2007 Year in Review
In 2007 the California Housing Consortium/CHC Institute effectively advocated for unprecedented housing incentive programs; broadened its membership base; successfully recruited new board members to replace those terming off; met all financial obligations; and established an operating cash reserve to help address fluctuations in the receipt of member contributions. Here is a year-end summary:
POLICY LEADERSHIP
• Effectively advocated consensus positions for enabling legislation and programmatic guidelines for $850MM PROP 1C Infill Set-Aside (including qualifying projects, developer eligibility, use of funds, affordability threshold, allocation by regions, ranking criteria); $300MM TOD Set-Aside; CALReUSE Brownfield Incentive Funding;
• Advocated sensible land use planning/zoning improvements by supporting Senator Ducheny’s SB303 (compels local governments to zone for housing);
• Successfully sponsored CHC Legislative Delegation in the spring to meet with Sacramento leadership to advocate PROP 1C programs, reconveyance fee reform, land use planning/zoning improvements;
• Advocated reasonable Eminent Domain reform under AB87/ACA 8;
• Successfully present 2007 Policy Forum and CA Hall of Fame Luncheon attracting (130) professionals across private, non-profit, and public sectors;
• Conducted (5) regional roundtable forums in Southern and Northern California to cultivate consensus on infill, TOD, innovative housing programs;
MEMBERSHIP/FINANCE
• Raised $338,000 operating budget; ended the year in the black, no payables;
• Successfully applied/awarded $50,000 ‘bridge loan’ funding from Northern California Grantmakers to supplement bank balance for Q-1/Q-2 2008;
• Increased membership 50% by adding (25) for-profit companies, (8) non-profit organizations, and (6) public sector agencies; (membership distribution: 50% private/for-profit; 35% non-profit; 15% public sector);
BOARD/STAFF ENHANCEMENT
• Confirmed Terry Freeman, Percy Vaz, and Sean Burton to fill BOD slots in 2007 vacated by Janet Falk, Philip Williams, and Austin Penny;
• Successfully recruited Ronne Thielen, Masood Sohaili, and Peter Carey to fill 2008 BOD slots being vacated by Allan Kingston, Will Cooper, Johrita Solari;
• Benefited from part-time Fundraising/Development Assistant to augment efforts at member recruitment, assist in grant writing requests of $140k;
• Redesigned CHC website to be a more informative compendium of state housing policy news; user friendly interface including Task Force rosters and resource folders; interactive database for member and new target outreach; underwriter exposure and weblinks; project database of member work including infill, TOD, green/sustainable developments statewide.
