We Are Not A Credit Card
- Santa Clara Housing Advocates
- May 18
- 3 min read
We're not a credit card company. There's no surprise charges or responsibilities. As a grassroots volunteer group, that would not only be impossible but also unrealistic. Things happen in SCHA when we have the correct combination of people, time, energy, want, and an actual action to take. And even if we do make a thing happen, you only need to participate if you ALSO have the time, energy, and want.
With that in mind, we ask again that you let us know what areas you are interested in (with 0% APR) by filling out this Google Form. This will help the Leadership Team to strategize where to put our energy next.
Group A: Project Advocacy / Evaluation (Including Benton)
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. We have the ability to look closer at the House Element and find ways to push to the city to address this problem.
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.
