FOCUS:  Exclusion by policy

What’s the justice issue in housing?

When you vote on June 7 or by mail for the Board of Supervisors, think about this: does the candidate stand for JUSTICE or “just us”? The candidate’s position on housing will tell you a lot.

WHAT’S THE JUSTICE ISSUE IN HOUSING? The majority of people who work in Marin live in other counties. Young people can’t afford to live where they grew up, and our elders are being priced out or evicted. Our population is the oldest in the Bay Area and the whitest by far.

We are one of the most racially segregated counties in California. These patterns are wrong, and they are a direct result of the limited supply and high cost of housing in Marin.

NONE OF THIS IS COINCIDENCE, and it’s not all due to the blind hand of supply and demand. Our housing market was and is shaped by decisions at the Board of Supervisors and by the city and town councils. How do they do it?

• By zoning for dollars. They zone for sales tax-generating retail development and for offices. This creates jobs, mostly low wage.
• By resisting affordable housing. Rather than plan for affordable multi-family housing, they zone for high-end single family homes.
• By catering to fear. They run for office promising to preserve neighborhood “character” – the character of US, not the character of THEM.

THIS IS WRONG, AND WE CAN DO BETTER. As one of the wealthiest counties in America, we have an obligation to stand for housing equity.

MEHC urges you to study the candidates’ positions on housing. Do they stand for JUSTICE, or “just us”?