engaging in local RHNA processes. Members of YIMBY Action, like Santa Cruz YIMBY are part of CA YIMBY's advocacy team.

2021 was quite a year for Housing Legislation!

"We’ve ended exclusionary, single-unit zoning in the state where it began, and our legislative victories will enable at least 2.2 million more homes* to be built in California. The impact reports below are a celebration of everything we’ve been able to accomplish together — and the list of impacts grows longer by the day." (from CA YIMBY)

Check out the full CA YIMBY Impact Report here:

Congratulations to Asm Robert Rivas, one of this years Housing Champions!

Your Input Sought

The City of Santa Cruz Planning Staff is creating policies to support housing development:

Objective Development Standards
Mixed-Use Zoning Districts

Go to https://designsantacruz.civilspace.io/en to provide feedback for some questions they are asking. These questions are good to answer, because the planning staff needs feedback from the community. The deadline is December 4th! We collected a few thoughts on the questions asked here.

This holiday season, give abundant housing for all. Donate to fuel the volunteer-driven fight for abundant, affordable housing.

#GiveMeAbundantHousing

December Reading, Streaming, Enjoying

Legislation

Desperate for Housing Options, Communities Turn to Ballot Initiatives
Housing Initiatives Won Big Across the Country on Tuesday
National coverage of local communities passing legislation and initiatives to create affordable housing.
Single-family zoning preserves segregation in Montgomery County The fight for abolishing Single Family Zoning in Montgomery County, Maryland

Media Takes

Terry Taplin, Berkeley City Councilmember, knocks it out of the park on Twitter
Congress's Build Back Better Act won't save the housing market Jerusalem Demsas on why the Build Back Better Legislation falls short.
Homelessness: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) John Oliver ranting on the injustice of Homelessness. Nothing you don’t know, but it’s a different POV.
Opinion | Liberal Hypocrisy Is Fueling Inequality If you like to watch people argue about whose fault it all is.
Opinion | The Build Back Better Plan and American Economic Policy A reminder that ultimately we need to increase supply to have lower prices in all kinds of commodities

Transportation

Bike Link Map Looking for safe storage as you bike around the bay area, e.g. Santa Cruz?
An impressive graphic from TUMI who focuses on sustainable urban mobility. Note that it graphs private transportation, not public transport.

Homelessness

Outside The Law ACLU does a deep dive into the many ways that California Cities are illegally harassing and punishing the homeless, as well as those who are trying to serve them.
A plan to give homeless people the right to housing roils Sacramento Establishing the right to housing: compelling governments to act for the homeless

Housing Typologies

Cities and climate change: why low-rise buildings are the future – not skyscrapers
Research on why low-rise densification is the way to sustainable living
The seeds to build permanent farmworker housing are planted. Will there be a harvest? Excellent Monterey County reporting on the need for farmworker housing and the efforts underway to provide it.
Our Self-Imposed Scarcity of Nice Places Neighborhoods that work are scarce, and expensive. They don’t need to be.
Accessory Dwelling Unit (ADU) Plans, Designs & More - Maxable % Maybe ADUs are getting competitive
How to Save a Ski Town - Outside Online Interesting ways to workforce housing in ski towns.