PLATFORM FOR THE GREATER PASADENA AFFORDABLE GROUP (GPAHG)

For the past twenty years, GPAHG has used the list below as our platform. This list was collectively created within our group, but especially with the help of Michelle White, a co-founder of our group in 1995. Michelle is a tireless housing advocate. I owe much to Michelle. She is brilliant with a rare understanding of housing and housing policy.

Michelle has a Juris Doctorate from Rutgers University, is presently Executive Director of the Affordable Housing Services, a non-profit specializing in producing units affordable for low and very low-income persons with disabilities, persons of color and families. While Executive Director of the Fair Housing Congress of Southern California, Michelle supervised five Los Angeles County fair housing agencies, looking at violations of state and federal land use, redlining and fair housing laws.  She was a civil rights assistant to the federal regulator of national banks and among experts that drafted California fair housing law, recognized as the strongest in the nation.

 So here is our platform.. keeping us ever on our toes to do more. Some items we have successfully completed, like our ADU ordinance, and we are working on strengthening the Inclusionary Housing Ordinance we help to get passed in 2001, but other items on this this we can only dream of at this point. 

If you wish to down load this as a PDF, here is the link:

GPAHG platform. 

Production of New Affordable Housing

• Inclusionary Zoning
• Set-aside for extremely-low income units
• Increase in-lieu fee four time what is now.
• Increase the affordable housing set-aside around transit corridors to 30% and 25% the rest of the city
• Minimize down-zoning so that the right density can support affordable housing, i.e. at least 32 units per acre
• Identify Land, Vacant city church parking lots and others parcels
• Find ways to help landlords support section 8, end discrimination against Section 8

Increase additional funds to Housing Trust Fund

Identify new sources of funding:

• % of sales tax revenue
• Affordable housing bond
• % construction tax to mitigate impacts on affordable housing needs
• Title transfer tax
• Parking fees
• Parcel tax
• Airbnb TOT (Transient Occupancy Tax)
• Other?

Second Unit Ordinance, Granny Flats, ADU-Accessory Dwelling Units.  

• Further Reduce minimum lot size from 7,200 s.f. and other Limiting factor ADUs from being built

• Allow ADUs to be built over garages
• Create a pilot project i.e. on Zanja
• Strengthen the cities’ proposed pilot project to help fund ADUs for low-income.

Preserve Existing Affordable Housing

• Monitor at-risk affordable buildings and be sure they don’t go market rate i.e. I the process of the Fuller Seminary sale
• Track rents citywide and monitor affordable rents with something like Landlord Licensing
• Create or Partner with a Community Land Trust.
• One-for-one replacement and no-net-loss
• Incentivize naturally occurring affordable housing by providing incentives like green features.
• Create a Condo conversion ordinance allowing at least a third of those renting to become homeowners
• Institute rent control/rent stabilization

Improve City Processes

• Create a Permanent Affordable Housing Commission to create and implement a vision for affordable housing production and preservation via the Housing Element with stronger enforcement.
• Identify sites for affordable housing development, including private land and excess City, County, CalTrans, PUSH and other public lands
• Promote affordable housing projects
• Monitor currently restricted units
• Monitor currently affordable but non-restricted units
• Monitor Planning Commission to ensure affordable housing projects are expedited
• Routine analyses of impediments to affordable housing development
• Routine analyses of impediments to fair housing choices
• Restore varying Section 8 subsidy levels to reflect differing fair market rents in expensive sections of the City
• Refrain from having policy determinations make by staff without the benefit of public input
• Improve the scope of EIR (Environmental Impact Reports) to include the impact of the lack of affordable housing.

Education on affordable housing development, preservation and policy

• For City Council,
• Planning Commission
• City staff
• Provide ongoing tours of affordable housing

Affordable housing developers

• Recoverable grants/advances for pre-development costs

Protect Tenants’ and Homeless Rights

• Pass a Homeless Bill of Rights
• Increase relocation benefits
• Just cause eviction
• Prohibit discrimination against rent subsidy recipients
• Effective ban on retaliation or eviction on tenants who exercise their rights
• Improved code enforcement program that improves housing quality but does not dislocate tenants
• Rent escrow options for noncompliant buildings
• Lead-safe work practices
• Consequences for slumlords
• Permanent supportive housing in every district
• Three motels converted to homeless housing in 5 years

Expand efforts beyond Pasadena to adjacent cities by partnering with groups that go beyond Pasadena’s boarders:

• PUSD,
• Women’s League,
• Family Promise,
• Habitat,
• SCAG (Southern Cal Assoc of Governments),
• San Gabriel Valley Council of Government
• LA  Voice

General Public

• Routinely translate policy documents into plain English and relevant languages
• Distribute projects more evenly throughout the City
• Inventory and monitor rents
• Identify at-risk affordable housing and monitor for possible City intervention
• Funding priorities should favor affordable rentals over ownership
• community members, including those with children and with disabilities
• Refrain from having important policy determinations made by staff
• Hold meetings in a manner that is accessible to low income
• Make relevant materials (including staff reports) available online
• allow adequate opportunity to analyze (more than 72 hours) in advance