Seven Lessons From a Year of Fighting The California Housing Crisis
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Just under a year ago, I co-founded Streetlight with Isaac Rosenberg.
We set out to address the massive housing shortage in California, and help facilitate the approval of more housing.
The lack of housing means that prices are dramatically inflated, and the rent is too damn high.
Rent is the biggest expense for anyone who doesn’t own a house. Exorbitant rent prices drive economic inequality, and make it harder to pay off debts and student loans.
High housing costs also enforces segregation by blocking people of color out of wealthier neighborhoods, and make the dream of home ownership considerably more difficult.
We need more housing — affordable, and otherwise. Otherwise, life in California will never work for renters — 45% of the population!
After 11 months of intense work, I am excited to share my lessons and results from the journey.
- The Housing Shortage Is Driven By Local Politics
The reason why we can’t build more housing is because local regulations and planning offices make it very difficult to build. They deliberately slow the approval process down through delays.
2. Local Homeowners Want To Keep Housing Prices High
A small minority of citizens pressure politicians to use these regulations to delay, delay, delay and make it hard to build. This keeps prices high and makes them richer.
3. Local Politics is Driven by In-Person Meetings
Decision-making happens at in-person meetings. Mostly people don’t know about them or can’t attend. The only people who show up are wealthy and well-versed in the political system.
4. Local Politics Suffers From Voter Suppression
Meetings are time-consuming and often during the day. Anyone who has a job (or two) or is taking care of kids won’t be able to attend, and won’t have their voice heard. Retirees are disproportionately represented.
In short, voter suppression.
5. Most People Want More Housing
Renters are fed up with the cost of housing but don’t know how to change it. Even most homeowners recognize that the status quo is massively dysfunctional.
Most people understand that this situation is out of whack.
6. Video Participation Is A Better Solution
Instead of attending the public meeting, people should be able to record a video to share their perspective, and participate in the approval process.
They can record a quick video, send it in, and not waste time attending the meeting.
7. Submitting Videos Gets Housing Approved
Streetlight submitted videos to San Francisco public officials in support of housing developments — and it worked. We successfully expedited the approval of two mixed affordable apartment buildings in Tenderloin and SoMa — almost 600 units of housing.
600 units is only a drop in the bucket. Our experiment worked, but there is still so much more work to be done.
I am grateful to have had this experience over the past year, and look forward to the continuation of the journey.
