The countywide moratorium on pandemic-related evictions expired in September, having been replaced by a statewide moratorium that provides relief through January 31, 2021 for tenants who submit a declaration form and pay at least 25% of their September–January rent. On January 12th, the Marin County Board of Supervisors re-instituted its local moratorium, which will remain effective…
In late 2019, the Multicultural Center of Marin, led by MEHC Board Member Douglas Mundo, formed the Canal Community Resilience Council to prepare a group of community members to serve as leaders working on issues of climate resiliency in the neighborhood. The CCRC’s mission is to build community resilience and leadership in the face of…
The following is a recap of the last three months of meetings. October 2020, Tiscornia Marsh Restoration The October meeting was organized by the Marin Audubon Society and facilitated by District 4 Supervisor Dennis Rodoni. The principal watershed planner for the County of Marin provided an overview of sea level rise issues in the Canal,…
REACHING CALIFORNIA’S ADU POTENTIAL: PROGRESS TO DATE AND THE NEED FOR ADU FINANCE. Chapple, K, et al. August 2020. UC Berkeley Terner Center for Housing Innovation and Center for Community Innovation. https://ternercenter.berkeley.edu/news/reaching-adu-potential-california-finance This study looks at the tremendous growth in the permitting and developing of accessory dwelling units (ADUs) throughout California and the need for increased…
LOCAL AFFORDABLE HOUSING NEWS Funding for Legal Assistance for Tenants: On September 15, the Marin County Board of supervisors voted to provide $400,000 for legal assistance to low-income tenants and mediation of landlord-tenant disputes. Most of this funding will go to Legal Aid of Marin to provide assistance to tenants, while another portion will provide…
For decades, many property owners in Marin — and statewide — have vociferously opposed affordable housing in order to “preserve local character.” For a suburban county like Marin where 85% of the land area is closed to development, this means, in effect, “don’t build anything anywhere.” Justifications? No more traffic. Save our open space. Keep class sizes…
Many analysts are projecting a massive surge of COVID-19-related evictions when eviction moratoriums around the state and nation expire. While many California counties have been working to reopen their economies, the number of COVID-19 cases is increasing and an increase in the number of homeless people on our streets would exacerbate this public health crisis. …
MEHC’s partner organization, the Multicultural Center of Marin, led by MEHC Board member Douglas Mundo, has been re-funded to continue its Canal Community Resilience Council (CCRC) project for another year, through mid-2021. MEHC is pleased to be able to continue to provide technical support on this project. The CCRC is intended to build community resilience…
On Tuesday, May 26, the Board of Supervisors extended the eviction moratorium through the end of June. Staff is recommending another extension through the end of July, still to be voted on by the BOS.
Like climate change, a pandemic disproportionately impacts low-income communities, even in Marin. Insufficient affordable housing and consequent crowding, unhealthy environmental conditions like poor air quality and flooding, low wages and inadequate access to healthcare and nutritious food all contribute to making low-income Marin residents particularly vulnerable in a crisis. It’s even worse in immigrant communities…