Housing plan heads to vote

Kirsch said she is hopeful her coalition will persuade ABAG executive board members to reject or postpone a final decision on the proposal aiming to simultaneously battle the housing crisis while relieving traffic congestion.

“I have my fingers crossed we will have a majority vote against it,” said Kirsch, ahead of the ABAG executive board taking a vote to sign the compact, which will lay the groundwork for its translation into a package of bills headed to Sacramento.

Following the Metropolitan Transportation Commission Board of Directors’ overwhelming vote in favor of a similar action though, Kirsch suggested she can read the writing on the wall.

“This very much feels like a David versus Goliath undertaking,” said Kirsch, whose organization advocates for the interests of property owners, taxpayers and locally-elected officials, among others.

Such a perspective speaks to larger concerns raised by plan critics who feel they have been railroaded by the agencies crafting the compact which calls for sweeping and aggressive policies.

Some plan components propose to establish just-cause eviction protections, rent caps and other forms of rental assistance for those threatened by displacement. It also seeks to streamline taller and denser residential developments proposed adjacent to transit stops, while incentivizing affordable housing projects.

MTC-ABAG Executive Director Steve Heminger suggested the bold vision and leadership on such issues is necessary if the Bay Area hopes to reverse course on the path which has left so many hard pressed to afford living locally.

“The CASA Compact itself represents an unprecedented level of consensus among key stakeholders on a legislative agenda to break through the Bay Area’s housing stalemate. If ever there was a ‘carpe diem’ moment to remedy the region’s chronic housing failures, this is it,” he wrote in an appeal seeking the ABAG board’s approval of the document.

Kirsch though said claims of consensus are exaggerated, as so many property owners and local officials with strong feelings on the issue believe they were shut out of planning conversations in advance of the proposal’s unveiling.

“The process has been pretty reprehensible,” said Kirsch, noting that Heminger recognized before the MTC vote that more public outreach should have been sought before deciding on such an ambitious plan. Officials have said they plan to seek more feedback as the compact moves forward.

Kirsch meanwhile suggested plenty of input will be provided at the meeting in San Francisco, as Livable California is gathering constituents and elected officials who oppose the compact with plans to make their voices heard.

The opinions expressed will recognize the affordability crunch facing so many living in the Bay Area, said Kirsch, who suggested a different approach than the one offered in the compact may be in order to rectify the issue.

“We can do better than that in moving forward,” said Kirsch, who said it would be wiser to wait and see the change brought by the recent slate of housing laws than push for more legislative action.

She also said local officials who plotted appropriate growth for their communities should enjoy the opportunity to implement those plans, rather than face exposure to a directive drafted by a regional board. But advocates for the compact claim one of its greatest strengths is limiting the authority of local officials who are responsible for the housing crisis by showing a reluctance to approve residential development.

Kirsch claimed that blame is not on the shoulders of locals, but rather the large tech companies such as Apple, Google and Facebook which are responsible for the region’s explosive job growth but are not held accountable for housing development.

“The compact hardly looks at the culpability of the corporations,” she said.

Even worse, Kirsch said local officials are being blamed for the problem but their opinions are not being sought in the search for solutions.

“There is such disrespect and disregard for the perspective for communities that they are blaming but they are not including them,” she said.

Rather than pass a plan diminishing the authority of these agencies, Kirsch said she would prefer their opinions be considered and respected in the effort to collaboratively craft solutions.

“This is just so out of alignment with what most regular people would want to see in their community,” she said.

The Association of Bay Area Governments Board of Executives meets 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 17, at the Bay Area Metro Center, 375 Beale St., San Francisco.

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