Mercury News: “Some cities push back against plan to overhaul Bay Area housing market”

“As the Bay Area grapples with a housing shortage that has driven the cost of buying and renting to astronomical heights, the looming CASA battle highlights an ongoing power struggle. Local officials are fighting to keep control of development within their borders, while legislators try to force them to do what many of the smaller cities have not: build more homes.

“’The status quo isn’t working,’ said Leslye Corsiglia, a CASA co-chair and executive director of affordable housing advocacy organization SV@Home. ‘We’ve been managing our housing problem on a city-by-city basis, and we’ve got some cities that are doing everything that they can given the resources available, and we’ve got some cities that aren’t…’

“Corsiglia acknowledged the CASA committee should have done more to reach out to the smaller Bay Area cities. To bridge that gap, the MTC and ABAG are holding dozens of meetings with city leaders around the Bay Area, and the CASA team has tapped the Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California to lead a ramped-up communication effort. The association plans to reach out to residents through the media, online and in community meetings.

“’We want to have those conversations, and build that momentum and support and dispel the fears people have,’ said Non-Profit Housing Association executive director Amie Fishman.”

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