ELPN: State Budget Roundup – Funding Outlook for the Coming Year

Join NPH’s Emerging Leaders Peer Network (ELPN) for a timely and engaging virtual training on California’s state budget outlook and its implications for affordable housing. This workshop will provide an insider’s perspective on current budget developments — especially those impacting housing developers. Panelists will unpack key issues such as the future of AHSC funding, the implications of the BCSH reorganization, and changes at the federal level. Attendees will gain insights into what excites and concerns experts about the budget, how to sustain housing momentum until the next state bond, and what strategic partnerships are needed to advocate effectively. Don’t miss this chance to deepen your understanding and build your advocacy toolkit in a rapidly evolving landscape.

Speakers Include:

(Moderator) J.T. Harechmak, Policy Director, NPH

J.T Harechmak is the Policy Director at the Non Profit Housing Association of Northern California where he works on state and federal advocacy efforts. He leads the Regulatory Working Group, which covers the California Debt Limit Allocation Committee (CDLAC) and the California Tax Credit Allocation Committee (TCAC).

Before joining NPH, J.T. was a legislative aide, a LIHTC development consultant, a resident and board member of a student housing cooperative, a researcher on Permanent Supportive Housing, a project manager for a rapid rehousing prototype house, and a fair housing advocate that focused on equitable disaster recovery.

J.T. holds a B.A. in Environmental Studies and Political Science from Santa Clara University and a Masters in Public Affairs from the University of Texas at Austin.

Amiel Leaño Atanacio, Senior Program Officer, Enterprise

Amiel Leaño Atanacio is a senior program officer on the Northern California state and local policy team where he supports the implementation of Enterprise’s research and policy agenda. In this role, he works closely with community partners to advance policy solutions related to affordable housing production, preservation, and tenant protections at the local, regional, and state levels. Amiel brings a wide range of experience in policy research, data analysis, and community engagement.

Prior to Enterprise, Amiel was involved in community stabilization and housing affordability initiatives with the San Francisco Planning Department where he supported research and community engagement efforts under the community equity division. Before this, he worked for Homeownership SF where he coordinated tenant education, foreclosure prevention and first-time homebuyer education programs, organized housing clinics for San Francisco educators, and led community outreach for affordable housing programs in San Francisco.

Amiel has a master’s degree in city planning from University of California, Berkeley where he served as a graduate researcher for the Urban Displacement Project and a bachelor’s degree in economics and international relations from University of California, Davis.

Nevada Merriman, Vice President of Policy and Advocacy, MidPen Housing

Nevada V. Merriman serves as MidPen Housing’s Vice President of Policy and Advocacy. Since 2007, she’s held many positions in the Real Estate Development team, including project manager. Most recently, she was the Director of Housing Development for the Peninsula and Silicon Valley. She has contributed to developing over 3,000 homes in Alameda, San Mateo, and Santa Clara Counties. She is a passionate advocate for including homes for extremely low-income and unhoused community members in the vision for our region’s future. She looks for ways to partner with local governments and build coalition with nearly every affordable housing advocacy organization in the San Francisco and Monterey Bay Areas.

In 2022, Ms. Merriman was appointed to the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority’s Advisory Committee. She is also a board member of SV@HOME, and she co-chairs the County of San Mateo’s Home for All collaborative. She was a member of the All Home technical committee while it developed a Regional Action Plan. In her free time, she serves as a Housing Commissioner for the City of Menlo Park.

Nicole Restmeyer, Senior Consultant, California State Assembly Committee on Housing and Community Development

Nicole Restmeyer is a staff consultant with the Assembly Committee on Housing and Community Development, where she handles a variety of issues ranging from housing elements to landlord-tenant law, the Housing Accountability Act, and mobilehome policy. Before joining the committee in the fall of 2022, Nicole served as legislative director to State Senator Josh Becker, staffing housing, transportation, and budget issues for his office along with managing the overall legislative package. She also previously spent three years as a legislative aide to former Assemblymember (and former Housing Committee Chair) David Chiu and first joined the Legislature in 2017. Nicole’s community engagement work includes serving as a board member for the Sacramento Housing Alliance and she previously served as a founding board member, Operations Director, and Communications Director of the Capitol LGBTQ Association. She is a graduate of UC Berkeley.