Arcata Housing Committee Proposal

By Bobby Harris

Arcata's housing crisis demands innovative and robust public policy, such as creation of a citizens' advisory committee on housing. Here is an argument and description in favor of this (my) entirely new proposal. Present absence of such an essential public policy venue / forum demonstrates a lack of political insight and action by current council policy.

Housing is the key facet of governmental policy and authority, upon which rests the basic quality of life of a community. Current housing paradigms have largely failed to satisfy this immense and important function, causing diminished quality of life of most persons. Only a very small fraction of the community can afford to own housing, with the great majority of persons paying the bill for a tiny sliver of that small fraction to accumulate wealth by owning extra housing, and sometimes vast quantities of housing.

Because of its nature and relationship with HSU, Arcata contains a great volume of rental housing. Unfortunately, demand for student rentals has been permitted to adversely encroach upon the already tenuous housing prospects for other Arcata residents, renters and would-be homeowners.

Investment pressures of capital, following the dot-com crash, resulted in dramatic escalations of local housing values, accelerating existing trends of gentrification to an unreasonable degree. Combined impacts of these two influences are causing an inevitable fraying of Arcata's social fabric.

Enacting a rent-control ordinance is the only effective manner of address for these difficulties, because it would protect long-term renters from the present condition of rental rates increasing annually by 10% or more.

Such an ordinance, by state law, could only apply to multiple-unit property titles with certificates of occupancy prior to 1995, and must allow market rate adjustments upon changes of tenancy. Of course, shifts in state law might one day provide a wider scope of authority for local governments.

Based on such an ordinance, common renters will be capable of holding increases in rents to reasonable levels linked to a consumer-price index.

Arcata needs a Housing Committee to function as an active resource in support of enhanced development of housing policies and opportunities, of which a rent-control ordinance would be one essential example. Special panels advise upon various other aspects of city policies: design review, open space, riparian & agricultural areas, transportation systems.

Housing is primary within a community development program, and surely deserves utmost municipal effort toward providing the best obtainable opportunities for Arcata residents. This will occur only if the city creates a Housing Committee to pursue a robust program (represented by activities outlined on reverse side of this page). Housing is the enabling predicate of community life, and must be fostered similarly to other basic areas of municipal policy and development.

____ Housing Committee Activities ____

a) Create, distribute and promote a bi-annual rental-housing pamphlet.

b) Explore, analyze and propose development of new housing concepts.

c) Investigate and evaluate housing potentials of vacant land within city.

d) Operate email hotline and annual survey(s) regarding rental housing.

e) Establish and promote program for tenant-landlord dispute mediation.

f) Assist with monitoring and enforcement of city rent-control ordinance.

g) Research, evaluate and propose options to update state housing law.

h) Develop and maintain relations with full spectrum of housing interests.

i) Assist with attention and reponses to alleged housing code violations.

j) Conduct annual workshop for landlords / property management firms.

k) Maintain a list of rental housing which accepts pets / P215 / tobacco.

l) Present report annually to Planning Commission and City Council.