Let's Get Down To Business. To Defeat. The Housing Crisis.
- Santa Clara Housing Advocates
- Apr 18
- 4 min read
Updated: Apr 30
In our last email we mentioned that we want to get more people involved outside of just the Leadership Team. Our team put together a list of topics that we are interested in working on. We know that it is unlikely we'll have the capacity to work on all of them at once, but we ask that you fill out this Google form or reply to this email with any interest you may have. Which groups start happening will depend on that interest. Feel free to share interest in more than one Working Group!
No experience in anything is required. As a grassroots group, we do pride ourselves in being made up of people who live and/or work in the City of Santa Clara. If you don't live / work in Santa Clara, take a look at Group D!
Group A: Project Advocacy / Evaluation
There are multiple (market rate) projects coming up this year that we hope to evaluate, write a letter to council, and potentially speak at council about. We will be evaluating projects against our Mission, Values, Strategy (MVS) statements. Joining this working group would likely include discussing the details of the project against our MVS, making a recommendation on what SCHA's position should be (including recommended changes if needed), and participating or even leading the charge in advocating to Council or other entities.
Inclusion on the list below does not necessarily mean that we will support them, but it hopefully means that we will evaluate and track them.
Group B: Public Education
From the beginning, Public Education has been a priority for SCHA. We spent much of the Benton campaign trying to educate the public and decision makers about not only that specific project, but larger issues related to housing as well. This group will work on furthering this goal.
Group C: Tracking City Activities
This group will be in charge of monitoring City Council and Commission agendas, new projects, and anything else happening in the city that SCHA might want to know about.
Group D: Recruitment / Organizing
We are a grassroots group of people who live in Santa Clara, and we can't accomplish our goals with just a few people. This group will work on recruiting more people who live / work in Santa Clara to join our email list, take actions, join working groups, and otherwise get involved.
This is a great group for people who do not live / work in Santa Clara, especially if you have organizing experience (but still not required!!).
Group E: State Legislation
While our primary focus is the City of Santa Clara, state legislation has a direct local impact as well. Several housing bills have been proposed by our own State Senator Aisha Wahab, and others are being championed by ally organizations. This group will start by researching those bills and making recommendations on if SCHA should take actions and what those actions would be. The first bill we want to look at is AB 1157 which also aligns with the tenants rights group. We know there are other important bills this session, so if there's something you think we should specifically be thinking about, please let us know!
Group F: Tenant Rights / Rent Control
This group is in its early stages, as the Leadership Team is interested in this area and trying to figure out what potential actions might come up. Our city does not have any rent control caps beyond statewide mandates. The first action this group will take is meeting with Emily Ramos from SV@Home who will educate us on tenants rights and the situation in our city
Group G: El Camino Real Specific Plan
This group will take a look at proposed amendments to the El Camino Real Specific Plan, likely following a similar process to what was described in #1. This plan includes housing, retail, and more and is expected to come before Council in the near future. We are lucky enough to have a great advocate on our team - Jeff Houston - who has been following this project for years. We're excited to learn more from him and figure out the best way for SCHA to be involved.
And remember to join us at the Silicon Valley Housing Advocates Meet Up!
We are a Partner (participant but not donor) for this Silicon Valley Housing Advocates Meet Up which includes a huge amount of sponsors and partners. Many of our allies are sponsoring or partnering in this event: Livable Sunnyvale, Palo Alto Forward, Housing Action Coalition, SV@Home, South Bay YIMBY, Greenbelt Alliance, Housing Leadership Council, Catalyze SV, Peninsula for Everyone, Menlo Together, Seamless Bay Area, and possibly more to come.
It's a fun happy hour event to talk with other housing advocates and leaders!
