In case I am not able to attend the meeting in person, here are my comments.
Dear Mayor, Vice Mayor, Council members, and honorable staff,
I’m Jenny Michel, a native living in D3, a recovering homeless teacher, and
a disabled bus rider.
Personal comments:
I very much appreciate and want to thank all the residents who have come
forward to serve on this extremely important commission.
In reading the applications, I am impressed with how engaged and clearly
committed our people are to improving life for current residents and soon
to become residents. One could argue that our bench is deep!
I have learned over time that speaking for or against a candidate is not
politically correct, so I refrain from that practice.
Currently, we have commissioners from D3 and D4. It would be great to have
a representative of either D1, D2, or D5.
None of the applicants acknowledged their affiliation to the lawsuit or
ballot initiative against our housing element housing programs. I would
recommend understanding this relationship prior to voting for a candidate.
Further, one thing I have noticed from engaging some of these neighbors, is
they have not read the housing element or understand the legal obligations
we have to the State of California under that legal document. If they have,
they have not demonstrated that to me in any way.
I’m concerned that they’ll be tasked with providing recommendations to the
Council but don’t have this basic foundational understanding. Mainly, the
issue I have is related to the housing element programs, their specific
timelines, and their priorities with staff allocated time. More
specifically, AFFH or affirmatively furthering fair housing and fostering
housing West of El Camino appears to be a challenging concept.
My point is that if you are going to be sworn into this commission, you
might need to recuse yourself from engaging in many of these matters.
Thank you for your consideration! Jenny from the Coleman Place (aka
apartment row) block
Housing Commission roles and responsibilities from Staff:
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The Housing Commission is charged primarily with advising the City
Council on housing matters including housing supply and housing related
problems. Specific focus areas include:
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Community attitudes about housing (range, distribution, racial,
social-economic problems)
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Programs for evaluating, maintaining, and upgrading the distribution
and quality of housing stock in the City
-
Planning, implementing and evaluating City programs under the Housing
and Community Development Act of 1974
-
Review and recommend to the City Council regarding the Below Market
Rate (BMR) program
-
Initiate, review and recommend on housing policies and programs for
the City
-
Review and recommend on housing related impacts for environmental
impact reports
-
Review and recommend on State and regional housing issues
-
Review and recommend on the Housing Element of the General Plan
--
Jen Michel
DRE #01900228
