Millbrae ‘stands united against hate’ — except for families and seniors experiencing homelessness

If they succeed, a well-planned effort to lift up the most vulnerable among us could be tied up in courts for years or killed outright. Furthermore, it could decimate the statewide Homekey housing program that has provided shelter to thousands of individuals experiencing homelessness in counties across California.

Here are the facts:

The county’s Board of Supervisors is trying to do something to help the roughly 1,800 people experiencing homelessness in San Mateo County. Many of the seniors and families in this group have found stability in interim shelters and are now ready for a permanent home.

They are simply looking for the same opportunities as those who already have a permanent roof over their head: a sense of security, the chance to be a good neighbor and the ability for their children to walk to school.

County officials found an ideal location at 1390 El Camino Real in Millbrae, the site of a hotel whose owners want to sell (You can’t end homelessness if there’s nowhere for people to live, right?).

The site is close to public transportation with parking and meeting rooms for onsite supportive services and building community. What’s planned is not a temporary shelter but a place for people to call home.

Planned funding comes mainly from state Homekey dollars – aimed at addressing the state’s homelessness crisis by creating housing.

As the site already serves as a 100-room hotel – cars and rideshares and shuttle buses coming and going at all hours – means there’s likely to be little effect on traffic. And did we mention the county guarantees there will be staffing around-the-clock by an operator with a proven track record of managing housing for the formerly homeless?

Now here’s where you might think a progressive set of leaders would embrace the chance to tackle a vexing social issue by helping to bring dignity back to families and seniors. And here’s where you would be wrong.

The city of Millbrae has dug deep into the institutional racism vault to throw up a legal roadblock, something called Article 34 of the California Constitution.

Passed in 1950, Article 34 requires public approval before “low rent housing” funded with public dollars can be built in a community.

The history of the article reflects the racism of the times, the clear intent being to block integration of white neighborhoods by people of color.

State Sen. Scott Wiener, one of the leading proponents of building affordable housing, has said, “Article 34 is a scar on the California Constitution. It’s designed to keep people of color and poor people out of certain neighborhoods.”

While there have been repeated attempts to repeal Article 34, the law is still on the books, although many workarounds have helped to blunt its impacts.

Still, a favorable court ruling for Millbrae could see a revival of Article 34-driven lawsuits across California — a grim scenario for those who believe in fairness and opportunity.

The city of Millbrae posted a news release about the lawsuit and a link to the suit itself filed in San Mateo County Superior Court on the city’s website. The release reveals that Millbrae knows exactly the racist overtones of Article 34, noting that it is “considered controversial” and that California voters may have the chance to remove it from the Constitution as soon as the November 2024 election.

However, and this is important, the city claims the question is whether Article 34 “guarantees residents a vote now.” (Emphasis added.)

In other words, the city wants to skate in and torpedo the county and state homelessness efforts before more open-minded voters have a chance to close that opportunity.

The news release announcing the lawsuit is dated Nov. 16, 2023.

It’s posted just above the prior news the city proudly announced on Nov. 13: “Millbrae Stands United Against Hate.”

Really?

Warren Slocum is the vice president of the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors, representing District 4.