Response to David Crabbe

Editor,

I really appreciate the guest editorial ‘CASA Pushback’ by David Crabbe. He puts the blame squarely where it belongs, on the very townships that are whining the loudest about losing their ‘sovereignty’ when it comes to weighing what commercial and residential developments should be permitted in their zones of control. They all appear to have been seduced by the tax influx from commercial growth that doesn’t bring with it more children that need to be educated and the other demands that actual residents would require. That’s great up to a point but I think we’ve passed into the area of diminishing returns. As the article mentions, they have lost their ability to house the labor forces needed to maintain a functioning municipality. Too much seduction. Add to that the behavior of rogue agencies such as the Peninsula Healthcare District with their preference of designating the public lands at their disposal for housing that only the well to do can afford rather than redirecting its use to affordable or workforce housing, and you can see how we keep digging when we are already in a hole. Add to all that the timidity of most towns to cross swords with the real estate and apartment owners associations by not protecting the existing rental population with common sense measures such as requiring ‘just cause’ protection from eviction. This would be for those without any ability to fend off the arbitrary rent hikes due to this contorted and unnaturally constricted housing market. You can see why we’re sitting in this pickle barrel.