Put a $6 billion housing bond on California ballot

No matter how long I live and govern in this city, I cannot accept that people are sleeping on sidewalks in Oakland or mothers and children are forced to live in cars because they cannot afford rent. The waiting lists for affordable housing are too long. This new “normal” in California is unacceptable.

It is clear that California voters no longer accept this inhumane reality either. A recent poll found strong support for a $6 billion to $9 billion statewide affordable-housing bond to make a dent in the affordable-housing construction we need. A housing bond of this size is a responsible investment that allows the state to quickly build affordable homes while working with public and private partners.

State leaders must think big when it comes to solutions for a housing crisis of this magnitude that is crushing the communities in our region, forcing many households to decide between keeping a roof over their heads or putting food on the table. That’s why we need state leaders to seek passage of a housing bond of at least $6 billion — or more. Anything less is grossly insufficient.

A housing bond is part of the commitment Gov. Jerry Brown and the Legislature made just last month to tackle the growing housing gap. Our leaders said their top priority would be a package of housing legislation that includes a permanent source of state investment in affordable homes, a bond measure to provide a significant, short-term jump start to get affordable home-building going, and reforms to speed approval and construction of affordable developments.

I am urging Bay Area residents to contact Gov. Jerry Brown, Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, Senate President pro Tem Kevin de León and their own legislative representatives to remind them that the housing crisis is hurting families, seniors and veterans.

You don’t have to look far to see the human toll. Nonprofit housing organizations are flooded with calls from tearful families, desperate to find a safe, decent place to live. You or someone you know has long ago abandoned the dream of owning a home, and instead now lives in fear that the next rent increase may tip them into homelessness. More homeless people crowd under highway overpasses. Seniors and veterans who have spent a lifetime working to provide for their families can’t keep up with the rising costs of housing and now find themselves one step away from living on the street.

This is no way to be.

Today, 1 in 3 families can’t afford their rent. In Oakland, a person must earn $41.79 an hour to rent a modest two-bedroom home, according to the National Low-Income Housing Coalition, even as the average hourly wage is about half of that at $21.29. Rent takes up more than 50 percent of income for 1.7 million households.

Our economy depends on increasing the supply of housing. A huge driver of rent increases in the Bay Area is the supply-and-demand imbalance. Between 2011 and 2015, for every eight jobs that were created, we’ve built only one unit of housing. That’s unsustainable.

Adding jobs without adding significantly more affordable housing threatens our communities and hinders the sustainable economic growth of our region. Alameda County and Oakland are acting to marshal resources and implement strategies, but it’s not going to be enough. We must do more.

In 2016, Oakland’s voters approved $100 million in bonds to fund antidisplacement efforts and preserve affordable housing, while residents of Alameda County approved an additional $580 million in bonds to build affordable rental housing and support moderate-income homeownership programs. We cannot continue to fund ourselves in an attempt to stem the tide of a problem that is overwhelming our region and state.

With a $6 billion housing bond, we can house more than half a million Californians, including many families, seniors and veterans in our region. A housing bond of this size would also help make up for more than a decade of state disinvestment in affordable housing. Since the last housing bond went before voters in 2006, affordable-housing programs have shrunk by more than $6 billion.

Oakland and Alameda County voters have been generous in approving our recent bond measures, and they will be called upon again, if a housing bond is placed on the ballot. But first, Bay Area residents need the governor and Legislature to take bold action and put affordable homes back within reach for our communities. As we continue to be crushed by this housing and affordability crisis, we deserve no less than a $6 billion housing bond.