Policy
MEHC advocates for policies that further the three P’s of affordable housing: production, preservation and protection. We advocate for policy change on both the local and state level. Our top policy focuses for 2024 are the affordable housing funding, tenant protections, housing element implementation and state legislation. We also track issues frequently raise in relationship with housing, such as local lawsuits, traffic and water.
Affordable Housing Funding
The Bay Area Housing Finance Authority voted on August 14th to remove the $20 billion affordable housing bond measure from the 2024 ballot. This funding would have helped fill the affordable housing funding gap. MEHC is a part of the Housing for All Marin Coaliton that supported the measure. With the removal of the bond measure, the coalition will now focus on Prop 5, which will reduce the supermajority needed to pass affordable housing bond measures from 67% to 55%.
Homelessness
Homelessness is an urgent issue in Marin County. The high cost of living is the number one predictor and cause of homelessness in the Bay Area. With a severe lack of affordable housing, emergency shelters, and limited number of open spaces in shelters, Marin County has a growing critical issue. Housing is a human right, and Marin must do more.
Housing Elements
The Housing Element is a state mandated component of every local governments’ general plan, that must be updated every 8 years. We are currently in the 6th cycle of housing element updates. San Francisco Bay Area local governments were required to update their Housing Element by January 31, 2023. MEHC has been tracking and providing input into the Marin County housing elements, and will be tracking compliance.
Tenant Protections
Displacement is an urgent and critical issue in Marin County. Every day, members of our workforce are being forced to leave the County and commute into work. In addition to the huge disruption these forced moves cause, these former residents add, on average, 32 miles to their commutes, increasing traffic and emissions.
West Marin
The current housing crisis impacts us all. West Marin in particular faces a unique set of obstacles compared to other regions in Marin County. Research has shown that the area needs at least 1,000 new homes, which is much more than the 481 sites cited in the County Housing Element. West Marin needs support so that all residents have safe and stable housing.
Proposition 5
The affordable housing shortage is the number one issue Marinites want the government to confront. Prop 5 empowers Marin voters to approve bonds for affordable homes, critical public infrastructure, and emergency response with a 55% vote, giving Marin a necessary tool for fixing our affordable housing crisis.
