City of San José Page 1 September 7, 2023
City Council Meeting
Study Session Minutes
Affordable Housing Strategies: Production,
Preservation, and Protection
Thursday, September 7, 2023
9:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M.
Hybrid Meeting- Council Chambers and Virtually-
https://sanjoseca.zoom.us/j/88471470054
MATT MAHAN, MAYOR
ROSEMARY KAMEI, DISTRICT 1
SERGIO JIMENEZ, DISTRICT 2
OMAR TORRES, DISTRICT 3
DAVID COHEN, DISTRICT 4
PETER ORTIZ, DISTRICT 5
DEV DAVIS, DISTRICT 6
BIEN DOAN, DISTRICT 7
DOMINGO CANDELAS, DISTRICT 8
PAM FOLEY, DISTRICT 9
ARJUN BATRA, DISTRICT 10
City of San José Page 2 September 7, 2023
MINUTES OF THE CITY COUNCIL
STUDY SESSION- AFFORDABLE HOUSING STRATEGIES:
PRODUCTION, PRESERVATION, AND PROTECTION
SAN JOSE, CALIFORNIA THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2023
The Council meeting was held in a hybrid format, in Council Chambers and teleconferenced from remote locations. The meeting convened at 9:09 a.m.
Present: Council Members - Mahan, Kamei, Batra, Foley, Candelas, Doan, Ortiz, Cohen, Torres, Jimenez.
Absent: Council Members - Davis.
Staff: City Manager, Jennifer Maguire; Assistant City Manager, Lee Wilcox; City Attorney, Nora Frimann; City Clerk’s Office, Yasmin Johnson.
Prior to the start of the meeting, Councilmember Pam Foley informed that she had a concurrent meeting with the Police and Fire Retirement Board, and would need to excuse herself once they get out of Closed Session.
INTRODUCTION
Deputy City Manager, Acting Housing Director, Rosalynn Hughey offered a background of the study session and stated its purpose and outcome.
This Study Session is Part One of a two-part Study Session to educate the City Council on affordable housing programs and current conditions. Part Two of the Study Session will focus on the cost of residential development for affordable and market-rate housing, scheduled for October 26, 2023.
Purpose of study session: To provide City Council with information on affordable housing strategies in the “3P” areas – Production, Preservation, and Protection. Identify the City’s existing programs and areas to strengthen. Provide a venue for City Council to hear perspectives, ask questions, and provide feedback.
Outcome of study session: That Councilmembers better understand the breadth of the City’s housing programs and areas of potential work when considering future housing action items.
City of San José Page 3 September 7, 2023
1. Introduction and Background
Interim Deputy Director, Kristen Clements offered this portion of the offered the presentation and spoke to the following:
Mission: To strengthen and build equitable communities through housing and neighborhood investment, by providing housing for ALL, investing in people, and building great places
Who we serve: Residents, housing providers, property owners, developers, partners with a focus on: the needs of Moderate-to Extremely Low-Income residents, and Unhoused residents
2. Staff Presentation
Interim Deputy Director, Kristen Clements; Interim Division Manager, Josh Ishimatsu; Division Manager, Kemit Mawakana; and Division Manager, Emily Hislop offered the staff presentation, responded to questions, and gave an overview to the 3Ps of affordable housing that refer to housing production, preservation, and tenant protection, with a focus on affordable housing:
1. Produce enough housing for residents at all income levels;
2. Preserve the affordable housing that already exists; and
3. Protect current residents from displacement from neighborhoods that are changing rapidly.
3. Panel Presentation
The following people offered the panel presentation and responded to questions.
• Funder and Practitioner Perspectives:
(a) Moderator: Silicon Valley at Home (SV@Home)
Executive Director, Regina Williams
(b) Funder and Policy Convener: San Francisco Foundation Vice President of Policy and Innovation, Khanh Russo
(c) Housing Developer: CORE Companies
President, Chris Neale
(d) Funder and Technical Assistance Provider: Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Executive Director, Cindy Wu
(e) Housing Provider: California Apartment Association
Senior V.P. of Local Public Affairs, Anil Babbar
(f) Tenant Protection Programs Counsel: California Rent Stabilization Network Stephen Lewis
4. City Council Questions and Discussions
Council discussion followed.
City of San José Page 4 September 7, 2023
PUBLIC COMMENT
1. Albert (SHHAL) spoke to a Council Policy that was amended, his conversation with a traffic consultant regarding transportation impacts and EIR’s (Environmental Impact Report), and requested a postponement to an eviction received.
2. René Baez spoke to the hardships he and his family have faced due to displacement and being priced out of the community. He also spoke to his desires of wanting to live back in San José, the importance of labor standards, livable wages for San José employees, and apprenticeship programs for the youth.
3. Alex Sywar (SHAC) spoke to the Tenant Right to Counsel program, the importance of low income tenants having legal representation, and discrimination in the housing market.
4. Sandy Perry (Affordable Housing Network) expressed his gratitude for the presentation focusing on the “humanitarian crisis,” the national debate and division around housing issues, the connection between homelessness and rent burdens, and lastly his concerns with the proposed bans to the terms equity, racial equity, and income equality, and others.
5. Jeff Zell stated building sufficient housing is a long term solution to the housing crisis. He expressed his strong concerns with staff believing preservation is a strategy to solve the housing crisis.
6. Alex Shoor spoke to inclusionary housing requirements, integrated communities in the City, bringing down the cost of housing, spoke to projects he helps with in Santa Clara, and the importance of median incomes increasing.
7. Paul Soto spoke to the generational impacts of redlining and spoke to the Non-disclosure Agreement regarding Google that was signed in 2016.
8. Blair Beekman spoke to the importance of national level issues being addressed locally and investing in future construction costs.
9. Jaime Alvarado addressed his concerns with the data being relied on during the presentation, displacement happening in San José, stated the maps the City provided has limited data, and stated the census data being used overstates incomes of neighborhoods.
10. Rocio Molina spoke to collectively unifying housing issues, creating solutions regarding the housing crisis, and affordable housing access.
11. Kathryn Hedges (SURJ) spoke to the importance of preservation, stated the long waiting list and process for rental assistance can cause people to be evicted while they are waiting for assistance, and spoke to modular construction.
12. Michelle Williams (SAHA) inquired about the City’s investment plans regarding the goal to build 62,000 units, construction costs, spoke to plans of rolling out the existing NOFA process, and the importance of temporary and permanent housing investments.
13. José J. Lujano (Affirmed Housing) spoke to bridging the gap regarding tenant protections, the importance of making affordable housing more accessible, and spoke to preservation solutions.
14. Oscar Quiroz-Medrano stated that preservation is a stronger way to curb displacement and stated the preservation of homes that tenants currently live in would be more favorable as opposed to production.
15. Olivia Ortiz stated that Councilmembers focusing on market rate housing is disheartening and worries her, and spoke to low-income housing solutions.
16. Debra spoke to her personal experience with displacement as a previous stay at home mom going through a divorce.
ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Matt Mahan adjourned the Study Session at 12:19 p.m.
City of San José Page 5 September 7, 2023
Minutes Recorded, Prepared and Respectfully Submitted by,
_____________________________
Yasmin Johnson
Deputy City Clerk, City of San José
Approved at Council on: 01/14/2025
# of Actions: 0
A
ttest By:
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T
oni J. Taber, CMC
City Clerk, City of San José