Perspective Newsletters
Housing needs to be more accessible
Housing needs to be more accessible. Our communities deserve it. – Carmela Davis, Housing Specialist, MEHC The housing crisis is dire for everyone, but especially so for people with a disability Disability is the largest and most intersectional minority in the world. Did you know that an estimated 10% of Marin residents have a disability?…
West Marin faces major housing need
The Pt. Reyes Seashore settlement will cause loss of housing and employment for many farmworker families. – Agnes Cho, consultant and project manager,Community Land Trust of West Marin (CLAM) A West Marin community leader recently shared this comment with me: “In West Marin, finding housing is like winning a golden ticket.” Her offhand statement stuck with me, because…
Legal Update! New California Housing Laws in 2025
Written by Lucie Hollingsworth and Ethan Strull. Welcome back, all of you Marin housing policy wonks! While you were all paying more attention to the presidential race, state propositions, and our local tenant protections, our state legislators were dutifully busy pushing laws through to chip away at making California a more affordable and just place….
MEHC’s most impactful year ever!
We give thanks to all who’ve advocated for more affordable, environmentally-sound and socially-just housing. MEHC’s capacity expanded this year, and we’ve been working hard for housing. Marin approved more housing this year than it has in decades! MEHC’s support helped advance projects Many projects we support have moved closer to development, including: MEHC’s advocacy connected with the…
Election results and Friendraiser recap
THE ELECTION RESULTS MAKE FIXING OUR HOUSING CRISIS MORE DIFFICULT, BUT THAT WON’T STOP US. A word from Jenny Silva, MEHC’s Board Chair I, like many of my friends and family, am grappling with the implications of the election. The impact is extremely broad, but today, I’ll focus on the election’s impact on housing. This was a…
Quality schools need affordable housing options for teachers and staff
The cost of housing is turning away both teachers and students. While many people may think that “affordable housing” only applies to those with extremely low incomes, Marin housing prices are so high that many college graduates, even with advanced degrees, cannot afford even a studio apartment. This includes many of our teachers and…
Prop 5 Is Needed in Marin — Vote YES
VOTE YES ON PROP 5 TO HELP MARIN BUILD AFFORDABLE HOMES The housing crisis has left California in dire straits. Due to decades of chronic underbuilding, sky-high rents now leave us with the unsavory distinction of holding the single highest functional poverty rate of the 50 states. That means even many working families – though lucky enough to keep…
Tenant Protection Measures in Marin
Marin’s housing shortage continues to inflict severe hardships on families and local workers struggling to maintain their access to schools, jobs, and other important resources. Behind statistics describing the long-standing housing crisis for Bay Area renters are their stories about painful damage inflicted by our regional shortage of affordable housing: Despite some signs the rental market…
Housing and Environment: It’s not either/or
Marin’s history of environmental protection is our defining pride. Yet our development practices are fundamentally anti-environmental. Our history of environmental protection is Marin County’s defining pride. Outside narrow strips along Highways 1 and 101, rolling green hills rise and fall, mostly undisturbed by development, before meeting the brooding beauty of miles of untouched coastline. Compare this image with…
Community Land Trusts
Community Land TrustsTaking the cost of land out of the cost of housing, by Tom McCafferty, MEHC board member; Community Land Trust Association of West Marin (CLAM) Project Manager Marin can ensure long-term affordability and enhance communities by utilizing the Community Land Trust model. In an era of escalating home prices and stagnant wages, finding affordable housing…
Housing Elements Update
RHNA Tracking and Housing Element ImplementationJurisdictions will need significant resources to meet commitments Marin’s 6th Housing Element Cycle officially kicked off Jan 31, 2024. Although several Marin cities and towns are still finalizing their housing elements, all jurisdictions must still take action to meet their state housing goals (RHNA, the Regional Housing Needs Allocation). Every April, each jurisdiction…
Housing and Traffic
HOUSING AND TRAFFIC: Growth restrictions have displaced workers by Warren Wells We’ve all heard that California, and Marin in particular, are facing a severe housing crisis. Home values and apartment rents keep rising, leading owners to cash out and renters to be pushed out. We’ve heard from politicians that we need to build more to keep…
A Review of Marin Housing Projects
What’s happening in Marin? A review of active, inactive, and completed housing projects. Every day, it seems there is another headline about a housing project. It might feel like we are experiencing a building boom here. But while we are considering some of the largest projects to be built in decades, such as the Northgate Town Center project…
What the BAHFA?
A short primer on affordable housing, BAHFA and BAHA, and potentially game-changing funding! Marinites overwhelmingly want more affordable housing.According to the Marin County 2023 Community Survey, it is the #1 issue that Marinites would like our local governments to address. But how can we build more affordable housing? And what does this have to do with the…
California legislative wins: a review
Happy New Year, fellow housing nerds and policy wonks!There is a lot to catch up on! The 2023 California legislative season ended in October with record-setting housing activity, November was for equal parts pats-on-the-back and wound-licking, and December was the time to rest and get ready to start the maddening but addictingly fun process all over…
Perspective: 2023 – A Turning Point In Marin Housing
Housing is #1 priority for Marin residents2023 was a very busy year for housing, and so for MEHC. The housing crisis in California continues to worsen; we have responded. We strengthened programs and introduced new strategies. We are working hard to build relationships throughout the County. Importantly, more and more Marin residents are understanding the need to act. A recent Marin…
Perspective: Why is Marin so White?
Marin County is more racially segregated than ever. Marin County is more racially segregated than ever, and we have a severe shortage of affordable housing [note]. Many Marinites consider these issues to be unrelated, but they are linked. Social justice is a component of MEHC’s mission, and so we strive to evaluate housing through a racial equity…
Why MEHC is interested in a Marin housing coalition
A Housing Coalition could help Marin become known for the right reasons, not the wrong ones…We have all heard by now that Marin has the oldest population and is one of the most segregated counties in California. These unflattering distinctions can be largely attributed to historical policies that blocked new homes and kept people of color from…
Perspective: Paving Over Paradise
This month, MEHC board member Warren Wells offers MEHC’s Perspective on the outsized impact of policies which favor car culture, and the unintended consequences of parking requirements. Did you know that Marin has 4000 acres of parking? Read on… and send us your comments. Marin’s off-street parking requirements are driving up costs and increasing traffic. Here’s how. UN-PAVING PARADISEWhat if…
A Tour of Affordable Housing Projects
G R E E T I N G S ! In this Perspective, we offer a virtual tour of seventeen of Marin’s existing affordable housing complexes. The map linked here shows each development in its location. Our point: affordable housing is already here. It can be beautiful, and the residents are valued members of our community. Let us know if you enjoy…
