Editor,
For the past several months, actually for the past several years, a narrative has been circulating regarding the housing problem in California. Let me clarify, we have an affordable housing issue and not surprisingly language about affordable housing was absent in the two bills working their way through the Legislature in Sacramento. Why is that?
These bills were structured not to benefit our communities but to benefit the elected officials we voted into office to represent us. They continue to erode local control over local development and circumvent environmental concerns.
Community development should not be controlled by state planners, but by local governments that know and can address the needs, and impacts upon, their local communities.
These elected officials are supposed to be serving us and what is in the best interest of our individual communities. Instead, they are serving our communities up on a silver platter to special interests and disregarding the voices of their constituents.
It has been said many times before but obviously ignored by Assemblymembers Mullin and Berman and Sen. Becker that the infrastructure required to maintain appropriate levels of public services, including police, fire, parks, transportation, water supply, schools and sewers varies greatly from one city to another. Do they recognize that these bills are a “one size fits all” solution rather than taking into consideration the differences in our communities?
Einstein said: “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Are we reelecting legislators and expecting something different?
Linda Koelling
Foster City
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(4) comments
Thank you for your letter, Ms. Koelling. It appears public officials prefer to serve organizations, such as labor, or big real estate, or unions, that donate significantly to their campaigns rather than serve the public who elects them. As long as citizens continue to vote these legislators into office and do not hold them accountable, citizens will not see different results.
Thank your for you excellent letter. Democrats politicians are playing a double game as usual. They play to their base as they take in substantial donations from developers. We should be building high speed commuter transportation to outlying areas with affordable homes instead of ruining our local single family neighborhoods.
It is astonishing how much ink this author gets. I'm sensing a theme in the authors commentary....
Linda Koelling over the last few years...
Sep 2, 2021 - "Stop the deception"
- "Are we reelecting legislators and expecting something different?"
- "Instead, they are serving our communities up on a silver platter to special interests and disregarding the voices of their constituents."
Aug 25, 2021 - "Single-family zoning could soon ease in California"
- “I think they’re egregious bills, they don’t do what they seemingly promise to do,”
Aug 18, 2021 - "How important is our environment?"
- "Consider “urban heat island” effect. This occurs when cities replace natural land cover with dense concentrations of pavement and buildings."
- "These bills represent reckless and irresponsible government. How do you feel about protecting the environment? We are on dangerous ground."
May 26, 2021 - "Stop misleading housing bills"
- "Who are our leaders really representing?"
Oct 14, 2020 - "The stakes are too high"
- "Cities and suburbs are being overwhelmed and controlled by developers who have been given free reign by Sacramento lawmakers."
Apr 29, 2020 - "Where is the common sense?"
- "We the people elect officials to serve us; we are supposed to be the masters"
Apr 9, 2020 - "A silver lining"
- "We do need some amount of additional housing but unless or until there is a way to build structures in a way that prevents or minimizes the spread of viral infections, housing projects need to be re-evaluated."
- "We have seen through this virus what close living conditions can do throughout our country and around the world."
Jan 24, 2020 - "Senate Bill 50 is still a disaster"
- "This is nothing but a smoke-and-mirrors tactic in an effort to mislead the people and fill the pockets of big developers"
Eaadams – assuming your background info on Ms. Koelling’s contributions are true it seems to me Ms. Koelling should be commended for being consistent in her commentary along with being actively engaged on issues. Probably without being compensated by any special interest groups. Can we say the same about the legislators pushing SB 9 and SB 10? I highly doubt it. And exactly where are the answers from assembly members regarding questions about infrastructure? BTW, there are many repeat letter writers in the DJ. If you have the inclination… feel free to submit a few of your own.
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