Efren Carrillo column on Jr 2nd Units in June Sonoma Gazette

[tommy]

FYI on housing... below is part of Efren Carrillo's column in the 6/1/16 Sonoma Gazette (go Vesta!). This is good news.


"In the coming weeks, our Board will be receiving recommendations from the County Administrator’s office on options for improving the process to build affordable housing in the unincorporated area. Junior Second units are an exciting concept that will be part of the discussion. These units allow homeowners to repurpose unused bedrooms and bathrooms inside their existing homes to provide rental income to them and an affordable (by design) living space for individuals. It’s akin to creating a tiny home inside of an existing home. In many ways, this is a win-win, allowing older people on fixed incomes a path to aging in place, and offering affordable rental space to students and young professionals."

[wisewomn]

Sounds promising in theory but the reality is likely going to be very different for low-income people and seniors on fixed incomes unless the building permits for those units are contingent on making the units available to Section 8 tenants and there is some kind of cap on rents. Believe me, $850/month plus utilities for a single room and bath is NOT affordable (and IMO opinion is obscene) for many low income people unless they have assistance from HUD. Also, the much-ballyhooed-of-late "Law of Supply and Demand" (more commonly and truthfully known as human greed) isn't going to go away, so you can be sure that without some kind of external controls those "junior units" will be priced as high as the market will bear.

FYI on housing... below is part of Efren Carrillo's column in the 6/1/16 Sonoma Gazette (go Vesta!). This is good news.


"In the coming weeks, our Board will be receiving recommendations from the County Administrator’s office on options for improving the process to build affordable housing in the unincorporated area. Junior Second units are an exciting concept that will be part of the discussion. These units allow homeowners to repurpose unused bedrooms and bathrooms inside their existing homes to provide rental income to them and an affordable (by design) living space for individuals. It’s akin to creating a tiny home inside of an existing home. In many ways, this is a win-win, allowing older people on fixed incomes a path to aging in place, and offering affordable rental space to students and young professionals."

[riverosprey]

Wow Tommy...that is just GREAT NEWS! I am so excited...

Proud to be part of this effort in encouraging "Junior Second Dwelling Units". Please e-mail the Supervisors and try to attend this board meeting.

I did the following robocall Countywide (90,000 homes sorry,sorry,sorry :), as part of my campaign to further the affordable housing solutions:

My name is Tom Lynch, and I’m running for Fifth District Supervisor. We have an affordable housing crisis in Sonoma County, BECAUSE OF SONOMA COUNTY! We need to allow homeowners the ability to create second dwelling units, without $30-50,000 in fees for permits. I support what Marin County is pioneering, “junior second dwelling units”, with zero impact fees, no utility hook-up charges and no “affordability covenants”. We need to work together toward a sustainable future. This message is paid for by Tom Lynch for Supervisor.

Kind regards to all my WaccoBB brothers and sisters! Tom Lynch

FYI on housing... below is part of Efren Carrillo's column in the 6/1/16 Sonoma Gazette (go Vesta!). This is good news.... incomes a path to aging in place, and offering affordable rental space to students and young professionals."

[terijane]

Hey, Tom! I was one of the recipients of your phone call and didn't mind a bit.
I just want to remind you and the other candidates that Tiny Homes on wheels should be included in the Jr. Second Dwelling Units consideration. They take up less space (a driveway or small corner of a backyard) and most often NO sewer/septic hook-ups. All we need is a little power & water and we're happy. This is a great solution to seniors, low-incomers, and tiny families. Please include Tiny Houses in the conversations!

...I did the following robocall Countywide (90,000 homes sorry,sorry,sorry :),...

[Barry]

Tom, how would you factor in Trailer Bill 707 to the discussion on relaxing land use and CEQA issues to achieve affordable housing? Received a letter yesterday from Sara Wan, former coastal commissioner and coastal activist, warning that this bill will severely affect the coastal commission's mission....

The text of Trailer Bill 707 is here. "Trailer Bill Language is the implementing language of the California State Budget Bill." The Sierra Club of California put out an alert about this here, that includes a handy form to send a letter in protest about this.