Almost every day, someone asks me if it is possible for Sacramento leaders to get anything done on California’s housing crisis? Is the problem just too big? Earlier this month, Governor Brown and legislative leaders began to answer those questions when they came together on a multi-billion-dollar transportation investment plan that required a two-thirds vote. There is no question that our elected leaders can tackle big problems  when they have the political will to do so. It is now time for them to have the political will on affordable housing.

At a news conference last week with Asm. David Chiu, Speaker Anthony Rendon said his caucus will put as much energy into building homes for vulnerable Californians as they did moving a transportation infrastructure package. That’s good news for the one in three Californians who are struggling to pay their rent each month.  As your voice in the Capitol, CHC intends to hold legislators to this commitment.

In two weeks, CHC will celebrate our 20th Anniversary at the 2017 Policy Forum & CA Housing Hall of Fame Awards in Santa Monica on May 11. When we asked CHC founding board members to reflect on the last 20 years, each one mentioned the first meeting convened by CHC at San Jose’s Hayes Mansion as a memorable moment:

• “At that first meeting in San Jose, we expected there would be a dozen people and more than 60 showed up.” – Alex Sanchez
• “The idea of creating a big tent where all the widely diverse perspectives on affordable housing were brought together really resonated.  At our first meeting, I was blown away by the size of the crowd and the quality of discussion and interactions.” – Dianne Spaulding
• “The first meeting at the Hayes mansion was super neat… it was so exciting to see the idea really blossom.” – Leslye Corsiglia
• “We had more people than we expected – the room didn’t hold all of us. It shocked all of us. People who came from up and down the state without having any name recognition of what CHC was; it was somewhat overwhelming.” – Michael Costa

With California’s just-retired Senator and long-time affordable housing champion Barbara Boxer as a keynote speaker, this year’s event is sure to be another for the memory books. 

The idea of building a larger chorus to support affordable housing still drives us at CHC. We were excited to launch a new resource, BringCAHome.org, to engage the public in understanding the housing crisis and how to solve it. The website highlights the startling statistics behind California’s shortfall of affordable homes and what it means for our state’s people and economy. It also offers tools anyone can use to become engaged in solving the crisis. Already, the new site has proven helpful in engaging California partners, and was featured last week on the California Economic Summit’s website.

Don’t forget to join our conversation online with the #BringCAHome hashtag, and share your memories from CHC’s two decades of collaboration, innovation, and advocacy with #CHC20.

Sincerely,

Ray Pearl
CHC Executive Director