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"content": "\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After more than a half-century of marriage, Cándido Rosales and his wife are living apart in the same town.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She recently joined him from Mexico after waiting years for her immigration paperwork to be approved. But they haven’t found a place they can afford where they could live together in Half Moon Bay. She is staying with her sister; he shares a rented room with another person.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“A family has to be together, not separated,” 67-year-old Rosales said in Spanish.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rosales, who spent nearly 40 years working in agriculture, hopes a proposed affordable housing development at 555 Kelly Ave. in downtown Half Moon Bay will give him and his wife a place to call home. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The project, now four years in the making, was proposed a year before a 2023 mass shooting in the city \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11941716/we-have-a-moment-here-an-urgent-push-for-farmworker-housing-in-wake-of-half-moon-bay-tragedy\">exposed substandard living conditions on local farms\u003c/a> and intensified calls for improved affordable housing for farmworkers. But it’s since become a lightning rod in city politics.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Opponents have called the five-story, 40-unit building out of character for Half Moon Bay’s quaint downtown and decried impacts to traffic and parking new residents might bring. Supporters, however, say it would help aging farmworkers remain in the community they helped nourish.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite concerns from some residents, the city council approved the development in May, but opponents quickly rallied to put a referendum on the ballot. Now, voters will decide on Nov. 3 whether it moves forward.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261016_HALFMOONBAYMEASUREQ_GC-13-KQED-815830cf.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105275\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261016_HALFMOONBAYMEASUREQ_GC-13-KQED-815830cf.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261016_HALFMOONBAYMEASUREQ_GC-13-KQED-815830cf-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261016_HALFMOONBAYMEASUREQ_GC-13-KQED-815830cf-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The proposed affordable housing site for senior farmworkers at 555 Kelly Ave. in Half Moon Bay on Oct. 16, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Across California, low wages and a shortage of affordable housing leave many farmworkers living in crowded homes or subpar conditions. Between 2015 and 2019, about 38% of the state’s crop workers lived in crowded housing — defined as more than one person sharing a room, according to the most recent U.S. Department of Labor’s National Agricultural Workers Survey. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For retired farmworkers, the options can be even more limited, said Rob Wiener of the California Coalition for Rural Housing. Decades of low-paid, physically demanding work often leave little money for retirement. Moving in with relatives can mean sharing an already-crowded home, while finding an affordable home elsewhere can mean leaving family and community behind, Wiener said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It’s even more difficult for farmworkers in counties like San Mateo, he said, where the median one-bedroom apartment rents for \u003ca href=\"https://www.zillow.com/rental-manager/market-trends/san-mateo-ca/?bedrooms=1\">more than $3,000 per month\u003c/a> and families must earn a minimum salary of \u003ca href=\"https://www.car.org/marketdata/data/haitraditional\">nearly $580,000\u003c/a> to afford buying a median-priced single-family home. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Every community, in my view, should have the full life cycle of housing that’s needed,” Wiener said, “from family housing to housing for single adults and for retirees.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Housing built for larger farmworker families may not fit the needs of older adults living alone or as couples, he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Belinda Hernandez-Arriaga, executive director of Ayudando Latinos A Soñar, or ALAS, said the proposal for the apartment building on Kelly Avenue grew out of the organization’s work during the pandemic, when staff at the nonprofit found agricultural workers in their 70s and 80s were still working because they could not afford to retire.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261016_HALFMOONBAYMEASUREQ_GC-16-KQED-066915f1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105276\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261016_HALFMOONBAYMEASUREQ_GC-16-KQED-066915f1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261016_HALFMOONBAYMEASUREQ_GC-16-KQED-066915f1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261016_HALFMOONBAYMEASUREQ_GC-16-KQED-066915f1-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The ALAS office in Half Moon Bay on Oct. 16, 2026. ALAS is a nonprofit supporting farmworkers and their families. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some lived in housing tied to their jobs, meaning retirement could also cost them their homes. Others rented in the community but struggled to keep up with rising housing costs, she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Our aging farm workers are telling us they can’t stop working,” Hernandez-Arriaga said. “Because if they stop working, they don’t have income.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If voters approve the proposed apartment building in Half Moon Bay, senior farmworkers who live or work in the city would get first priority, followed by those elsewhere along the coast and in San Mateo County, according to Mercy Housing, which is partnering with ALAS on the project. The nonprofit developer said those preferences are established in its agreements with the city.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Along with apartments, the development would include a community center offering services such as health care and wellness programs. Its downtown location would put residents within walking distance of groceries, medical care, churches and organizations that already serve them, Hernandez-Arriaga said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For Rosales, remaining close to services is important because he has never driven a car. He gets around by walking or taking the bus. He has lived in Half Moon Bay for about two decades and said he wants a home near the places he already relies on.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“What we like is having everything close at hand,” he said in Spanish.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But opponents question the building’s size — at five stories, it would be the tallest in downtown — as well as its effects on parking and traffic and the city’s obligations under the proposed 99-year lease.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rick Hernandez, vice chair of the Half Moon Bay Planning Commission, said he supports more affordable housing but has concerns about this specific development.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“It would be the tallest in downtown,” Hernandez said, “and it’s out of character with our community.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He said a smaller development would be a better fit for a neighborhood where people already come for the library, church and community center. He also questioned what costs the city could face over the 99-year lease and whether the proposed lease agreement is adequate to ensure local residents get priority for the apartments.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hernandez-Arriaga sees the opposition as going beyond the building’s size. She questioned whether the older farmworkers who have been asking for housing for years are welcome downtown.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Why aren’t they good enough to be living downtown?” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Hernandez pushed back on that assertion. He pointed to other affordable housing developments in Half Moon Bay as examples of the city’s support for farmworkers, including a manufactured housing project the city approved soon after the 2023 mass shooting.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“This is about striking the right balance,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ALAS and Mercy Housing jointly proposed the project after the city sought proposals for affordable apartments on the Kelly Avenue property in 2022. It was the only proposal submitted. But it faced opposition from the start.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When the planning commission approved the project’s land-use permits in May 2024, residents appealed. The city council upheld that approval but didn’t sign off on a final lease agreement on the city-owned land until May 2026. Opponents then gathered enough signatures to put that decision before voters, suspending the ordinance until the election.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The vote comes as the city faces pressure from the state over its broader housing obligations. In July, Attorney General Rob Bonta and Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-bonta-newsom-administration-take-legal-action-against-local\">sued Half Moon Bay\u003c/a> for failing to complete zoning changes required to bring its housing plan into compliance with state law, asking a court to require compliance and impose financial penalties.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261016_HALFMOONBAYMEASUREQ_GC-17-KQED-1deb1f18.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105277\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261016_HALFMOONBAYMEASUREQ_GC-17-KQED-1deb1f18.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261016_HALFMOONBAYMEASUREQ_GC-17-KQED-1deb1f18-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261016_HALFMOONBAYMEASUREQ_GC-17-KQED-1deb1f18-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A “Yes on Q” sign is posted at a local business in Half Moon Bay on Oct. 16, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jeff Regan, campaign organizer for Yes on 555 Kelly Ave., said rejecting the Kelly Avenue project would make it harder for the city to meet state housing goals. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under the city’s description of the lease, Mercy Housing would be responsible for constructing and maintaining the buildings, carrying required insurance and operating resident programs. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a statement, Mercy said about $28 million in public funding has been secured, including more than $6 million recently approved by San Mateo County. The plan anticipates covering the remaining $14 million through tax-credit financing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rosales has attended several meetings about the development, hoping it will move forward. For now, he visits his wife at her sister’s home, spends time talking with her, then leaves.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He wants to stay in Half Moon Bay but said they are considering returning to Mexico if they cannot find a place to live together. Still, he’s reluctant to leave the city he’s called home for two decades. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I’d like to stay here a little longer,” he said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She recently joined him from Mexico after waiting years for her immigration paperwork to be approved. But they haven’t found a place they can afford where they could live together in Half Moon Bay. She is staying with her sister; he shares a rented room with another person.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>She recently joined him from Mexico after waiting years for her immigration paperwork to be approved. But they haven’t found a place they can afford where they could live together in Half Moon Bay. She is staying with her sister; he shares a rented room with another person.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“A family has to be together, not separated,” 67-year-old Rosales said in Spanish.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Rosales, who spent nearly 40 years working in agriculture, hopes a proposed affordable housing development at 555 Kelly Ave. in downtown Half Moon Bay will give him and his wife a place to call home. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Rosales, who spent nearly 40 years working in agriculture, hopes a proposed affordable housing development at 555 Kelly Ave. in downtown Half Moon Bay will give him and his wife a place to call home. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The project, now four years in the making, was proposed a year before a 2023 mass shooting in the city \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11941716/we-have-a-moment-here-an-urgent-push-for-farmworker-housing-in-wake-of-half-moon-bay-tragedy\">exposed substandard living conditions on local farms\u003c/a> and intensified calls for improved affordable housing for farmworkers. But it’s since become a lightning rod in city politics.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The project, now four years in the making, was proposed a year before a 2023 mass shooting in the city \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11941716/we-have-a-moment-here-an-urgent-push-for-farmworker-housing-in-wake-of-half-moon-bay-tragedy\">exposed substandard living conditions on local farms\u003c/a> and intensified calls for improved affordable housing for farmworkers. But it’s since become a lightning rod in city politics.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Opponents have called the five-story, 40-unit building out of character for Half Moon Bay’s quaint downtown and decried impacts to traffic and parking new residents might bring. Supporters, however, say it would help aging farmworkers remain in the community they helped nourish.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Opponents have called the five-story, 40-unit building out of character for Half Moon Bay’s quaint downtown and decried impacts to traffic and parking new residents might bring. Supporters, however, say it would help aging farmworkers remain in the community they helped nourish.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Despite concerns from some residents, the city council approved the development in May, but opponents quickly rallied to put a referendum on the ballot. Now, voters will decide on Nov. 3 whether it moves forward.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Despite concerns from some residents, the city council approved the development in May, but opponents quickly rallied to put a referendum on the ballot. Now, voters will decide on Nov. 3 whether it moves forward.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261016_HALFMOONBAYMEASUREQ_GC-13-KQED-815830cf.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105275\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261016_HALFMOONBAYMEASUREQ_GC-13-KQED-815830cf.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261016_HALFMOONBAYMEASUREQ_GC-13-KQED-815830cf-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261016_HALFMOONBAYMEASUREQ_GC-13-KQED-815830cf-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The proposed affordable housing site for senior farmworkers at 555 Kelly Ave. in Half Moon Bay on Oct. 16, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Across California, low wages and a shortage of affordable housing leave many farmworkers living in crowded homes or subpar conditions. Between 2015 and 2019, about 38% of the state’s crop workers lived in crowded housing — defined as more than one person sharing a room, according to the most recent U.S. Department of Labor’s National Agricultural Workers Survey. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Across California, low wages and a shortage of affordable housing leave many farmworkers living in crowded homes or subpar conditions. Between 2015 and 2019, about 38% of the state’s crop workers lived in crowded housing — defined as more than one person sharing a room, according to the most recent U.S. Department of Labor’s National Agricultural Workers Survey. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For retired farmworkers, the options can be even more limited, said Rob Wiener of the California Coalition for Rural Housing. Decades of low-paid, physically demanding work often leave little money for retirement. Moving in with relatives can mean sharing an already-crowded home, while finding an affordable home elsewhere can mean leaving family and community behind, Wiener said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>For retired farmworkers, the options can be even more limited, said Rob Wiener of the California Coalition for Rural Housing. Decades of low-paid, physically demanding work often leave little money for retirement. Moving in with relatives can mean sharing an already-crowded home, while finding an affordable home elsewhere can mean leaving family and community behind, Wiener said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It’s even more difficult for farmworkers in counties like San Mateo, he said, where the median one-bedroom apartment rents for \u003ca href=\"https://www.zillow.com/rental-manager/market-trends/san-mateo-ca/?bedrooms=1\">more than $3,000 per month\u003c/a> and families must earn a minimum salary of \u003ca href=\"https://www.car.org/marketdata/data/haitraditional\">nearly $580,000\u003c/a> to afford buying a median-priced single-family home. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>It’s even more difficult for farmworkers in counties like San Mateo, he said, where the median one-bedroom apartment rents for \u003ca href=\"https://www.zillow.com/rental-manager/market-trends/san-mateo-ca/?bedrooms=1\">more than $3,000 per month\u003c/a> and families must earn a minimum salary of \u003ca href=\"https://www.car.org/marketdata/data/haitraditional\">nearly $580,000\u003c/a> to afford buying a median-priced single-family home. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Every community, in my view, should have the full life cycle of housing that’s needed,” Wiener said, “from family housing to housing for single adults and for retirees.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Housing built for larger farmworker families may not fit the needs of older adults living alone or as couples, he said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Housing built for larger farmworker families may not fit the needs of older adults living alone or as couples, he said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Belinda Hernandez-Arriaga, executive director of Ayudando Latinos A Soñar, or ALAS, said the proposal for the apartment building on Kelly Avenue grew out of the organization’s work during the pandemic, when staff at the nonprofit found agricultural workers in their 70s and 80s were still working because they could not afford to retire.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Belinda Hernandez-Arriaga, executive director of Ayudando Latinos A Soñar, or ALAS, said the proposal for the apartment building on Kelly Avenue grew out of the organization’s work during the pandemic, when staff at the nonprofit found agricultural workers in their 70s and 80s were still working because they could not afford to retire.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261016_HALFMOONBAYMEASUREQ_GC-16-KQED-066915f1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105276\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261016_HALFMOONBAYMEASUREQ_GC-16-KQED-066915f1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261016_HALFMOONBAYMEASUREQ_GC-16-KQED-066915f1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261016_HALFMOONBAYMEASUREQ_GC-16-KQED-066915f1-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The ALAS office in Half Moon Bay on Oct. 16, 2026. ALAS is a nonprofit supporting farmworkers and their families.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261016_HALFMOONBAYMEASUREQ_GC-16-KQED-066915f1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105276\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The ALAS office in Half Moon Bay on Oct. 16, 2026. ALAS is a nonprofit supporting farmworkers and their families.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Some lived in housing tied to their jobs, meaning retirement could also cost them their homes. Others rented in the community but struggled to keep up with rising housing costs, she said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Some lived in housing tied to their jobs, meaning retirement could also cost them their homes. Others rented in the community but struggled to keep up with rising housing costs, she said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Our aging farm workers are telling us they can’t stop working,” Hernandez-Arriaga said. “Because if they stop working, they don’t have income.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If voters approve the proposed apartment building in Half Moon Bay, senior farmworkers who live or work in the city would get first priority, followed by those elsewhere along the coast and in San Mateo County, according to Mercy Housing, which is partnering with ALAS on the project. The nonprofit developer said those preferences are established in its agreements with the city.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>If voters approve the proposed apartment building in Half Moon Bay, senior farmworkers who live or work in the city would get first priority, followed by those elsewhere along the coast and in San Mateo County, according to Mercy Housing, which is partnering with ALAS on the project. The nonprofit developer said those preferences are established in its agreements with the city.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Along with apartments, the development would include a community center offering services such as health care and wellness programs. Its downtown location would put residents within walking distance of groceries, medical care, churches and organizations that already serve them, Hernandez-Arriaga said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Along with apartments, the development would include a community center offering services such as health care and wellness programs. Its downtown location would put residents within walking distance of groceries, medical care, churches and organizations that already serve them, Hernandez-Arriaga said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For Rosales, remaining close to services is important because he has never driven a car. He gets around by walking or taking the bus. He has lived in Half Moon Bay for about two decades and said he wants a home near the places he already relies on.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>For Rosales, remaining close to services is important because he has never driven a car. He gets around by walking or taking the bus. He has lived in Half Moon Bay for about two decades and said he wants a home near the places he already relies on.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“What we like is having everything close at hand,” he said in Spanish.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But opponents question the building’s size — at five stories, it would be the tallest in downtown — as well as its effects on parking and traffic and the city’s obligations under the proposed 99-year lease.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Rick Hernandez, vice chair of the Half Moon Bay Planning Commission, said he supports more affordable housing but has concerns about this specific development.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It would be the tallest in downtown,” Hernandez said, “and it’s out of character with our community.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He said a smaller development would be a better fit for a neighborhood where people already come for the library, church and community center. He also questioned what costs the city could face over the 99-year lease and whether the proposed lease agreement is adequate to ensure local residents get priority for the apartments.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>He said a smaller development would be a better fit for a neighborhood where people already come for the library, church and community center. He also questioned what costs the city could face over the 99-year lease and whether the proposed lease agreement is adequate to ensure local residents get priority for the apartments.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Hernandez-Arriaga sees the opposition as going beyond the building’s size. She questioned whether the older farmworkers who have been asking for housing for years are welcome downtown.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Why aren’t they good enough to be living downtown?” she said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But Hernandez pushed back on that assertion. He pointed to other affordable housing developments in Half Moon Bay as examples of the city’s support for farmworkers, including a manufactured housing project the city approved soon after the 2023 mass shooting.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But Hernandez pushed back on that assertion. He pointed to other affordable housing developments in Half Moon Bay as examples of the city’s support for farmworkers, including a manufactured housing project the city approved soon after the 2023 mass shooting.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This is about striking the right balance,” he said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>ALAS and Mercy Housing jointly proposed the project after the city sought proposals for affordable apartments on the Kelly Avenue property in 2022. It was the only proposal submitted. But it faced opposition from the start.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>ALAS and Mercy Housing jointly proposed the project after the city sought proposals for affordable apartments on the Kelly Avenue property in 2022. It was the only proposal submitted. But it faced opposition from the start.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>When the planning commission approved the project’s land-use permits in May 2024, residents appealed. The city council upheld that approval but didn’t sign off on a final lease agreement on the city-owned land until May 2026. Opponents then gathered enough signatures to put that decision before voters, suspending the ordinance until the election.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>When the planning commission approved the project’s land-use permits in May 2024, residents appealed. The city council upheld that approval but didn’t sign off on a final lease agreement on the city-owned land until May 2026. Opponents then gathered enough signatures to put that decision before voters, suspending the ordinance until the election.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The vote comes as the city faces pressure from the state over its broader housing obligations. In July, Attorney General Rob Bonta and Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-bonta-newsom-administration-take-legal-action-against-local\">sued Half Moon Bay\u003c/a> for failing to complete zoning changes required to bring its housing plan into compliance with state law, asking a court to require compliance and impose financial penalties.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The vote comes as the city faces pressure from the state over its broader housing obligations. In July, Attorney General Rob Bonta and Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-bonta-newsom-administration-take-legal-action-against-local\">sued Half Moon Bay\u003c/a> for failing to complete zoning changes required to bring its housing plan into compliance with state law, asking a court to require compliance and impose financial penalties.\u003c/p>\n"
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261016_HALFMOONBAYMEASUREQ_GC-17-KQED-1deb1f18.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105277\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A “Yes on Q” sign is posted at a local business in Half Moon Bay on Oct. 16, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Jeff Regan, campaign organizer for Yes on 555 Kelly Ave., said rejecting the Kelly Avenue project would make it harder for the city to meet state housing goals. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Jeff Regan, campaign organizer for Yes on 555 Kelly Ave., said rejecting the Kelly Avenue project would make it harder for the city to meet state housing goals. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Under the city’s description of the lease, Mercy Housing would be responsible for constructing and maintaining the buildings, carrying required insurance and operating resident programs. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Under the city’s description of the lease, Mercy Housing would be responsible for constructing and maintaining the buildings, carrying required insurance and operating resident programs. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In a statement, Mercy said about $28 million in public funding has been secured, including more than $6 million recently approved by San Mateo County. The plan anticipates covering the remaining $14 million through tax-credit financing.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In a statement, Mercy said about $28 million in public funding has been secured, including more than $6 million recently approved by San Mateo County. The plan anticipates covering the remaining $14 million through tax-credit financing.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Rosales has attended several meetings about the development, hoping it will move forward. For now, he visits his wife at her sister’s home, spends time talking with her, then leaves.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He wants to stay in Half Moon Bay but said they are considering returning to Mexico if they cannot find a place to live together. Still, he’s reluctant to leave the city he’s called home for two decades. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>He wants to stay in Half Moon Bay but said they are considering returning to Mexico if they cannot find a place to live together. Still, he’s reluctant to leave the city he’s called home for two decades. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I’d like to stay here a little longer,” he said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "As older farmworkers struggle to afford housing, Half Moon Bay voters are weighing a proposal supporters say would help them stay in the communities they helped nourish.",
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"title": "A Fight Over Farmworker Housing Is on the Ballot in This Bay Area Town | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After more than a half-century of marriage, Cándido Rosales and his wife are living apart in the same town.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She recently joined him from Mexico after waiting years for her immigration paperwork to be approved. But they haven’t found a place they can afford where they could live together in Half Moon Bay. She is staying with her sister; he shares a rented room with another person.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“A family has to be together, not separated,” 67-year-old Rosales said in Spanish.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rosales, who spent nearly 40 years working in agriculture, hopes a proposed affordable housing development at 555 Kelly Ave. in downtown Half Moon Bay will give him and his wife a place to call home. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The project, now four years in the making, was proposed a year before a 2023 mass shooting in the city \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/11941716/we-have-a-moment-here-an-urgent-push-for-farmworker-housing-in-wake-of-half-moon-bay-tragedy\">exposed substandard living conditions on local farms\u003c/a> and intensified calls for improved affordable housing for farmworkers. But it’s since become a lightning rod in city politics.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Opponents have called the five-story, 40-unit building out of character for Half Moon Bay’s quaint downtown and decried impacts to traffic and parking new residents might bring. Supporters, however, say it would help aging farmworkers remain in the community they helped nourish.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Despite concerns from some residents, the city council approved the development in May, but opponents quickly rallied to put a referendum on the ballot. Now, voters will decide on Nov. 3 whether it moves forward.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261016_HALFMOONBAYMEASUREQ_GC-13-KQED-815830cf.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105275\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261016_HALFMOONBAYMEASUREQ_GC-13-KQED-815830cf.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261016_HALFMOONBAYMEASUREQ_GC-13-KQED-815830cf-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261016_HALFMOONBAYMEASUREQ_GC-13-KQED-815830cf-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The proposed affordable housing site for senior farmworkers at 555 Kelly Ave. in Half Moon Bay on Oct. 16, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Across California, low wages and a shortage of affordable housing leave many farmworkers living in crowded homes or subpar conditions. Between 2015 and 2019, about 38% of the state’s crop workers lived in crowded housing — defined as more than one person sharing a room, according to the most recent U.S. Department of Labor’s National Agricultural Workers Survey. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For retired farmworkers, the options can be even more limited, said Rob Wiener of the California Coalition for Rural Housing. Decades of low-paid, physically demanding work often leave little money for retirement. Moving in with relatives can mean sharing an already-crowded home, while finding an affordable home elsewhere can mean leaving family and community behind, Wiener said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It’s even more difficult for farmworkers in counties like San Mateo, he said, where the median one-bedroom apartment rents for \u003ca href=\"https://www.zillow.com/rental-manager/market-trends/san-mateo-ca/?bedrooms=1\">more than $3,000 per month\u003c/a> and families must earn a minimum salary of \u003ca href=\"https://www.car.org/marketdata/data/haitraditional\">nearly $580,000\u003c/a> to afford buying a median-priced single-family home. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Every community, in my view, should have the full life cycle of housing that’s needed,” Wiener said, “from family housing to housing for single adults and for retirees.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Housing built for larger farmworker families may not fit the needs of older adults living alone or as couples, he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Belinda Hernandez-Arriaga, executive director of Ayudando Latinos A Soñar, or ALAS, said the proposal for the apartment building on Kelly Avenue grew out of the organization’s work during the pandemic, when staff at the nonprofit found agricultural workers in their 70s and 80s were still working because they could not afford to retire.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261016_HALFMOONBAYMEASUREQ_GC-16-KQED-066915f1.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105276\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261016_HALFMOONBAYMEASUREQ_GC-16-KQED-066915f1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261016_HALFMOONBAYMEASUREQ_GC-16-KQED-066915f1-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261016_HALFMOONBAYMEASUREQ_GC-16-KQED-066915f1-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The ALAS office in Half Moon Bay on Oct. 16, 2026. ALAS is a nonprofit supporting farmworkers and their families. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some lived in housing tied to their jobs, meaning retirement could also cost them their homes. Others rented in the community but struggled to keep up with rising housing costs, she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Our aging farm workers are telling us they can’t stop working,” Hernandez-Arriaga said. “Because if they stop working, they don’t have income.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If voters approve the proposed apartment building in Half Moon Bay, senior farmworkers who live or work in the city would get first priority, followed by those elsewhere along the coast and in San Mateo County, according to Mercy Housing, which is partnering with ALAS on the project. The nonprofit developer said those preferences are established in its agreements with the city.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Along with apartments, the development would include a community center offering services such as health care and wellness programs. Its downtown location would put residents within walking distance of groceries, medical care, churches and organizations that already serve them, Hernandez-Arriaga said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For Rosales, remaining close to services is important because he has never driven a car. He gets around by walking or taking the bus. He has lived in Half Moon Bay for about two decades and said he wants a home near the places he already relies on.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“What we like is having everything close at hand,” he said in Spanish.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But opponents question the building’s size — at five stories, it would be the tallest in downtown — as well as its effects on parking and traffic and the city’s obligations under the proposed 99-year lease.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rick Hernandez, vice chair of the Half Moon Bay Planning Commission, said he supports more affordable housing but has concerns about this specific development.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“It would be the tallest in downtown,” Hernandez said, “and it’s out of character with our community.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He said a smaller development would be a better fit for a neighborhood where people already come for the library, church and community center. He also questioned what costs the city could face over the 99-year lease and whether the proposed lease agreement is adequate to ensure local residents get priority for the apartments.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hernandez-Arriaga sees the opposition as going beyond the building’s size. She questioned whether the older farmworkers who have been asking for housing for years are welcome downtown.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Why aren’t they good enough to be living downtown?” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Hernandez pushed back on that assertion. He pointed to other affordable housing developments in Half Moon Bay as examples of the city’s support for farmworkers, including a manufactured housing project the city approved soon after the 2023 mass shooting.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“This is about striking the right balance,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">ALAS and Mercy Housing jointly proposed the project after the city sought proposals for affordable apartments on the Kelly Avenue property in 2022. It was the only proposal submitted. But it faced opposition from the start.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When the planning commission approved the project’s land-use permits in May 2024, residents appealed. The city council upheld that approval but didn’t sign off on a final lease agreement on the city-owned land until May 2026. Opponents then gathered enough signatures to put that decision before voters, suspending the ordinance until the election.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The vote comes as the city faces pressure from the state over its broader housing obligations. In July, Attorney General Rob Bonta and Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration \u003ca href=\"https://oag.ca.gov/news/press-releases/attorney-general-bonta-newsom-administration-take-legal-action-against-local\">sued Half Moon Bay\u003c/a> for failing to complete zoning changes required to bring its housing plan into compliance with state law, asking a court to require compliance and impose financial penalties.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261016_HALFMOONBAYMEASUREQ_GC-17-KQED-1deb1f18.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105277\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261016_HALFMOONBAYMEASUREQ_GC-17-KQED-1deb1f18.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261016_HALFMOONBAYMEASUREQ_GC-17-KQED-1deb1f18-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261016_HALFMOONBAYMEASUREQ_GC-17-KQED-1deb1f18-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A “Yes on Q” sign is posted at a local business in Half Moon Bay on Oct. 16, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jeff Regan, campaign organizer for Yes on 555 Kelly Ave., said rejecting the Kelly Avenue project would make it harder for the city to meet state housing goals. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Under the city’s description of the lease, Mercy Housing would be responsible for constructing and maintaining the buildings, carrying required insurance and operating resident programs. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a statement, Mercy said about $28 million in public funding has been secured, including more than $6 million recently approved by San Mateo County. The plan anticipates covering the remaining $14 million through tax-credit financing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rosales has attended several meetings about the development, hoping it will move forward. For now, he visits his wife at her sister’s home, spends time talking with her, then leaves.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He wants to stay in Half Moon Bay but said they are considering returning to Mexico if they cannot find a place to live together. Still, he’s reluctant to leave the city he’s called home for two decades. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I’d like to stay here a little longer,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "california-forever-isnt-on-the-ballot-but-its-looming-large-over-local-elections",
"title": "California Forever Isn’t on the Ballot, but It’s Looming Large Over Local Elections",
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"headTitle": "California Forever Isn’t on the Ballot, but It’s Looming Large Over Local Elections | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The small North Bay community of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12043295/suisun-city-proposes-annexing-most-of-california-forevers-new-city\">Suisun City\u003c/a> has a lot of problems facing it: a chronic budget deficit, empty stores on its picturesque marsh-facing waterfront and a scant supply of city staff to maintain public services, to name a few. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But all of those are dwarfed by the billionaire-backed elephant in the room: \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california-forever\">California Forever\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The controversial developer has loomed over election campaigns across Solano County. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003ca href=\"https://electkpatricewilliams.com/k-patrice-williams-shipbuilding-vote-california-forever/\">City Council\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://carliforsolano.com/platform\">county supervisor\u003c/a> candidates are taking stances on how they feel about the company and its plan to build homes and apartments for more than 100,000 people, retail, offices, and an advanced manufacturing center, among other ideas that could reshape the region — regardless of whether they’ll have any voting power to approve or reject the proposal.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But nowhere are the stakes higher than in Suisun City. For the past two years, the city’s leaders have been exploring whether to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12059985/california-forever-clears-first-hurdle-in-suisun-city-annexation\">annex\u003c/a> some of California Forever’s land, a move that would give it authority to approve the proposed megadevelopment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It would be a big change for the small town of fewer than 30,000 residents. Annexation would grow the city’s geographic boundaries by around nine times. And the next City Council and mayor will play a big role in determining not just whether annexation happens, but what kind of deal the city will get out of it. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261008_SUISUNCITYCANDIDATESFORUM_GC-6-KQED-6436ee91.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105295\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261008_SUISUNCITYCANDIDATESFORUM_GC-6-KQED-6436ee91.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261008_SUISUNCITYCANDIDATESFORUM_GC-6-KQED-6436ee91-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261008_SUISUNCITYCANDIDATESFORUM_GC-6-KQED-6436ee91-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A sign reading “Protect Suisun Stop California Forever” rests on the ground during a City Council candidate forum in Suisun City on Oct. 8, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For residents, the project is a make-or-break moment: Supporters see it as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to not just grow the city’s footprint, but bring in desperately needed tax revenue that could pull the waterfront community off a looming fiscal cliff.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Opponents, however, see it as an expensive boondoggle that could drain the county’s already limited resources, siphon the region’s water supply and overshadow the city’s small-town charm.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cindy Macdonald, a Suisun City retiree, is still deciding who to vote for, but regardless of who takes office, she thinks California Forever’s development is inevitable. The company already owns the land where the project would be built, plus thousands more acres. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“What are they going to do with it? Is it going to be 400,000 more people in Solano County… or a data center?” she asked. “This particular election is pretty important all the way around.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She likes Amit Pal, a current City Council member who is running to replace Mayor Alma Hernandez, and Princess Washington, an incumbent City Council member running for reelection.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1332\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261008_SUISUNCITYCANDIDATESFORUM_GC-21-KQED-9b9df697.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105303\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261008_SUISUNCITYCANDIDATESFORUM_GC-21-KQED-9b9df697.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261008_SUISUNCITYCANDIDATESFORUM_GC-21-KQED-9b9df697-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261008_SUISUNCITYCANDIDATESFORUM_GC-21-KQED-9b9df697-1536x1023.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Suisun City Councilmember and mayoral candidate Amit Pal, left, speaks during a mayoral candidate forum in Suisun City on Oct. 8, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Macdonald thinks they are savvy enough to negotiate a good deal with the company. Both have said they are interested in continuing to explore annexation, but remain skeptical about the project and the company.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other residents want to shake up city leadership and view California Forever’s proposed development as a major threat that could drain resources from their small town. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Katrina Garcia, a small business owner, entered the race for City Council because she felt like her concerns weren’t being heard by the city’s current leaders. In mid-July, she attended a meeting with other Suisun City residents to discuss what they might want in a community benefits agreement if leaders reached an annexation deal with California Forever. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She is worried about the project’s massive size and how it could impact surrounding cities, the environment and Suisun City’s small-town vibe. Garcia wants more public meetings about the project, not just within her city but with county supervisors, too. But she said that when she kept raising those concerns, she felt supporters of the project kept pushing her aside. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“They overrode me,” she said. “[Supporters of the project said] it’s all a great thing and that there are just people that are just mad, and we can’t please them. But that’s not true.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Garcia, Washington and mayoral candidate Lilia Dardon believe Suisun City’s annexation deal should ultimately be decided by city voters — an atypical move for the county’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12040357/2-solano-cities-could-annex-some-california-forevers-land-heres-how\">current annexation process\u003c/a>, which gives decision-making power to a county-level regulatory agency. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Michael Jefferson, on the other hand, is running on a platform of shutting down all annexation talks. Earlier this year, he ran an unsuccessful attempt to recall the entire City Council over their willingness to engage the idea. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“What I heard is [there are] a lot of people that are scared, and they’re afraid of their future right now because of California Forever,” he said. “I am so happy to bring a voice to the voiceless and tell them, ‘No, you actually have someone that will actually represent your interests, who will actually help you, and will actually listen.’”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Current Mayor Alma Hernandez rejects that premise and argues that a majority of residents want the council to continue to explore annexation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At a recent forum hosted by the regional coalition Greenbelt Alliance, Hernandez estimated about 40% of residents had made up their minds, one way or the other: “They’re like, ‘Where’s the shovel coming?” or “No way, we don’t trust them,” she said, and the rest are undecided. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">”About 60% of the community is like, ‘Go do the homework and tell us the answers and see if it makes sense or not,’” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hernandez has her own concerns about the project and how it would impact the town she grew up in. She worries Highway 12 — the main artery running through the southern portion of Solano County — could get clogged with traffic if California Forever doesn’t properly think through its transportation infrastructure. She also worries a site of this size could require an inordinate amount of water, a scarce resource in the county. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Suisun City and Solano County are also facing other major problems without good solutions. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jenalee Dawson, an incumbent candidate running for City Council, said she has heard from community members who want more housing and job opportunities, especially after major employers, including the Valero Refinery, the Anheuser-Busch Brewery and the Mare Island Dry Docks have shut down or scaled back operations at local factories. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261008_SUISUNCITYCANDIDATESFORUM_GC-20-KQED-1858d254.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105302\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261008_SUISUNCITYCANDIDATESFORUM_GC-20-KQED-1858d254.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261008_SUISUNCITYCANDIDATESFORUM_GC-20-KQED-1858d254-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261008_SUISUNCITYCANDIDATESFORUM_GC-20-KQED-1858d254-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Michael Fortney, Head of Partnerships at California Forever, attends Suisun City City Council and mayoral candidate forums in Suisun City on Oct. 8, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, California Forever officials have promised thousands of jobs — for construction workers during the build-out and at tech campuses when the project is complete — if it is ultimately approved.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“If elected, I would continue to let the exploration of the annexation move forward, because I believe it would be irresponsible as a leader not to explore every opportunity that could benefit our community and region,” she said in an email to KQED.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Residents of nearby cities are also watching how Suisun City’s elections play out and wonder how it might impact their lives. Amy Fabi lives in Vacaville, but attended the Greenbelt Alliance forum because she leads the Solano chapter of the nonprofit Asian Pacific American Public Affairs Association. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She has talked with her members, many of them senior citizens, who want to know more about how California Forever’s project could impact their grandchildren and their economic futures. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“A lot of the seniors think about what’s important to them for the next generation,” Fabi said. “One of those things is what opportunities are available in this area, especially with the economy hurting so much, with gas being so expensive and food prices going up. And the seniors are always concerned about how [the project will] benefit their children, grandchildren.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story misstated which organization hosted the Suisun City candidates’ forum; it was hosted by the Greenbelt Alliance.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The small North Bay community of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12043295/suisun-city-proposes-annexing-most-of-california-forevers-new-city\">Suisun City\u003c/a> has a lot of problems facing it: a chronic budget deficit, empty stores on its picturesque marsh-facing waterfront and a scant supply of city staff to maintain public services, to name a few. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The small North Bay community of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12043295/suisun-city-proposes-annexing-most-of-california-forevers-new-city\">Suisun City\u003c/a> has a lot of problems facing it: a chronic budget deficit, empty stores on its picturesque marsh-facing waterfront and a scant supply of city staff to maintain public services, to name a few. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But all of those are dwarfed by the billionaire-backed elephant in the room: \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california-forever\">California Forever\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But all of those are dwarfed by the billionaire-backed elephant in the room: \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california-forever\">California Forever\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The controversial developer has loomed over election campaigns across Solano County. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The controversial developer has loomed over election campaigns across Solano County. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://electkpatricewilliams.com/k-patrice-williams-shipbuilding-vote-california-forever/\">City Council\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://carliforsolano.com/platform\">county supervisor\u003c/a> candidates are taking stances on how they feel about the company and its plan to build homes and apartments for more than 100,000 people, retail, offices, and an advanced manufacturing center, among other ideas that could reshape the region — regardless of whether they’ll have any voting power to approve or reject the proposal.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003ca href=\"https://electkpatricewilliams.com/k-patrice-williams-shipbuilding-vote-california-forever/\">City Council\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://carliforsolano.com/platform\">county supervisor\u003c/a> candidates are taking stances on how they feel about the company and its plan to build homes and apartments for more than 100,000 people, retail, offices, and an advanced manufacturing center, among other ideas that could reshape the region — regardless of whether they’ll have any voting power to approve or reject the proposal.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But nowhere are the stakes higher than in Suisun City. For the past two years, the city’s leaders have been exploring whether to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12059985/california-forever-clears-first-hurdle-in-suisun-city-annexation\">annex\u003c/a> some of California Forever’s land, a move that would give it authority to approve the proposed megadevelopment.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But nowhere are the stakes higher than in Suisun City. For the past two years, the city’s leaders have been exploring whether to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12059985/california-forever-clears-first-hurdle-in-suisun-city-annexation\">annex\u003c/a> some of California Forever’s land, a move that would give it authority to approve the proposed megadevelopment.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It would be a big change for the small town of fewer than 30,000 residents. Annexation would grow the city’s geographic boundaries by around nine times. And the next City Council and mayor will play a big role in determining not just whether annexation happens, but what kind of deal the city will get out of it. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>It would be a big change for the small town of fewer than 30,000 residents. Annexation would grow the city’s geographic boundaries by around nine times. And the next City Council and mayor will play a big role in determining not just whether annexation happens, but what kind of deal the city will get out of it. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261008_SUISUNCITYCANDIDATESFORUM_GC-6-KQED-6436ee91.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105295\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261008_SUISUNCITYCANDIDATESFORUM_GC-6-KQED-6436ee91.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261008_SUISUNCITYCANDIDATESFORUM_GC-6-KQED-6436ee91-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261008_SUISUNCITYCANDIDATESFORUM_GC-6-KQED-6436ee91-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A sign reading “Protect Suisun Stop California Forever” rests on the ground during a City Council candidate forum in Suisun City on Oct. 8, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261008_SUISUNCITYCANDIDATESFORUM_GC-6-KQED-6436ee91.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105295\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A sign reading “Protect Suisun Stop California Forever” rests on the ground during a City Council candidate forum in Suisun City on Oct. 8, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For residents, the project is a make-or-break moment: Supporters see it as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to not just grow the city’s footprint, but bring in desperately needed tax revenue that could pull the waterfront community off a looming fiscal cliff.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>For residents, the project is a make-or-break moment: Supporters see it as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to not just grow the city’s footprint, but bring in desperately needed tax revenue that could pull the waterfront community off a looming fiscal cliff.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Opponents, however, see it as an expensive boondoggle that could drain the county’s already limited resources, siphon the region’s water supply and overshadow the city’s small-town charm.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Opponents, however, see it as an expensive boondoggle that could drain the county’s already limited resources, siphon the region’s water supply and overshadow the city’s small-town charm.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Cindy Macdonald, a Suisun City retiree, is still deciding who to vote for, but regardless of who takes office, she thinks California Forever’s development is inevitable. The company already owns the land where the project would be built, plus thousands more acres. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Cindy Macdonald, a Suisun City retiree, is still deciding who to vote for, but regardless of who takes office, she thinks California Forever’s development is inevitable. The company already owns the land where the project would be built, plus thousands more acres. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“What are they going to do with it? Is it going to be 400,000 more people in Solano County… or a data center?” she asked. “This particular election is pretty important all the way around.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“What are they going to do with it? Is it going to be 400,000 more people in Solano County… or a data center?” she asked. “This particular election is pretty important all the way around.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She likes Amit Pal, a current City Council member who is running to replace Mayor Alma Hernandez, and Princess Washington, an incumbent City Council member running for reelection.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>She likes Amit Pal, a current City Council member who is running to replace Mayor Alma Hernandez, and Princess Washington, an incumbent City Council member running for reelection.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261008_SUISUNCITYCANDIDATESFORUM_GC-21-KQED-9b9df697.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105303\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261008_SUISUNCITYCANDIDATESFORUM_GC-21-KQED-9b9df697.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261008_SUISUNCITYCANDIDATESFORUM_GC-21-KQED-9b9df697-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261008_SUISUNCITYCANDIDATESFORUM_GC-21-KQED-9b9df697-1536x1023.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Suisun City Councilmember and mayoral candidate Amit Pal, left, speaks during a mayoral candidate forum in Suisun City on Oct. 8, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261008_SUISUNCITYCANDIDATESFORUM_GC-21-KQED-9b9df697.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105303\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Suisun City Councilmember and mayoral candidate Amit Pal, left, speaks during a mayoral candidate forum in Suisun City on Oct. 8, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Macdonald thinks they are savvy enough to negotiate a good deal with the company. Both have said they are interested in continuing to explore annexation, but remain skeptical about the project and the company.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Macdonald thinks they are savvy enough to negotiate a good deal with the company. Both have said they are interested in continuing to explore annexation, but remain skeptical about the project and the company.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Other residents want to shake up city leadership and view California Forever’s proposed development as a major threat that could drain resources from their small town. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Katrina Garcia, a small business owner, entered the race for City Council because she felt like her concerns weren’t being heard by the city’s current leaders. In mid-July, she attended a meeting with other Suisun City residents to discuss what they might want in a community benefits agreement if leaders reached an annexation deal with California Forever. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Katrina Garcia, a small business owner, entered the race for City Council because she felt like her concerns weren’t being heard by the city’s current leaders. In mid-July, she attended a meeting with other Suisun City residents to discuss what they might want in a community benefits agreement if leaders reached an annexation deal with California Forever. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She is worried about the project’s massive size and how it could impact surrounding cities, the environment and Suisun City’s small-town vibe. Garcia wants more public meetings about the project, not just within her city but with county supervisors, too. But she said that when she kept raising those concerns, she felt supporters of the project kept pushing her aside. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>She is worried about the project’s massive size and how it could impact surrounding cities, the environment and Suisun City’s small-town vibe. Garcia wants more public meetings about the project, not just within her city but with county supervisors, too. But she said that when she kept raising those concerns, she felt supporters of the project kept pushing her aside. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“They overrode me,” she said. “[Supporters of the project said] it’s all a great thing and that there are just people that are just mad, and we can’t please them. But that’s not true.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“They overrode me,” she said. “[Supporters of the project said] it’s all a great thing and that there are just people that are just mad, and we can’t please them. But that’s not true.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Garcia, Washington and mayoral candidate Lilia Dardon believe Suisun City’s annexation deal should ultimately be decided by city voters — an atypical move for the county’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12040357/2-solano-cities-could-annex-some-california-forevers-land-heres-how\">current annexation process\u003c/a>, which gives decision-making power to a county-level regulatory agency. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Garcia, Washington and mayoral candidate Lilia Dardon believe Suisun City’s annexation deal should ultimately be decided by city voters — an atypical move for the county’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12040357/2-solano-cities-could-annex-some-california-forevers-land-heres-how\">current annexation process\u003c/a>, which gives decision-making power to a county-level regulatory agency. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Michael Jefferson, on the other hand, is running on a platform of shutting down all annexation talks. Earlier this year, he ran an unsuccessful attempt to recall the entire City Council over their willingness to engage the idea. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Michael Jefferson, on the other hand, is running on a platform of shutting down all annexation talks. Earlier this year, he ran an unsuccessful attempt to recall the entire City Council over their willingness to engage the idea. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“What I heard is [there are] a lot of people that are scared, and they’re afraid of their future right now because of California Forever,” he said. “I am so happy to bring a voice to the voiceless and tell them, ‘No, you actually have someone that will actually represent your interests, who will actually help you, and will actually listen.’”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“What I heard is [there are] a lot of people that are scared, and they’re afraid of their future right now because of California Forever,” he said. “I am so happy to bring a voice to the voiceless and tell them, ‘No, you actually have someone that will actually represent your interests, who will actually help you, and will actually listen.’”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Current Mayor Alma Hernandez rejects that premise and argues that a majority of residents want the council to continue to explore annexation. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>At a recent forum hosted by the regional coalition Greenbelt Alliance, Hernandez estimated about 40% of residents had made up their minds, one way or the other: “They’re like, ‘Where’s the shovel coming?” or “No way, we don’t trust them,” she said, and the rest are undecided. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>At a recent forum hosted by the regional coalition Greenbelt Alliance, Hernandez estimated about 40% of residents had made up their minds, one way or the other: “They’re like, ‘Where’s the shovel coming?” or “No way, we don’t trust them,” she said, and the rest are undecided. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>”About 60% of the community is like, ‘Go do the homework and tell us the answers and see if it makes sense or not,’” she said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Hernandez has her own concerns about the project and how it would impact the town she grew up in. She worries Highway 12 — the main artery running through the southern portion of Solano County — could get clogged with traffic if California Forever doesn’t properly think through its transportation infrastructure. She also worries a site of this size could require an inordinate amount of water, a scarce resource in the county. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Hernandez has her own concerns about the project and how it would impact the town she grew up in. She worries Highway 12 — the main artery running through the southern portion of Solano County — could get clogged with traffic if California Forever doesn’t properly think through its transportation infrastructure. She also worries a site of this size could require an inordinate amount of water, a scarce resource in the county. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But Suisun City and Solano County are also facing other major problems without good solutions. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Jenalee Dawson, an incumbent candidate running for City Council, said she has heard from community members who want more housing and job opportunities, especially after major employers, including the Valero Refinery, the Anheuser-Busch Brewery and the Mare Island Dry Docks have shut down or scaled back operations at local factories. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Jenalee Dawson, an incumbent candidate running for City Council, said she has heard from community members who want more housing and job opportunities, especially after major employers, including the Valero Refinery, the Anheuser-Busch Brewery and the Mare Island Dry Docks have shut down or scaled back operations at local factories. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261008_SUISUNCITYCANDIDATESFORUM_GC-20-KQED-1858d254.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105302\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261008_SUISUNCITYCANDIDATESFORUM_GC-20-KQED-1858d254.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261008_SUISUNCITYCANDIDATESFORUM_GC-20-KQED-1858d254-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261008_SUISUNCITYCANDIDATESFORUM_GC-20-KQED-1858d254-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Michael Fortney, Head of Partnerships at California Forever, attends Suisun City City Council and mayoral candidate forums in Suisun City on Oct. 8, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261008_SUISUNCITYCANDIDATESFORUM_GC-20-KQED-1858d254.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105302\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Michael Fortney, Head of Partnerships at California Forever, attends Suisun City City Council and mayoral candidate forums in Suisun City on Oct. 8, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Meanwhile, California Forever officials have promised thousands of jobs — for construction workers during the build-out and at tech campuses when the project is complete — if it is ultimately approved.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“If elected, I would continue to let the exploration of the annexation move forward, because I believe it would be irresponsible as a leader not to explore every opportunity that could benefit our community and region,” she said in an email to KQED.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“If elected, I would continue to let the exploration of the annexation move forward, because I believe it would be irresponsible as a leader not to explore every opportunity that could benefit our community and region,” she said in an email to KQED.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Residents of nearby cities are also watching how Suisun City’s elections play out and wonder how it might impact their lives. Amy Fabi lives in Vacaville, but attended the Greenbelt Alliance forum because she leads the Solano chapter of the nonprofit Asian Pacific American Public Affairs Association. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Residents of nearby cities are also watching how Suisun City’s elections play out and wonder how it might impact their lives. Amy Fabi lives in Vacaville, but attended the Greenbelt Alliance forum because she leads the Solano chapter of the nonprofit Asian Pacific American Public Affairs Association. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She has talked with her members, many of them senior citizens, who want to know more about how California Forever’s project could impact their grandchildren and their economic futures. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>She has talked with her members, many of them senior citizens, who want to know more about how California Forever’s project could impact their grandchildren and their economic futures. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“A lot of the seniors think about what’s important to them for the next generation,” Fabi said. “One of those things is what opportunities are available in this area, especially with the economy hurting so much, with gas being so expensive and food prices going up. And the seniors are always concerned about how [the project will] benefit their children, grandchildren.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“A lot of the seniors think about what’s important to them for the next generation,” Fabi said. “One of those things is what opportunities are available in this area, especially with the economy hurting so much, with gas being so expensive and food prices going up. And the seniors are always concerned about how [the project will] benefit their children, grandchildren.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story misstated which organization hosted the Suisun City candidates’ forum; it was hosted by the Greenbelt Alliance.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story misstated which organization hosted the Suisun City candidates’ forum; it was hosted by the Greenbelt Alliance.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "The billionaire-backed developer has been in talks with Suisun City officials for the past two years to annex a portion of its land.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The small North Bay community of \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12043295/suisun-city-proposes-annexing-most-of-california-forevers-new-city\">Suisun City\u003c/a> has a lot of problems facing it: a chronic budget deficit, empty stores on its picturesque marsh-facing waterfront and a scant supply of city staff to maintain public services, to name a few. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But all of those are dwarfed by the billionaire-backed elephant in the room: \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/california-forever\">California Forever\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The controversial developer has loomed over election campaigns across Solano County. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003ca href=\"https://electkpatricewilliams.com/k-patrice-williams-shipbuilding-vote-california-forever/\">City Council\u003c/a> and \u003ca href=\"https://carliforsolano.com/platform\">county supervisor\u003c/a> candidates are taking stances on how they feel about the company and its plan to build homes and apartments for more than 100,000 people, retail, offices, and an advanced manufacturing center, among other ideas that could reshape the region — regardless of whether they’ll have any voting power to approve or reject the proposal.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But nowhere are the stakes higher than in Suisun City. For the past two years, the city’s leaders have been exploring whether to \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12059985/california-forever-clears-first-hurdle-in-suisun-city-annexation\">annex\u003c/a> some of California Forever’s land, a move that would give it authority to approve the proposed megadevelopment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It would be a big change for the small town of fewer than 30,000 residents. Annexation would grow the city’s geographic boundaries by around nine times. And the next City Council and mayor will play a big role in determining not just whether annexation happens, but what kind of deal the city will get out of it. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261008_SUISUNCITYCANDIDATESFORUM_GC-6-KQED-6436ee91.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105295\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261008_SUISUNCITYCANDIDATESFORUM_GC-6-KQED-6436ee91.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261008_SUISUNCITYCANDIDATESFORUM_GC-6-KQED-6436ee91-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261008_SUISUNCITYCANDIDATESFORUM_GC-6-KQED-6436ee91-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A sign reading “Protect Suisun Stop California Forever” rests on the ground during a City Council candidate forum in Suisun City on Oct. 8, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For residents, the project is a make-or-break moment: Supporters see it as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to not just grow the city’s footprint, but bring in desperately needed tax revenue that could pull the waterfront community off a looming fiscal cliff.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Opponents, however, see it as an expensive boondoggle that could drain the county’s already limited resources, siphon the region’s water supply and overshadow the city’s small-town charm.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Cindy Macdonald, a Suisun City retiree, is still deciding who to vote for, but regardless of who takes office, she thinks California Forever’s development is inevitable. The company already owns the land where the project would be built, plus thousands more acres. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“What are they going to do with it? Is it going to be 400,000 more people in Solano County… or a data center?” she asked. “This particular election is pretty important all the way around.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She likes Amit Pal, a current City Council member who is running to replace Mayor Alma Hernandez, and Princess Washington, an incumbent City Council member running for reelection.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1332\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261008_SUISUNCITYCANDIDATESFORUM_GC-21-KQED-9b9df697.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105303\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261008_SUISUNCITYCANDIDATESFORUM_GC-21-KQED-9b9df697.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261008_SUISUNCITYCANDIDATESFORUM_GC-21-KQED-9b9df697-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261008_SUISUNCITYCANDIDATESFORUM_GC-21-KQED-9b9df697-1536x1023.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Suisun City Councilmember and mayoral candidate Amit Pal, left, speaks during a mayoral candidate forum in Suisun City on Oct. 8, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Macdonald thinks they are savvy enough to negotiate a good deal with the company. Both have said they are interested in continuing to explore annexation, but remain skeptical about the project and the company.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other residents want to shake up city leadership and view California Forever’s proposed development as a major threat that could drain resources from their small town. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Katrina Garcia, a small business owner, entered the race for City Council because she felt like her concerns weren’t being heard by the city’s current leaders. In mid-July, she attended a meeting with other Suisun City residents to discuss what they might want in a community benefits agreement if leaders reached an annexation deal with California Forever. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She is worried about the project’s massive size and how it could impact surrounding cities, the environment and Suisun City’s small-town vibe. Garcia wants more public meetings about the project, not just within her city but with county supervisors, too. But she said that when she kept raising those concerns, she felt supporters of the project kept pushing her aside. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“They overrode me,” she said. “[Supporters of the project said] it’s all a great thing and that there are just people that are just mad, and we can’t please them. But that’s not true.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Garcia, Washington and mayoral candidate Lilia Dardon believe Suisun City’s annexation deal should ultimately be decided by city voters — an atypical move for the county’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12040357/2-solano-cities-could-annex-some-california-forevers-land-heres-how\">current annexation process\u003c/a>, which gives decision-making power to a county-level regulatory agency. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Michael Jefferson, on the other hand, is running on a platform of shutting down all annexation talks. Earlier this year, he ran an unsuccessful attempt to recall the entire City Council over their willingness to engage the idea. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“What I heard is [there are] a lot of people that are scared, and they’re afraid of their future right now because of California Forever,” he said. “I am so happy to bring a voice to the voiceless and tell them, ‘No, you actually have someone that will actually represent your interests, who will actually help you, and will actually listen.’”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Current Mayor Alma Hernandez rejects that premise and argues that a majority of residents want the council to continue to explore annexation. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At a recent forum hosted by the regional coalition Greenbelt Alliance, Hernandez estimated about 40% of residents had made up their minds, one way or the other: “They’re like, ‘Where’s the shovel coming?” or “No way, we don’t trust them,” she said, and the rest are undecided. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">”About 60% of the community is like, ‘Go do the homework and tell us the answers and see if it makes sense or not,’” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Hernandez has her own concerns about the project and how it would impact the town she grew up in. She worries Highway 12 — the main artery running through the southern portion of Solano County — could get clogged with traffic if California Forever doesn’t properly think through its transportation infrastructure. She also worries a site of this size could require an inordinate amount of water, a scarce resource in the county. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Suisun City and Solano County are also facing other major problems without good solutions. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jenalee Dawson, an incumbent candidate running for City Council, said she has heard from community members who want more housing and job opportunities, especially after major employers, including the Valero Refinery, the Anheuser-Busch Brewery and the Mare Island Dry Docks have shut down or scaled back operations at local factories. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261008_SUISUNCITYCANDIDATESFORUM_GC-20-KQED-1858d254.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105302\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261008_SUISUNCITYCANDIDATESFORUM_GC-20-KQED-1858d254.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261008_SUISUNCITYCANDIDATESFORUM_GC-20-KQED-1858d254-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/20261008_SUISUNCITYCANDIDATESFORUM_GC-20-KQED-1858d254-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Michael Fortney, Head of Partnerships at California Forever, attends Suisun City City Council and mayoral candidate forums in Suisun City on Oct. 8, 2026. (Gina Castro/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, California Forever officials have promised thousands of jobs — for construction workers during the build-out and at tech campuses when the project is complete — if it is ultimately approved.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“If elected, I would continue to let the exploration of the annexation move forward, because I believe it would be irresponsible as a leader not to explore every opportunity that could benefit our community and region,” she said in an email to KQED.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Residents of nearby cities are also watching how Suisun City’s elections play out and wonder how it might impact their lives. Amy Fabi lives in Vacaville, but attended the Greenbelt Alliance forum because she leads the Solano chapter of the nonprofit Asian Pacific American Public Affairs Association. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">She has talked with her members, many of them senior citizens, who want to know more about how California Forever’s project could impact their grandchildren and their economic futures. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“A lot of the seniors think about what’s important to them for the next generation,” Fabi said. “One of those things is what opportunities are available in this area, especially with the economy hurting so much, with gas being so expensive and food prices going up. And the seniors are always concerned about how [the project will] benefit their children, grandchildren.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>Editor’s note: An earlier version of this story misstated which organization hosted the Suisun City candidates’ forum; it was hosted by the Greenbelt Alliance.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "can-sfs-empty-offices-be-housing",
"title": "Can SF’s Empty Offices Be Housing? ",
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"headTitle": "Can SF’s Empty Offices Be Housing? | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After hollowing out during the pandemic, San Francisco’s office vacancy rate is hovering at around 30%. Pair that volume of empty space with an escalating housing crisis, and it’s enough to make you wonder: Could you turn those empty offices into apartments? Today, we talk with two developers about what it actually takes to make these conversion projects a reality.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-36-83ef18ec-scaled-1-496feabf.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106196\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-36-83ef18ec-scaled-1-496feabf.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-36-83ef18ec-160x107-1-2eb3d543.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-36-83ef18ec-2000x1333-1-9186bac0.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-36-83ef18ec-1536x1024-1-b974c687.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-36-83ef18ec-2048x1365-1-8ce27e9d.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-36-83ef18ec-1012x674-1-d1a66efa.jpg 1012w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">150 Hayes Street, an office building which will be converted to housing, in San Francisco’s Civic Center on Oct. 9, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-18-88a8e3cb-scaled-1-155d53e8.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106190\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-18-88a8e3cb-scaled-1-155d53e8.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-18-88a8e3cb-160x107-1-0723c8ea.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-18-88a8e3cb-1536x1024-1-1e3a9e6e.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-18-88a8e3cb-2000x1333-1-0637cdd1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-18-88a8e3cb-2048x1365-1-afab22d7.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-18-88a8e3cb-1012x675-1-ad3b6f7d.jpg 1012w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Cubicles inside 150 Hayes Street, an office building that will be converted to housing, in San Francisco’s Civic Center on Oct. 9, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-27-aaa1487d-scaled-1-640249d2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106192\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-27-aaa1487d-scaled-1-640249d2.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-27-aaa1487d-160x107-1-66bc2db8.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-27-aaa1487d-2000x1333-1-ea0211d0.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-27-aaa1487d-1536x1024-1-528106cd.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-27-aaa1487d-2048x1365-1-0dfe48bc.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-27-aaa1487d-1012x675-1-cc299e47.jpg 1012w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Cubicles inside 150 Hayes Street, an office building that will be converted to housing, in San Francisco’s Civic Center on Oct. 9, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-32-784c8ed3-scaled-1-2d7dd3cf.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106195\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-32-784c8ed3-scaled-1-2d7dd3cf.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-32-784c8ed3-160x107-1-11207baf.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-32-784c8ed3-2000x1333-1-5e7c2ffe.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-32-784c8ed3-1536x1024-1-fbdd5e87.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-32-784c8ed3-2048x1365-1-7cf0881f.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-32-784c8ed3-1012x675-1-18b232b2.jpg 1012w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Moving boxes inside 150 Hayes Street, an office building that will be converted to housing, in San Francisco’s Civic Center on Oct. 9, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-16-6c376f0b-scaled-1-ddf440aa.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106189\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-16-6c376f0b-scaled-1-ddf440aa.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-16-6c376f0b-160x107-1-effea28a.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-16-6c376f0b-1536x1024-1-531d56ad.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-16-6c376f0b-2000x1333-1-3b71e733.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-16-6c376f0b-2048x1365-1-95a9080f.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-16-6c376f0b-1012x675-1-5552aff7.jpg 1012w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The view of San Francisco City Hall from inside 150 Hayes Street, an office building that will be converted to housing, in San Francisco’s Civic Center on Oct. 9, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Episode Transcript\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>This transcript is computer-generated. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra and welcome to The Bay, local news to keep you rooted. Okay, so between San Francisco’s AI-fueled rental crisis and downtown’s slow recovery from the pandemic, I feel like I’ve heard people throw this idea around. Why not house people in all those empty buildings downtown? And it’s a good question. San Francisco has an office vacancy rate of about 30%. That’s millions of square feet of empty buildings.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> It seems kind of obvious that this could be a good solution. But in San Francisco, it hasn’t really happened for a couple of reasons.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> Unlike other major cities like New York and Chicago, San Francisco has been slow to incentivize developers to turn offices into apartments. But some say that’s finally starting to change.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> What they’re hoping to do isn’t just to convert an office to housing. It’s kind of like a bigger project. It’s basically totally revitalizing downtown San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> Today, The Bay’s producer, Gabriela Glueck, introduces us to two developers to help us understand what it actually takes to make these conversion projects happen. We’re gonna start this story on scene, downtown, in Civic Center.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> How are you? Good, how are you.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> Yeah, so I met up with two developers at the office building that they’re working on converting to housing right now.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jack Sylvan:\u003c/strong> Hello, my name is Jack Sylvan, I run a San Francisco based development firm called SDG.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> I’m Marc Babsin. I’m president of Emerald Fund. We’re San Francisco Housing Developers, and we are at 150 Hayes that we are converting from a 1968 office building to 106 homes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> It is this six-story building in Civic Center with a green glass facade, an old school office. In its past life, the building was originally part of the California State Automobile Association campus.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jack Sylvan:\u003c/strong> This building was like a state-of-the-art place where you would bring your car\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> AAA moved to the suburbs in 2018, and an office developer purchased all four buildings, and then the Great Recession happens. And they couldn’t find any office tenants. It’s kind of similar to today’s lack of tenants.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> Fast forward from these AAA times, and this particular building, 150 Hayes Street, was actually sold to the Academy of Art University and Mark and Jack and their partners are now in the process of purchasing it from them.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> Okay, so it sounds like it very much looks like an office building from the outside, but what about the inside? What did it look like when you walked in?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> Yeah, so the inside is also very, very office building. When I got there, the building’s old owners were still in the process of moving out their stuff. So we saw desks and chairs and office supplies kinda getting carted out.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jack Sylvan:\u003c/strong> Actually there’s more activity here than we led you to believe.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> The first thing you notice when you kind of head into the lobby is just how old school it looks. Like think of like 80s patterned carpets.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> It’s pretty drab and not aesthetically pleasing. It’s not a pleasant place to be.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> It almost looks like a movie set, just because nobody’s there, but there is all this kind of leftover furniture.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> And it’s just a, it’s like a sea of cubicles with fluorescent lighting, drop ceiling.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> Actually sounds like the movie Back Rooms to me, the way you’re describing it. Okay, so it sounds like it’s entering its maybe second, third, fourth life at this point. I mean, what exactly are these developers’ plan for this building?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> Yeah, so, they really have a vision for it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> And what we’re gonna do is we’re going to take the four office floors and make them residential. We’re going convert one of the parking floors to residential and we’re going to add another floor on the top, 106 homes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> It’s almost like you’re coming in at step three or four of development. Like you don’t have to build the whole structure. That skeleton’s already there.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> The cost of conversion are less than ground up. If you ever see a frame built before the skin goes on and the drywall and the flooring and the lighting, that’s what we’re doing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> How do you pick a good building for a conversion like this? Like is every office building a good candidate for housing?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> Yeah, I was really curious about this too, just because kind of walking around as a lay person, looking at all these empty offices, you might think you could be in apartment building, you could an apartment building. But that’s really not the case. And that’s something Marc and Jack talked about a lot.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> Yeah, we would walk around downtown streets, Jack and I and our partner, Tim, and just look up and say like, okay, how many sides of windows do we have here? And does it look like a building that’s like class B or C, meaning it’s not full of tenants?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> So you’re looking for a totally empty building if you can swing it. Another thing to think about is that not every office has the right bones to be an apartment building. And so the depth of the building is something that the developers talk to me a lot about.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> If you have a very deep building, that means you’re so far from the windows, it’s problematic.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> The city has planning and building code requirements for what qualifies as housing. And there are requirements for how much natural light an apartment needs to have in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> Yeah, I mean, I imagine you can’t just put a bed in the middle of an office building and call it housing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> You’re exactly right. Like, you can’t just say, all right, I’m going to put some sleeping bags or some beds in here and sell it, you know, as an apartment building. So these are all things to think about in terms of changing the use of a building.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> We bring through a team of the architect and the contractor and the structural engineer and the mechanical electrical plumbing engineer and analyze the building. A lot of work has gone into it just to land this one.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> We’re gonna take a quick break, but when we get back, what it literally takes to convert an office into an apartment and the policy changes that developers say finally made it possible. By the way, if you appreciate stories like this, you can help fund this kind of journalism by becoming a KQED Sustaining Member. Monthly donations from everyday people just like you are the lifeblood. KQED Public Media. Just go to donate.kqed.org/podcasts. We’ll be right back. I wanna talk a little bit more about what it actually takes to do this kind of conversion, like physically, like how do they actually deal with these sort of design challenges of turning an office building into housing?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> Yeah, this is really interesting. It’s kind of like a cool puzzle. And we walked around the office at 150 Hayes Street and the developers, Marc and Jack, were kind of pointing out some of the things that they were seeing as potential challenges.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> Those windows are gonna come out. You see how far up that steel beam is? So our windows are going to go all the way up there, 11 feet.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> The question of natural light is a really big deal, like how much can you get in a building?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> Because windows are pretty important to apartments, people want to have light that come in.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> What the developers basically told me is that when you have a skeleton of an old building, there are design constraints, right? Cause you already have basically a shape there that you’re filling up. So sometimes it can be hard to meet some of these code requirements for what qualifies as housing, like the open space requirement, for example. And then because we live in an earthquake prone place, you might have to do some kind of seismic upgrades if you’re switching a building use from commercial to housing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jack Sylvan:\u003c/strong> And so that’s another driver of costs here.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> Another thing I was kind of curious about and I think comes to a lot of people’s mind is like plumbing. You know, how you make every unit have a bathroom. And they said that’s actually not that hard to add plumbing after the fact. And so those are some of the things that we talked about.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> I mean, yeah, it sounds like a pretty great idea. Why isn’t this happening as often as it maybe seems like it should then?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> Yeah, this is the, you know, billion dollar question.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> Well, it always comes down to the math. So what is it cost to build the building, and then what is worth when it’s done? We haven’t found a building where the numbers line up since 2016.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> They said for a really long time, there haven’t been policy incentives that help developers kind of get around the high construction costs in order to build housing here. And then another big thing I thought was really interesting is Marc and Jack were kind of telling me that building owners aren’t as willing to sell their vacant office buildings because of the AI boom. Maybe you’ve seen headlines of, you know, big AI companies signing kind of record leases with offices, just kind of giving them a ton of money to move in. And so Marc and Jack were saying that some of these building owners are kind of holding out. Like maybe that’ll happen to them. And so these offices that you think would be good candidates aren’t even up, you now, for sale right now.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jack Sylvan:\u003c/strong> It’s just not in their DNA to think about taking their office building and turning it into a place that people live. You just, you see their head kind of go, whoa. So our job is to convince them that their building could be worth more as a residential building.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> Hmm. That’s very interesting. Yeah. I mean it seems like a really good time to maybe figure out how to lower the barriers to making this kind of thing happen. So you mentioned earlier that the city has actually been kind of turning a page on this and trying to incentivize more developers to do these kinds of conversions. I means what is the city doing to make it easier to convert more office buildings into housing?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> So the city in collaboration with developers like Marc and Jack has already made some changes to try and incentivize more developers to do these conversions.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jack Sylvan:\u003c/strong> The first thing that the city did was adjust a bunch of the planning code, that it’s a building that’s already there, like we shouldn’t overcomplicate things with planning code that is intended to be oriented around building a new building ground up. And then there were the three tools that are more financial.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> This includes waiving taxes when a property is sold. And then in Mayor Daniel Lurie’s Downtown Revitalization Financing District, developers can get some refunds on property taxes on these converted buildings.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> And then the big one was no affordable housing requirement. The city decided that, hey, we want to get these office to residential projects to be financially feasible. So the biggest lever was reducing the affordable housing requirement from 15 to zero.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> I think when we talk about housing in San Francisco that’s often one of the first questions you ask just because rent is so expensive. What the developers basically told me is that if they were required to put in affordable units they wouldn’t be able to make money off the building, so they wouldn’t be able to get investors, they wouldn’t be able do the project at all.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> Because at 15% affordable, it costs about $140,000 per every unit in the building to provide that affordable housing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> That said, even though there won’t be affordable housing in the building, they’re not envisioning this to be like a luxury apartment building. It’s going to be kind of market rate apartment, even thought average cost in San Francisco is still expensive. So these are all financial incentives that kind of help offset the cost of doing these kinds of projects.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Daniel Lurie\u003c/strong> This old office building, an old Nordstrom Rack, is being turned into housing. 136 units of new housing. And thanks to legislation that we have passed, this is happening and five other projects like it…\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> And so far, a few developers, and this is including 150 Hayes Street, have submitted their projects for the downtown revitalization financing district program. And that’s a really good sign, you know, that there’s been a shift here, and more projects might start to pop up.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jack Sylvan:\u003c/strong> Investors tend to be followers. There are not that many investors that wanna be the first into something. And so things have changed rapidly in the last six to nine months. So I think we’ll be able to show them with this project that it’s actually a smart investment for the right building.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> So where are they at in the timeline of things now?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> They’re planning to start construction kind of the middle of next year, and that’s gonna take a year and a half to complete. So basically what that means is that people will be able to move in late 2028 or early 2029.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> Is there a reason, like, not to be so optimistic about this idea and it really working in San Francisco?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> Yeah, I think that’s a great question, and one that can be a little hard to answer after just hanging out with these developers for, you know, an hour because they’re so optimistic, because they are so excited. I think maybe to measure some of that excitement. I think in some ways we will kind of have to wait and see. Because what they’re trying to do or what they are hoping to do isn’t just to convert an office to housing. It’s kind of like a bigger project. It’s basically totally revitalizing downtown San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> Couple hundred people are gonna live here. They’re gonna be going to the restaurant across the street. They’re going to be going to the conservatory where they’ve got free jazz and eat in the restaurant. They’re to activate this area. We’re adding to the life and the vibrancy of the city. That’s exciting.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> You know, people have been trying to do that for a while and it hasn’t always worked out the way they wanted it to. So I think that is reason enough to kind of measure your optimism. Just converting one office building to housing is only the start of that. Like we’re really early on to seeing if this bigger project is gonna work out.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> Well, Gabriela Glueck, our producer, thank you so much. Thank you. That was The Bay’s producer, Gabriela Glueck. By the way, we’ve got pictures on our site of the building that Gabi visited for this story. You could peep them at kqed.org slash the bay. Shout out to producer Gabriela Glueck for pitching, reporting, and producing this story, I cut down and edited it, music courtesy of Audio Network and APN. If you liked this episode, please do me a quick favor right now and review the show in your podcast app. Those reviews really help other people find our show. Support for The Bay is provided in part by the Osher Production Fund. Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by the Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco, Northern California Local. And I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Thanks so much for listening to The Bay. I’ll talk to you next time.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco-Northern California Local.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This transcript is computer-generated. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra and welcome to The Bay, local news to keep you rooted. Okay, so between San Francisco’s AI-fueled rental crisis and downtown’s slow recovery from the pandemic, I feel like I’ve heard people throw this idea around. Why not house people in all those empty buildings downtown? And it’s a good question. San Francisco has an office vacancy rate of about 30%. That’s millions of square feet of empty buildings.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra and welcome to The Bay, local news to keep you rooted. Okay, so between San Francisco’s AI-fueled rental crisis and downtown’s slow recovery from the pandemic, I feel like I’ve heard people throw this idea around. Why not house people in all those empty buildings downtown? And it’s a good question. San Francisco has an office vacancy rate of about 30%. That’s millions of square feet of empty buildings.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> It seems kind of obvious that this could be a good solution. But in San Francisco, it hasn’t really happened for a couple of reasons.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> It seems kind of obvious that this could be a good solution. But in San Francisco, it hasn’t really happened for a couple of reasons.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> Unlike other major cities like New York and Chicago, San Francisco has been slow to incentivize developers to turn offices into apartments. But some say that’s finally starting to change.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> Unlike other major cities like New York and Chicago, San Francisco has been slow to incentivize developers to turn offices into apartments. But some say that’s finally starting to change.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> What they’re hoping to do isn’t just to convert an office to housing. It’s kind of like a bigger project. It’s basically totally revitalizing downtown San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> What they’re hoping to do isn’t just to convert an office to housing. It’s kind of like a bigger project. It’s basically totally revitalizing downtown San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> Today, The Bay’s producer, Gabriela Glueck, introduces us to two developers to help us understand what it actually takes to make these conversion projects happen. We’re gonna start this story on scene, downtown, in Civic Center.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> Today, The Bay’s producer, Gabriela Glueck, introduces us to two developers to help us understand what it actually takes to make these conversion projects happen. We’re gonna start this story on scene, downtown, in Civic Center.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> How are you? Good, how are you.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> How are you? Good, how are you.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> Yeah, so I met up with two developers at the office building that they’re working on converting to housing right now.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> Yeah, so I met up with two developers at the office building that they’re working on converting to housing right now.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jack Sylvan:\u003c/strong> Hello, my name is Jack Sylvan, I run a San Francisco based development firm called SDG.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> I’m Marc Babsin. I’m president of Emerald Fund. We’re San Francisco Housing Developers, and we are at 150 Hayes that we are converting from a 1968 office building to 106 homes.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> I’m Marc Babsin. I’m president of Emerald Fund. We’re San Francisco Housing Developers, and we are at 150 Hayes that we are converting from a 1968 office building to 106 homes.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> It is this six-story building in Civic Center with a green glass facade, an old school office. In its past life, the building was originally part of the California State Automobile Association campus.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> It is this six-story building in Civic Center with a green glass facade, an old school office. In its past life, the building was originally part of the California State Automobile Association campus.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> AAA moved to the suburbs in 2018, and an office developer purchased all four buildings, and then the Great Recession happens. And they couldn’t find any office tenants. It’s kind of similar to today’s lack of tenants.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> AAA moved to the suburbs in 2018, and an office developer purchased all four buildings, and then the Great Recession happens. And they couldn’t find any office tenants. It’s kind of similar to today’s lack of tenants.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> Fast forward from these AAA times, and this particular building, 150 Hayes Street, was actually sold to the Academy of Art University and Mark and Jack and their partners are now in the process of purchasing it from them.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> Fast forward from these AAA times, and this particular building, 150 Hayes Street, was actually sold to the Academy of Art University and Mark and Jack and their partners are now in the process of purchasing it from them.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> Okay, so it sounds like it very much looks like an office building from the outside, but what about the inside? What did it look like when you walked in?\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> Okay, so it sounds like it very much looks like an office building from the outside, but what about the inside? What did it look like when you walked in?\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> Yeah, so the inside is also very, very office building. When I got there, the building’s old owners were still in the process of moving out their stuff. So we saw desks and chairs and office supplies kinda getting carted out.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> Yeah, so the inside is also very, very office building. When I got there, the building’s old owners were still in the process of moving out their stuff. So we saw desks and chairs and office supplies kinda getting carted out.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jack Sylvan:\u003c/strong> Actually there’s more activity here than we led you to believe.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> The first thing you notice when you kind of head into the lobby is just how old school it looks. Like think of like 80s patterned carpets.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> The first thing you notice when you kind of head into the lobby is just how old school it looks. Like think of like 80s patterned carpets.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> It’s pretty drab and not aesthetically pleasing. It’s not a pleasant place to be.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> It’s pretty drab and not aesthetically pleasing. It’s not a pleasant place to be.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> It almost looks like a movie set, just because nobody’s there, but there is all this kind of leftover furniture.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> And it’s just a, it’s like a sea of cubicles with fluorescent lighting, drop ceiling.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> Actually sounds like the movie Back Rooms to me, the way you’re describing it. Okay, so it sounds like it’s entering its maybe second, third, fourth life at this point. I mean, what exactly are these developers’ plan for this building?\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> Actually sounds like the movie Back Rooms to me, the way you’re describing it. Okay, so it sounds like it’s entering its maybe second, third, fourth life at this point. I mean, what exactly are these developers’ plan for this building?\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> Yeah, so, they really have a vision for it.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> Yeah, so, they really have a vision for it.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> And what we’re gonna do is we’re going to take the four office floors and make them residential. We’re going convert one of the parking floors to residential and we’re going to add another floor on the top, 106 homes.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> And what we’re gonna do is we’re going to take the four office floors and make them residential. We’re going convert one of the parking floors to residential and we’re going to add another floor on the top, 106 homes.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> It’s almost like you’re coming in at step three or four of development. Like you don’t have to build the whole structure. That skeleton’s already there.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> It’s almost like you’re coming in at step three or four of development. Like you don’t have to build the whole structure. That skeleton’s already there.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> The cost of conversion are less than ground up. If you ever see a frame built before the skin goes on and the drywall and the flooring and the lighting, that’s what we’re doing.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> The cost of conversion are less than ground up. If you ever see a frame built before the skin goes on and the drywall and the flooring and the lighting, that’s what we’re doing.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> How do you pick a good building for a conversion like this? Like is every office building a good candidate for housing?\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> How do you pick a good building for a conversion like this? Like is every office building a good candidate for housing?\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> Yeah, I was really curious about this too, just because kind of walking around as a lay person, looking at all these empty offices, you might think you could be in apartment building, you could an apartment building. But that’s really not the case. And that’s something Marc and Jack talked about a lot.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> Yeah, I was really curious about this too, just because kind of walking around as a lay person, looking at all these empty offices, you might think you could be in apartment building, you could an apartment building. But that’s really not the case. And that’s something Marc and Jack talked about a lot.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> Yeah, we would walk around downtown streets, Jack and I and our partner, Tim, and just look up and say like, okay, how many sides of windows do we have here? And does it look like a building that’s like class B or C, meaning it’s not full of tenants?\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> Yeah, we would walk around downtown streets, Jack and I and our partner, Tim, and just look up and say like, okay, how many sides of windows do we have here? And does it look like a building that’s like class B or C, meaning it’s not full of tenants?\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> So you’re looking for a totally empty building if you can swing it. Another thing to think about is that not every office has the right bones to be an apartment building. And so the depth of the building is something that the developers talk to me a lot about.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> So you’re looking for a totally empty building if you can swing it. Another thing to think about is that not every office has the right bones to be an apartment building. And so the depth of the building is something that the developers talk to me a lot about.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> If you have a very deep building, that means you’re so far from the windows, it’s problematic.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> If you have a very deep building, that means you’re so far from the windows, it’s problematic.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> The city has planning and building code requirements for what qualifies as housing. And there are requirements for how much natural light an apartment needs to have in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> The city has planning and building code requirements for what qualifies as housing. And there are requirements for how much natural light an apartment needs to have in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> Yeah, I mean, I imagine you can’t just put a bed in the middle of an office building and call it housing.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> Yeah, I mean, I imagine you can’t just put a bed in the middle of an office building and call it housing.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> You’re exactly right. Like, you can’t just say, all right, I’m going to put some sleeping bags or some beds in here and sell it, you know, as an apartment building. So these are all things to think about in terms of changing the use of a building.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> You’re exactly right. Like, you can’t just say, all right, I’m going to put some sleeping bags or some beds in here and sell it, you know, as an apartment building. So these are all things to think about in terms of changing the use of a building.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> We bring through a team of the architect and the contractor and the structural engineer and the mechanical electrical plumbing engineer and analyze the building. A lot of work has gone into it just to land this one.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> We bring through a team of the architect and the contractor and the structural engineer and the mechanical electrical plumbing engineer and analyze the building. A lot of work has gone into it just to land this one.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> We’re gonna take a quick break, but when we get back, what it literally takes to convert an office into an apartment and the policy changes that developers say finally made it possible. By the way, if you appreciate stories like this, you can help fund this kind of journalism by becoming a KQED Sustaining Member. Monthly donations from everyday people just like you are the lifeblood. KQED Public Media. Just go to donate.kqed.org/podcasts. We’ll be right back. I wanna talk a little bit more about what it actually takes to do this kind of conversion, like physically, like how do they actually deal with these sort of design challenges of turning an office building into housing?\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> We’re gonna take a quick break, but when we get back, what it literally takes to convert an office into an apartment and the policy changes that developers say finally made it possible. By the way, if you appreciate stories like this, you can help fund this kind of journalism by becoming a KQED Sustaining Member. Monthly donations from everyday people just like you are the lifeblood. KQED Public Media. Just go to donate.kqed.org/podcasts. We’ll be right back. I wanna talk a little bit more about what it actually takes to do this kind of conversion, like physically, like how do they actually deal with these sort of design challenges of turning an office building into housing?\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> Yeah, this is really interesting. It’s kind of like a cool puzzle. And we walked around the office at 150 Hayes Street and the developers, Marc and Jack, were kind of pointing out some of the things that they were seeing as potential challenges.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> Yeah, this is really interesting. It’s kind of like a cool puzzle. And we walked around the office at 150 Hayes Street and the developers, Marc and Jack, were kind of pointing out some of the things that they were seeing as potential challenges.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> Those windows are gonna come out. You see how far up that steel beam is? So our windows are going to go all the way up there, 11 feet.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> Those windows are gonna come out. You see how far up that steel beam is? So our windows are going to go all the way up there, 11 feet.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> The question of natural light is a really big deal, like how much can you get in a building?\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> The question of natural light is a really big deal, like how much can you get in a building?\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> Because windows are pretty important to apartments, people want to have light that come in.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> Because windows are pretty important to apartments, people want to have light that come in.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> What the developers basically told me is that when you have a skeleton of an old building, there are design constraints, right? Cause you already have basically a shape there that you’re filling up. So sometimes it can be hard to meet some of these code requirements for what qualifies as housing, like the open space requirement, for example. And then because we live in an earthquake prone place, you might have to do some kind of seismic upgrades if you’re switching a building use from commercial to housing.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> What the developers basically told me is that when you have a skeleton of an old building, there are design constraints, right? Cause you already have basically a shape there that you’re filling up. So sometimes it can be hard to meet some of these code requirements for what qualifies as housing, like the open space requirement, for example. And then because we live in an earthquake prone place, you might have to do some kind of seismic upgrades if you’re switching a building use from commercial to housing.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jack Sylvan:\u003c/strong> And so that’s another driver of costs here.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jack Sylvan:\u003c/strong> And so that’s another driver of costs here.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> Another thing I was kind of curious about and I think comes to a lot of people’s mind is like plumbing. You know, how you make every unit have a bathroom. And they said that’s actually not that hard to add plumbing after the fact. And so those are some of the things that we talked about.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> Another thing I was kind of curious about and I think comes to a lot of people’s mind is like plumbing. You know, how you make every unit have a bathroom. And they said that’s actually not that hard to add plumbing after the fact. And so those are some of the things that we talked about.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> I mean, yeah, it sounds like a pretty great idea. Why isn’t this happening as often as it maybe seems like it should then?\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> I mean, yeah, it sounds like a pretty great idea. Why isn’t this happening as often as it maybe seems like it should then?\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> Yeah, this is the, you know, billion dollar question.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> Yeah, this is the, you know, billion dollar question.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> Well, it always comes down to the math. So what is it cost to build the building, and then what is worth when it’s done? We haven’t found a building where the numbers line up since 2016.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> Well, it always comes down to the math. So what is it cost to build the building, and then what is worth when it’s done? We haven’t found a building where the numbers line up since 2016.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> They said for a really long time, there haven’t been policy incentives that help developers kind of get around the high construction costs in order to build housing here. And then another big thing I thought was really interesting is Marc and Jack were kind of telling me that building owners aren’t as willing to sell their vacant office buildings because of the AI boom. Maybe you’ve seen headlines of, you know, big AI companies signing kind of record leases with offices, just kind of giving them a ton of money to move in. And so Marc and Jack were saying that some of these building owners are kind of holding out. Like maybe that’ll happen to them. And so these offices that you think would be good candidates aren’t even up, you now, for sale right now.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> They said for a really long time, there haven’t been policy incentives that help developers kind of get around the high construction costs in order to build housing here. And then another big thing I thought was really interesting is Marc and Jack were kind of telling me that building owners aren’t as willing to sell their vacant office buildings because of the AI boom. Maybe you’ve seen headlines of, you know, big AI companies signing kind of record leases with offices, just kind of giving them a ton of money to move in. And so Marc and Jack were saying that some of these building owners are kind of holding out. Like maybe that’ll happen to them. And so these offices that you think would be good candidates aren’t even up, you now, for sale right now.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jack Sylvan:\u003c/strong> It’s just not in their DNA to think about taking their office building and turning it into a place that people live. You just, you see their head kind of go, whoa. So our job is to convince them that their building could be worth more as a residential building.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jack Sylvan:\u003c/strong> It’s just not in their DNA to think about taking their office building and turning it into a place that people live. You just, you see their head kind of go, whoa. So our job is to convince them that their building could be worth more as a residential building.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> Hmm. That’s very interesting. Yeah. I mean it seems like a really good time to maybe figure out how to lower the barriers to making this kind of thing happen. So you mentioned earlier that the city has actually been kind of turning a page on this and trying to incentivize more developers to do these kinds of conversions. I means what is the city doing to make it easier to convert more office buildings into housing?\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> Hmm. That’s very interesting. Yeah. I mean it seems like a really good time to maybe figure out how to lower the barriers to making this kind of thing happen. So you mentioned earlier that the city has actually been kind of turning a page on this and trying to incentivize more developers to do these kinds of conversions. I means what is the city doing to make it easier to convert more office buildings into housing?\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> So the city in collaboration with developers like Marc and Jack has already made some changes to try and incentivize more developers to do these conversions.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> So the city in collaboration with developers like Marc and Jack has already made some changes to try and incentivize more developers to do these conversions.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jack Sylvan:\u003c/strong> The first thing that the city did was adjust a bunch of the planning code, that it’s a building that’s already there, like we shouldn’t overcomplicate things with planning code that is intended to be oriented around building a new building ground up. And then there were the three tools that are more financial.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jack Sylvan:\u003c/strong> The first thing that the city did was adjust a bunch of the planning code, that it’s a building that’s already there, like we shouldn’t overcomplicate things with planning code that is intended to be oriented around building a new building ground up. And then there were the three tools that are more financial.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> This includes waiving taxes when a property is sold. And then in Mayor Daniel Lurie’s Downtown Revitalization Financing District, developers can get some refunds on property taxes on these converted buildings.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> This includes waiving taxes when a property is sold. And then in Mayor Daniel Lurie’s Downtown Revitalization Financing District, developers can get some refunds on property taxes on these converted buildings.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> And then the big one was no affordable housing requirement. The city decided that, hey, we want to get these office to residential projects to be financially feasible. So the biggest lever was reducing the affordable housing requirement from 15 to zero.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> And then the big one was no affordable housing requirement. The city decided that, hey, we want to get these office to residential projects to be financially feasible. So the biggest lever was reducing the affordable housing requirement from 15 to zero.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> I think when we talk about housing in San Francisco that’s often one of the first questions you ask just because rent is so expensive. What the developers basically told me is that if they were required to put in affordable units they wouldn’t be able to make money off the building, so they wouldn’t be able to get investors, they wouldn’t be able do the project at all.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> I think when we talk about housing in San Francisco that’s often one of the first questions you ask just because rent is so expensive. What the developers basically told me is that if they were required to put in affordable units they wouldn’t be able to make money off the building, so they wouldn’t be able to get investors, they wouldn’t be able do the project at all.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> Because at 15% affordable, it costs about $140,000 per every unit in the building to provide that affordable housing.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> Because at 15% affordable, it costs about $140,000 per every unit in the building to provide that affordable housing.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> That said, even though there won’t be affordable housing in the building, they’re not envisioning this to be like a luxury apartment building. It’s going to be kind of market rate apartment, even thought average cost in San Francisco is still expensive. So these are all financial incentives that kind of help offset the cost of doing these kinds of projects.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> That said, even though there won’t be affordable housing in the building, they’re not envisioning this to be like a luxury apartment building. It’s going to be kind of market rate apartment, even thought average cost in San Francisco is still expensive. So these are all financial incentives that kind of help offset the cost of doing these kinds of projects.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Daniel Lurie\u003c/strong> This old office building, an old Nordstrom Rack, is being turned into housing. 136 units of new housing. And thanks to legislation that we have passed, this is happening and five other projects like it…\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Daniel Lurie\u003c/strong> This old office building, an old Nordstrom Rack, is being turned into housing. 136 units of new housing. And thanks to legislation that we have passed, this is happening and five other projects like it…\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> And so far, a few developers, and this is including 150 Hayes Street, have submitted their projects for the downtown revitalization financing district program. And that’s a really good sign, you know, that there’s been a shift here, and more projects might start to pop up.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> And so far, a few developers, and this is including 150 Hayes Street, have submitted their projects for the downtown revitalization financing district program. And that’s a really good sign, you know, that there’s been a shift here, and more projects might start to pop up.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jack Sylvan:\u003c/strong> Investors tend to be followers. There are not that many investors that wanna be the first into something. And so things have changed rapidly in the last six to nine months. So I think we’ll be able to show them with this project that it’s actually a smart investment for the right building.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jack Sylvan:\u003c/strong> Investors tend to be followers. There are not that many investors that wanna be the first into something. And so things have changed rapidly in the last six to nine months. So I think we’ll be able to show them with this project that it’s actually a smart investment for the right building.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> So where are they at in the timeline of things now?\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> So where are they at in the timeline of things now?\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> They’re planning to start construction kind of the middle of next year, and that’s gonna take a year and a half to complete. So basically what that means is that people will be able to move in late 2028 or early 2029.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> They’re planning to start construction kind of the middle of next year, and that’s gonna take a year and a half to complete. So basically what that means is that people will be able to move in late 2028 or early 2029.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> Is there a reason, like, not to be so optimistic about this idea and it really working in San Francisco?\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> Is there a reason, like, not to be so optimistic about this idea and it really working in San Francisco?\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> Yeah, I think that’s a great question, and one that can be a little hard to answer after just hanging out with these developers for, you know, an hour because they’re so optimistic, because they are so excited. I think maybe to measure some of that excitement. I think in some ways we will kind of have to wait and see. Because what they’re trying to do or what they are hoping to do isn’t just to convert an office to housing. It’s kind of like a bigger project. It’s basically totally revitalizing downtown San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> Yeah, I think that’s a great question, and one that can be a little hard to answer after just hanging out with these developers for, you know, an hour because they’re so optimistic, because they are so excited. I think maybe to measure some of that excitement. I think in some ways we will kind of have to wait and see. Because what they’re trying to do or what they are hoping to do isn’t just to convert an office to housing. It’s kind of like a bigger project. It’s basically totally revitalizing downtown San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> Couple hundred people are gonna live here. They’re gonna be going to the restaurant across the street. They’re going to be going to the conservatory where they’ve got free jazz and eat in the restaurant. They’re to activate this area. We’re adding to the life and the vibrancy of the city. That’s exciting.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> Couple hundred people are gonna live here. They’re gonna be going to the restaurant across the street. They’re going to be going to the conservatory where they’ve got free jazz and eat in the restaurant. They’re to activate this area. We’re adding to the life and the vibrancy of the city. That’s exciting.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> You know, people have been trying to do that for a while and it hasn’t always worked out the way they wanted it to. So I think that is reason enough to kind of measure your optimism. Just converting one office building to housing is only the start of that. Like we’re really early on to seeing if this bigger project is gonna work out.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> You know, people have been trying to do that for a while and it hasn’t always worked out the way they wanted it to. So I think that is reason enough to kind of measure your optimism. Just converting one office building to housing is only the start of that. Like we’re really early on to seeing if this bigger project is gonna work out.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> Well, Gabriela Glueck, our producer, thank you so much. Thank you. That was The Bay’s producer, Gabriela Glueck. By the way, we’ve got pictures on our site of the building that Gabi visited for this story. You could peep them at kqed.org slash the bay. Shout out to producer Gabriela Glueck for pitching, reporting, and producing this story, I cut down and edited it, music courtesy of Audio Network and APN. If you liked this episode, please do me a quick favor right now and review the show in your podcast app. Those reviews really help other people find our show. Support for The Bay is provided in part by the Osher Production Fund. Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by the Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco, Northern California Local. And I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Thanks so much for listening to The Bay. I’ll talk to you next time.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> Well, Gabriela Glueck, our producer, thank you so much. Thank you. That was The Bay’s producer, Gabriela Glueck. By the way, we’ve got pictures on our site of the building that Gabi visited for this story. You could peep them at kqed.org slash the bay. Shout out to producer Gabriela Glueck for pitching, reporting, and producing this story, I cut down and edited it, music courtesy of Audio Network and APN. If you liked this episode, please do me a quick favor right now and review the show in your podcast app. Those reviews really help other people find our show. Support for The Bay is provided in part by the Osher Production Fund. Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by the Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco, Northern California Local. And I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Thanks so much for listening to The Bay. I’ll talk to you next time.\u003c/p>\n"
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco-Northern California Local.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n"
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After hollowing out during the pandemic, San Francisco’s office vacancy rate is hovering at around 30%. Pair that volume of empty space with an escalating housing crisis, and it’s enough to make you wonder: Could you turn those empty offices into apartments? Today, we talk with two developers about what it actually takes to make these conversion projects a reality.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-36-83ef18ec-scaled-1-496feabf.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106196\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-36-83ef18ec-scaled-1-496feabf.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-36-83ef18ec-160x107-1-2eb3d543.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-36-83ef18ec-2000x1333-1-9186bac0.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-36-83ef18ec-1536x1024-1-b974c687.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-36-83ef18ec-2048x1365-1-8ce27e9d.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-36-83ef18ec-1012x674-1-d1a66efa.jpg 1012w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">150 Hayes Street, an office building which will be converted to housing, in San Francisco’s Civic Center on Oct. 9, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-18-88a8e3cb-scaled-1-155d53e8.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106190\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-18-88a8e3cb-scaled-1-155d53e8.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-18-88a8e3cb-160x107-1-0723c8ea.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-18-88a8e3cb-1536x1024-1-1e3a9e6e.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-18-88a8e3cb-2000x1333-1-0637cdd1.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-18-88a8e3cb-2048x1365-1-afab22d7.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-18-88a8e3cb-1012x675-1-ad3b6f7d.jpg 1012w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Cubicles inside 150 Hayes Street, an office building that will be converted to housing, in San Francisco’s Civic Center on Oct. 9, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-27-aaa1487d-scaled-1-640249d2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106192\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-27-aaa1487d-scaled-1-640249d2.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-27-aaa1487d-160x107-1-66bc2db8.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-27-aaa1487d-2000x1333-1-ea0211d0.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-27-aaa1487d-1536x1024-1-528106cd.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-27-aaa1487d-2048x1365-1-0dfe48bc.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-27-aaa1487d-1012x675-1-cc299e47.jpg 1012w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Cubicles inside 150 Hayes Street, an office building that will be converted to housing, in San Francisco’s Civic Center on Oct. 9, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-32-784c8ed3-scaled-1-2d7dd3cf.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106195\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-32-784c8ed3-scaled-1-2d7dd3cf.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-32-784c8ed3-160x107-1-11207baf.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-32-784c8ed3-2000x1333-1-5e7c2ffe.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-32-784c8ed3-1536x1024-1-fbdd5e87.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-32-784c8ed3-2048x1365-1-7cf0881f.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-32-784c8ed3-1012x675-1-18b232b2.jpg 1012w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Moving boxes inside 150 Hayes Street, an office building that will be converted to housing, in San Francisco’s Civic Center on Oct. 9, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1707\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-16-6c376f0b-scaled-1-ddf440aa.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12106189\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-16-6c376f0b-scaled-1-ddf440aa.jpg 2560w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-16-6c376f0b-160x107-1-effea28a.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-16-6c376f0b-1536x1024-1-531d56ad.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-16-6c376f0b-2000x1333-1-3b71e733.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-16-6c376f0b-2048x1365-1-95a9080f.jpg 2048w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261009-Office-to-apartment-building-conversions-NG-16-6c376f0b-1012x675-1-5552aff7.jpg 1012w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The view of San Francisco City Hall from inside 150 Hayes Street, an office building that will be converted to housing, in San Francisco’s Civic Center on Oct. 9, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Episode Transcript\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>This transcript is computer-generated. While our team has reviewed it, there may be errors.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra and welcome to The Bay, local news to keep you rooted. Okay, so between San Francisco’s AI-fueled rental crisis and downtown’s slow recovery from the pandemic, I feel like I’ve heard people throw this idea around. Why not house people in all those empty buildings downtown? And it’s a good question. San Francisco has an office vacancy rate of about 30%. That’s millions of square feet of empty buildings.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> It seems kind of obvious that this could be a good solution. But in San Francisco, it hasn’t really happened for a couple of reasons.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> Unlike other major cities like New York and Chicago, San Francisco has been slow to incentivize developers to turn offices into apartments. But some say that’s finally starting to change.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> What they’re hoping to do isn’t just to convert an office to housing. It’s kind of like a bigger project. It’s basically totally revitalizing downtown San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> Today, The Bay’s producer, Gabriela Glueck, introduces us to two developers to help us understand what it actually takes to make these conversion projects happen. We’re gonna start this story on scene, downtown, in Civic Center.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> How are you? Good, how are you.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> Yeah, so I met up with two developers at the office building that they’re working on converting to housing right now.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jack Sylvan:\u003c/strong> Hello, my name is Jack Sylvan, I run a San Francisco based development firm called SDG.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> I’m Marc Babsin. I’m president of Emerald Fund. We’re San Francisco Housing Developers, and we are at 150 Hayes that we are converting from a 1968 office building to 106 homes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> It is this six-story building in Civic Center with a green glass facade, an old school office. In its past life, the building was originally part of the California State Automobile Association campus.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jack Sylvan:\u003c/strong> This building was like a state-of-the-art place where you would bring your car\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> AAA moved to the suburbs in 2018, and an office developer purchased all four buildings, and then the Great Recession happens. And they couldn’t find any office tenants. It’s kind of similar to today’s lack of tenants.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> Fast forward from these AAA times, and this particular building, 150 Hayes Street, was actually sold to the Academy of Art University and Mark and Jack and their partners are now in the process of purchasing it from them.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> Okay, so it sounds like it very much looks like an office building from the outside, but what about the inside? What did it look like when you walked in?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> Yeah, so the inside is also very, very office building. When I got there, the building’s old owners were still in the process of moving out their stuff. So we saw desks and chairs and office supplies kinda getting carted out.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jack Sylvan:\u003c/strong> Actually there’s more activity here than we led you to believe.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> The first thing you notice when you kind of head into the lobby is just how old school it looks. Like think of like 80s patterned carpets.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> It’s pretty drab and not aesthetically pleasing. It’s not a pleasant place to be.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> It almost looks like a movie set, just because nobody’s there, but there is all this kind of leftover furniture.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> And it’s just a, it’s like a sea of cubicles with fluorescent lighting, drop ceiling.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> Actually sounds like the movie Back Rooms to me, the way you’re describing it. Okay, so it sounds like it’s entering its maybe second, third, fourth life at this point. I mean, what exactly are these developers’ plan for this building?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> Yeah, so, they really have a vision for it.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> And what we’re gonna do is we’re going to take the four office floors and make them residential. We’re going convert one of the parking floors to residential and we’re going to add another floor on the top, 106 homes.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> It’s almost like you’re coming in at step three or four of development. Like you don’t have to build the whole structure. That skeleton’s already there.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> The cost of conversion are less than ground up. If you ever see a frame built before the skin goes on and the drywall and the flooring and the lighting, that’s what we’re doing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> How do you pick a good building for a conversion like this? Like is every office building a good candidate for housing?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> Yeah, I was really curious about this too, just because kind of walking around as a lay person, looking at all these empty offices, you might think you could be in apartment building, you could an apartment building. But that’s really not the case. And that’s something Marc and Jack talked about a lot.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> Yeah, we would walk around downtown streets, Jack and I and our partner, Tim, and just look up and say like, okay, how many sides of windows do we have here? And does it look like a building that’s like class B or C, meaning it’s not full of tenants?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> So you’re looking for a totally empty building if you can swing it. Another thing to think about is that not every office has the right bones to be an apartment building. And so the depth of the building is something that the developers talk to me a lot about.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> If you have a very deep building, that means you’re so far from the windows, it’s problematic.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> The city has planning and building code requirements for what qualifies as housing. And there are requirements for how much natural light an apartment needs to have in San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> Yeah, I mean, I imagine you can’t just put a bed in the middle of an office building and call it housing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> You’re exactly right. Like, you can’t just say, all right, I’m going to put some sleeping bags or some beds in here and sell it, you know, as an apartment building. So these are all things to think about in terms of changing the use of a building.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> We bring through a team of the architect and the contractor and the structural engineer and the mechanical electrical plumbing engineer and analyze the building. A lot of work has gone into it just to land this one.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> We’re gonna take a quick break, but when we get back, what it literally takes to convert an office into an apartment and the policy changes that developers say finally made it possible. By the way, if you appreciate stories like this, you can help fund this kind of journalism by becoming a KQED Sustaining Member. Monthly donations from everyday people just like you are the lifeblood. KQED Public Media. Just go to donate.kqed.org/podcasts. We’ll be right back. I wanna talk a little bit more about what it actually takes to do this kind of conversion, like physically, like how do they actually deal with these sort of design challenges of turning an office building into housing?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> Yeah, this is really interesting. It’s kind of like a cool puzzle. And we walked around the office at 150 Hayes Street and the developers, Marc and Jack, were kind of pointing out some of the things that they were seeing as potential challenges.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> Those windows are gonna come out. You see how far up that steel beam is? So our windows are going to go all the way up there, 11 feet.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> The question of natural light is a really big deal, like how much can you get in a building?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> Because windows are pretty important to apartments, people want to have light that come in.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> What the developers basically told me is that when you have a skeleton of an old building, there are design constraints, right? Cause you already have basically a shape there that you’re filling up. So sometimes it can be hard to meet some of these code requirements for what qualifies as housing, like the open space requirement, for example. And then because we live in an earthquake prone place, you might have to do some kind of seismic upgrades if you’re switching a building use from commercial to housing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jack Sylvan:\u003c/strong> And so that’s another driver of costs here.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> Another thing I was kind of curious about and I think comes to a lot of people’s mind is like plumbing. You know, how you make every unit have a bathroom. And they said that’s actually not that hard to add plumbing after the fact. And so those are some of the things that we talked about.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> I mean, yeah, it sounds like a pretty great idea. Why isn’t this happening as often as it maybe seems like it should then?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> Yeah, this is the, you know, billion dollar question.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> Well, it always comes down to the math. So what is it cost to build the building, and then what is worth when it’s done? We haven’t found a building where the numbers line up since 2016.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> They said for a really long time, there haven’t been policy incentives that help developers kind of get around the high construction costs in order to build housing here. And then another big thing I thought was really interesting is Marc and Jack were kind of telling me that building owners aren’t as willing to sell their vacant office buildings because of the AI boom. Maybe you’ve seen headlines of, you know, big AI companies signing kind of record leases with offices, just kind of giving them a ton of money to move in. And so Marc and Jack were saying that some of these building owners are kind of holding out. Like maybe that’ll happen to them. And so these offices that you think would be good candidates aren’t even up, you now, for sale right now.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jack Sylvan:\u003c/strong> It’s just not in their DNA to think about taking their office building and turning it into a place that people live. You just, you see their head kind of go, whoa. So our job is to convince them that their building could be worth more as a residential building.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> Hmm. That’s very interesting. Yeah. I mean it seems like a really good time to maybe figure out how to lower the barriers to making this kind of thing happen. So you mentioned earlier that the city has actually been kind of turning a page on this and trying to incentivize more developers to do these kinds of conversions. I means what is the city doing to make it easier to convert more office buildings into housing?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> So the city in collaboration with developers like Marc and Jack has already made some changes to try and incentivize more developers to do these conversions.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jack Sylvan:\u003c/strong> The first thing that the city did was adjust a bunch of the planning code, that it’s a building that’s already there, like we shouldn’t overcomplicate things with planning code that is intended to be oriented around building a new building ground up. And then there were the three tools that are more financial.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> This includes waiving taxes when a property is sold. And then in Mayor Daniel Lurie’s Downtown Revitalization Financing District, developers can get some refunds on property taxes on these converted buildings.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> And then the big one was no affordable housing requirement. The city decided that, hey, we want to get these office to residential projects to be financially feasible. So the biggest lever was reducing the affordable housing requirement from 15 to zero.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> I think when we talk about housing in San Francisco that’s often one of the first questions you ask just because rent is so expensive. What the developers basically told me is that if they were required to put in affordable units they wouldn’t be able to make money off the building, so they wouldn’t be able to get investors, they wouldn’t be able do the project at all.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> Because at 15% affordable, it costs about $140,000 per every unit in the building to provide that affordable housing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> That said, even though there won’t be affordable housing in the building, they’re not envisioning this to be like a luxury apartment building. It’s going to be kind of market rate apartment, even thought average cost in San Francisco is still expensive. So these are all financial incentives that kind of help offset the cost of doing these kinds of projects.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Daniel Lurie\u003c/strong> This old office building, an old Nordstrom Rack, is being turned into housing. 136 units of new housing. And thanks to legislation that we have passed, this is happening and five other projects like it…\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> And so far, a few developers, and this is including 150 Hayes Street, have submitted their projects for the downtown revitalization financing district program. And that’s a really good sign, you know, that there’s been a shift here, and more projects might start to pop up.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Jack Sylvan:\u003c/strong> Investors tend to be followers. There are not that many investors that wanna be the first into something. And so things have changed rapidly in the last six to nine months. So I think we’ll be able to show them with this project that it’s actually a smart investment for the right building.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> So where are they at in the timeline of things now?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> They’re planning to start construction kind of the middle of next year, and that’s gonna take a year and a half to complete. So basically what that means is that people will be able to move in late 2028 or early 2029.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> Is there a reason, like, not to be so optimistic about this idea and it really working in San Francisco?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> Yeah, I think that’s a great question, and one that can be a little hard to answer after just hanging out with these developers for, you know, an hour because they’re so optimistic, because they are so excited. I think maybe to measure some of that excitement. I think in some ways we will kind of have to wait and see. Because what they’re trying to do or what they are hoping to do isn’t just to convert an office to housing. It’s kind of like a bigger project. It’s basically totally revitalizing downtown San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Marc Babsin:\u003c/strong> Couple hundred people are gonna live here. They’re gonna be going to the restaurant across the street. They’re going to be going to the conservatory where they’ve got free jazz and eat in the restaurant. They’re to activate this area. We’re adding to the life and the vibrancy of the city. That’s exciting.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Gabriela Glueck:\u003c/strong> You know, people have been trying to do that for a while and it hasn’t always worked out the way they wanted it to. So I think that is reason enough to kind of measure your optimism. Just converting one office building to housing is only the start of that. Like we’re really early on to seeing if this bigger project is gonna work out.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra:\u003c/strong> Well, Gabriela Glueck, our producer, thank you so much. Thank you. That was The Bay’s producer, Gabriela Glueck. By the way, we’ve got pictures on our site of the building that Gabi visited for this story. You could peep them at kqed.org slash the bay. Shout out to producer Gabriela Glueck for pitching, reporting, and producing this story, I cut down and edited it, music courtesy of Audio Network and APN. If you liked this episode, please do me a quick favor right now and review the show in your podcast app. Those reviews really help other people find our show. Support for The Bay is provided in part by the Osher Production Fund. Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by the Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco, Northern California Local. And I’m Ericka Cruz Guevarra. Thanks so much for listening to The Bay. I’ll talk to you next time.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u003cem>Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by The Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco-Northern California Local.\u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "As Costs Rise, Voters in 3 Bay Area Cities Could Cap One of Them: Rent",
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"content": "\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When Linda Jackson and her son moved into the Willow Mobile Home Park in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/east-bay\">East Bay \u003c/a>town of San Pablo five years ago, they paid roughly $900 to rent the space where they parked the home they own. The costs for their mortgage and rent felt manageable. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“We can be comfortable,” the 75-year-old recalled thinking. “We can do this.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since then, however, Jackson’s monthly rent has climbed to just over $1,200. And another increase scheduled for January will bring it to nearly $1,300.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I’ve never been so distraught,” Jackson said, adding she’s living “day-to-day.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now, after organizing her neighbors and pressing city leaders for relief, Jackson wants voters to join the fight. She is supporting Measure S, a rent control proposal on San Pablo’s November ballot — one of three in Bay Area cities where voters are considering new rent limits or stronger protections under existing rent-control laws. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260117-HarmonySanPablo-08-BL_qed-847d67d4.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105120\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260117-HarmonySanPablo-08-BL_qed-847d67d4.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260117-HarmonySanPablo-08-BL_qed-847d67d4-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260117-HarmonySanPablo-08-BL_qed-847d67d4-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Residents of Willow Mobile Home Park and the neighboring Creekside Village Mobile Home Park meet in San Pablo on Jan. 17, 2026, to discuss rent increases at the parks. Residents are calling on the city to adopt rent protections as they face rising and unpredictable rent hikes. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“My prayer is that Measure S provides some sort of relief for us,” Jackson said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tenants in San Pablo have pushed for a citywide rent cap for years. Redwood City voters will also consider a new rent cap this election, and Berkeley is weighing changes to its existing rent-control rules. But San Pablo’s proposal also covers mobile home parks, a response to recent rent hikes that have hit residents hard as they try to hold onto one of the few remaining paths to affordable homeownership in California.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A representative for Harmony Communities, which manages Willow, said the annual increases are intended to keep pace with rising operating costs. The company said its expenses rose roughly 6% last year, while its rent adjustments average about 4.5%.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Measure S would limit yearly rent increases for multi-unit rental housing built before Feb. 1, 1995, to 3% or 60% of the regional inflation rate, whichever is lower. The cap would also cover eligible mobile home rentals and the lots residents rent.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But some property owners, including the California Apartment Association, said the measures would also limit their ability to keep up with rising insurance and maintenance costs. That could lead owners to sell their buildings or spend less on upkeep, while doing little to address the housing shortage or lower already-high prices, said Joshua Howard, the executive vice president of local public affairs for the association.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Research on rent control points to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12008424/prop-33-rent-control-is-on-the-ballot-again-election-2024-california\">mix of benefits and trade-offs\u003c/a>. Studies have \u003ca href=\"https://dornsife.usc.edu/eri/wp-content/uploads/sites/41/2023/01/2018RentMattersPERE.pdf\">found\u003c/a> it can help people stay in their homes and keep communities together. Others have also \u003ca href=\"http://pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1257/aer.20181289\">found\u003c/a> it can prompt owners to take rentals off the market, leaving fewer options and higher costs for people looking for a home.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“San Pablo should instead focus on building housing and providing rental assistance,” Howard said. “We don’t need more local laws regulating the rental housing industry.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Jackson said the measure would offer a defense against future rent increases, while she also juggles other rising costs. Water, sewer, trash and storm drain charges have also increased, bringing her current monthly bill to about $1,450, according to a statement reviewed by KQED. That is more than the roughly $1,044 she said she receives from Social Security after medical deductions. She works part time and sometimes borrows from her son to cover expenses.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Wherever I’m short, I have to ask him for it,” she said. “But I still got a phone bill, car insurance, food, gas, entertainment — if I dare to.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260117-HarmonySanPablo-12-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12080882\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260117-HarmonySanPablo-12-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260117-HarmonySanPablo-12-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260117-HarmonySanPablo-12-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Linda Jackson helps fellow resident Clara Faria with her jacket during a meeting at Willow Mobile Home Park in San Pablo on Jan. 17, 2026. Residents are calling on the city to adopt rent protections as they face rising and unpredictable rent hikes at both mobile home parks. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Her concerns echo those in an earlier \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12079706/theyre-bleeding-us-dry-seniors-struggle-with-rent-hikes-evictions-in-california-mobile-home-parks\">KQED investigation\u003c/a> into Harmony Communities, the Stockton-based company that manages Willow. Interviews with nearly two dozen residents and lawyers revealed repeated rent increases and confusing notices at parks associated with the company, leaving some low-income residents afraid of losing their homes. For example, Jackson’s latest rent increase includes a $300 monthly credit that offsets an additional rent increase from last year. The credit can be removed at any time, according to a notice reviewed by KQED. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“We understand that many residents are feeling the strain of rising costs, and we do not take rent adjustments lightly,” Nick Ubaldi, a spokesperson for Harmony, said in a statement. “These annual increases help maintain the property and services residents rely on.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But for Jackson and her neighbors, the increases have meant tighter budgets and mounting stress.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That prompted Jackson and her neighbors to bring their concerns directly to the San Pablo City Council, joining a broader community campaign for tenant protections led by the nonprofit Rising Juntos.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260117-HarmonySanPablo-07-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12080879\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260117-HarmonySanPablo-07-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260117-HarmonySanPablo-07-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260117-HarmonySanPablo-07-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Willow Mobile Home Park in San Pablo on Jan. 17, 2026. The park is a privately owned 55-and-older community owned by Harmony Communities. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“In the face of inaction from the city council, we worked together to create a policy that would improve residents’ lives,” said Rhea Laughlin, executive director of Rising Juntos.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Laughlin noted that although mobile home residents own their homes, renting the land beneath them leaves them uniquely vulnerable to skyrocketing space rents. These communities often include seniors, residents with disabilities and low-income families with few affordable alternatives in California.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If voters pass Measure S, San Pablo would join 95 cities and 11 counties in California, or roughly a fifth of the state’s local jurisdictions, that already limit rent increases for mobile home spaces, according to the Mobile Home Park Home Owners Allegiance. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“When long-time residents are priced out, we lose more than individual households,” Laughlin said. “We lose relationships, community networks, cultural history, and the people who have invested decades in making San Pablo what it is.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The city hired consulting firm RSG to analyze how the proposal could affect San Pablo’s housing market and what it would cost to administer. Its report estimated the program would cost up to around $2.4 million annually to administer. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The report found mixed evidence on how rent control affects housing availability and said the effects in San Pablo would depend on local market conditions and how the program is structured. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tenants living in their homes on July 1, 2025, would use what they paid then as the starting rent for calculating increases, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RjmkR2L7UmlyqjyZ36XhkzFlV4flZIj6/view?usp=sharing\">report\u003c/a>. Those who moved in afterward would use their move-in rent. Owners could seek increases above the cap to earn a fair return.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The measure would also limit the reasons landlords can evict tenants and require them to help pay moving costs for tenants displaced through owner move-ins and other limited circumstances. Tenants and landlords could bring complaints and rent disputes to the city. Landlords could ask permission to raise rents above the cap if needed to earn a fair return, and fees of up to $120 per unit, paid by landlords, would cover the cost of running the program.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Howard said a more effective system for both apartment owners and tenants would be short-term rental assistance. Asked how short-term assistance would help Jackson, who lives on a fixed income and faces repeated rent increases, he encouraged residents and property owners to work together.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jackson hopes Measure S will let her stay in the home she and her son bought. Without relief, she said, they may have to sell and leave California.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“There’s no way we can just keep giving,” she said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>When Linda Jackson and her son moved into the Willow Mobile Home Park in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/east-bay\">East Bay \u003c/a>town of San Pablo five years ago, they paid roughly $900 to rent the space where they parked the home they own. The costs for their mortgage and rent felt manageable. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We can be comfortable,” the 75-year-old recalled thinking. “We can do this.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Since then, however, Jackson’s monthly rent has climbed to just over $1,200. And another increase scheduled for January will bring it to nearly $1,300.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Since then, however, Jackson’s monthly rent has climbed to just over $1,200. And another increase scheduled for January will bring it to nearly $1,300.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I’ve never been so distraught,” Jackson said, adding she’s living “day-to-day.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Now, after organizing her neighbors and pressing city leaders for relief, Jackson wants voters to join the fight. She is supporting Measure S, a rent control proposal on San Pablo’s November ballot — one of three in Bay Area cities where voters are considering new rent limits or stronger protections under existing rent-control laws. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Now, after organizing her neighbors and pressing city leaders for relief, Jackson wants voters to join the fight. She is supporting Measure S, a rent control proposal on San Pablo’s November ballot — one of three in Bay Area cities where voters are considering new rent limits or stronger protections under existing rent-control laws. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260117-HarmonySanPablo-08-BL_qed-847d67d4.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105120\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260117-HarmonySanPablo-08-BL_qed-847d67d4.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260117-HarmonySanPablo-08-BL_qed-847d67d4-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260117-HarmonySanPablo-08-BL_qed-847d67d4-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Residents of Willow Mobile Home Park and the neighboring Creekside Village Mobile Home Park meet in San Pablo on Jan. 17, 2026, to discuss rent increases at the parks. Residents are calling on the city to adopt rent protections as they face rising and unpredictable rent hikes.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260117-HarmonySanPablo-08-BL_qed-847d67d4.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105120\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Residents of Willow Mobile Home Park and the neighboring Creekside Village Mobile Home Park meet in San Pablo on Jan. 17, 2026, to discuss rent increases at the parks. Residents are calling on the city to adopt rent protections as they face rising and unpredictable rent hikes.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“My prayer is that Measure S provides some sort of relief for us,” Jackson said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Tenants in San Pablo have pushed for a citywide rent cap for years. Redwood City voters will also consider a new rent cap this election, and Berkeley is weighing changes to its existing rent-control rules. But San Pablo’s proposal also covers mobile home parks, a response to recent rent hikes that have hit residents hard as they try to hold onto one of the few remaining paths to affordable homeownership in California.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Tenants in San Pablo have pushed for a citywide rent cap for years. Redwood City voters will also consider a new rent cap this election, and Berkeley is weighing changes to its existing rent-control rules. But San Pablo’s proposal also covers mobile home parks, a response to recent rent hikes that have hit residents hard as they try to hold onto one of the few remaining paths to affordable homeownership in California.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A representative for Harmony Communities, which manages Willow, said the annual increases are intended to keep pace with rising operating costs. The company said its expenses rose roughly 6% last year, while its rent adjustments average about 4.5%.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>A representative for Harmony Communities, which manages Willow, said the annual increases are intended to keep pace with rising operating costs. The company said its expenses rose roughly 6% last year, while its rent adjustments average about 4.5%.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Measure S would limit yearly rent increases for multi-unit rental housing built before Feb. 1, 1995, to 3% or 60% of the regional inflation rate, whichever is lower. The cap would also cover eligible mobile home rentals and the lots residents rent.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Measure S would limit yearly rent increases for multi-unit rental housing built before Feb. 1, 1995, to 3% or 60% of the regional inflation rate, whichever is lower. The cap would also cover eligible mobile home rentals and the lots residents rent.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But some property owners, including the California Apartment Association, said the measures would also limit their ability to keep up with rising insurance and maintenance costs. That could lead owners to sell their buildings or spend less on upkeep, while doing little to address the housing shortage or lower already-high prices, said Joshua Howard, the executive vice president of local public affairs for the association.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But some property owners, including the California Apartment Association, said the measures would also limit their ability to keep up with rising insurance and maintenance costs. That could lead owners to sell their buildings or spend less on upkeep, while doing little to address the housing shortage or lower already-high prices, said Joshua Howard, the executive vice president of local public affairs for the association.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Research on rent control points to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12008424/prop-33-rent-control-is-on-the-ballot-again-election-2024-california\">mix of benefits and trade-offs\u003c/a>. Studies have \u003ca href=\"https://dornsife.usc.edu/eri/wp-content/uploads/sites/41/2023/01/2018RentMattersPERE.pdf\">found\u003c/a> it can help people stay in their homes and keep communities together. Others have also \u003ca href=\"http://pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1257/aer.20181289\">found\u003c/a> it can prompt owners to take rentals off the market, leaving fewer options and higher costs for people looking for a home.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Research on rent control points to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12008424/prop-33-rent-control-is-on-the-ballot-again-election-2024-california\">mix of benefits and trade-offs\u003c/a>. Studies have \u003ca href=\"https://dornsife.usc.edu/eri/wp-content/uploads/sites/41/2023/01/2018RentMattersPERE.pdf\">found\u003c/a> it can help people stay in their homes and keep communities together. Others have also \u003ca href=\"http://pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1257/aer.20181289\">found\u003c/a> it can prompt owners to take rentals off the market, leaving fewer options and higher costs for people looking for a home.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“San Pablo should instead focus on building housing and providing rental assistance,” Howard said. “We don’t need more local laws regulating the rental housing industry.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“San Pablo should instead focus on building housing and providing rental assistance,” Howard said. “We don’t need more local laws regulating the rental housing industry.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But Jackson said the measure would offer a defense against future rent increases, while she also juggles other rising costs. Water, sewer, trash and storm drain charges have also increased, bringing her current monthly bill to about $1,450, according to a statement reviewed by KQED. That is more than the roughly $1,044 she said she receives from Social Security after medical deductions. She works part time and sometimes borrows from her son to cover expenses.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But Jackson said the measure would offer a defense against future rent increases, while she also juggles other rising costs. Water, sewer, trash and storm drain charges have also increased, bringing her current monthly bill to about $1,450, according to a statement reviewed by KQED. That is more than the roughly $1,044 she said she receives from Social Security after medical deductions. She works part time and sometimes borrows from her son to cover expenses.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Wherever I’m short, I have to ask him for it,” she said. “But I still got a phone bill, car insurance, food, gas, entertainment — if I dare to.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Wherever I’m short, I have to ask him for it,” she said. “But I still got a phone bill, car insurance, food, gas, entertainment — if I dare to.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260117-HarmonySanPablo-12-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12080882\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260117-HarmonySanPablo-12-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260117-HarmonySanPablo-12-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260117-HarmonySanPablo-12-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Linda Jackson helps fellow resident Clara Faria with her jacket during a meeting at Willow Mobile Home Park in San Pablo on Jan. 17, 2026. Residents are calling on the city to adopt rent protections as they face rising and unpredictable rent hikes at both mobile home parks.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Her concerns echo those in an earlier \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12079706/theyre-bleeding-us-dry-seniors-struggle-with-rent-hikes-evictions-in-california-mobile-home-parks\">KQED investigation\u003c/a> into Harmony Communities, the Stockton-based company that manages Willow. Interviews with nearly two dozen residents and lawyers revealed repeated rent increases and confusing notices at parks associated with the company, leaving some low-income residents afraid of losing their homes. For example, Jackson’s latest rent increase includes a $300 monthly credit that offsets an additional rent increase from last year. The credit can be removed at any time, according to a notice reviewed by KQED. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Her concerns echo those in an earlier \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12079706/theyre-bleeding-us-dry-seniors-struggle-with-rent-hikes-evictions-in-california-mobile-home-parks\">KQED investigation\u003c/a> into Harmony Communities, the Stockton-based company that manages Willow. Interviews with nearly two dozen residents and lawyers revealed repeated rent increases and confusing notices at parks associated with the company, leaving some low-income residents afraid of losing their homes. For example, Jackson’s latest rent increase includes a $300 monthly credit that offsets an additional rent increase from last year. The credit can be removed at any time, according to a notice reviewed by KQED. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We understand that many residents are feeling the strain of rising costs, and we do not take rent adjustments lightly,” Nick Ubaldi, a spokesperson for Harmony, said in a statement. “These annual increases help maintain the property and services residents rely on.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We understand that many residents are feeling the strain of rising costs, and we do not take rent adjustments lightly,” Nick Ubaldi, a spokesperson for Harmony, said in a statement. “These annual increases help maintain the property and services residents rely on.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But for Jackson and her neighbors, the increases have meant tighter budgets and mounting stress.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That prompted Jackson and her neighbors to bring their concerns directly to the San Pablo City Council, joining a broader community campaign for tenant protections led by the nonprofit Rising Juntos.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>That prompted Jackson and her neighbors to bring their concerns directly to the San Pablo City Council, joining a broader community campaign for tenant protections led by the nonprofit Rising Juntos.\u003c/p>\n"
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260117-HarmonySanPablo-07-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12080879\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Willow Mobile Home Park in San Pablo on Jan. 17, 2026. The park is a privately owned 55-and-older community owned by Harmony Communities.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“In the face of inaction from the city council, we worked together to create a policy that would improve residents’ lives,” said Rhea Laughlin, executive director of Rising Juntos.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“In the face of inaction from the city council, we worked together to create a policy that would improve residents’ lives,” said Rhea Laughlin, executive director of Rising Juntos.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Laughlin noted that although mobile home residents own their homes, renting the land beneath them leaves them uniquely vulnerable to skyrocketing space rents. These communities often include seniors, residents with disabilities and low-income families with few affordable alternatives in California.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Laughlin noted that although mobile home residents own their homes, renting the land beneath them leaves them uniquely vulnerable to skyrocketing space rents. These communities often include seniors, residents with disabilities and low-income families with few affordable alternatives in California.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If voters pass Measure S, San Pablo would join 95 cities and 11 counties in California, or roughly a fifth of the state’s local jurisdictions, that already limit rent increases for mobile home spaces, according to the Mobile Home Park Home Owners Allegiance. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>If voters pass Measure S, San Pablo would join 95 cities and 11 counties in California, or roughly a fifth of the state’s local jurisdictions, that already limit rent increases for mobile home spaces, according to the Mobile Home Park Home Owners Allegiance. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“When long-time residents are priced out, we lose more than individual households,” Laughlin said. “We lose relationships, community networks, cultural history, and the people who have invested decades in making San Pablo what it is.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“When long-time residents are priced out, we lose more than individual households,” Laughlin said. “We lose relationships, community networks, cultural history, and the people who have invested decades in making San Pablo what it is.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The city hired consulting firm RSG to analyze how the proposal could affect San Pablo’s housing market and what it would cost to administer. Its report estimated the program would cost up to around $2.4 million annually to administer. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The city hired consulting firm RSG to analyze how the proposal could affect San Pablo’s housing market and what it would cost to administer. Its report estimated the program would cost up to around $2.4 million annually to administer. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The report found mixed evidence on how rent control affects housing availability and said the effects in San Pablo would depend on local market conditions and how the program is structured. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The report found mixed evidence on how rent control affects housing availability and said the effects in San Pablo would depend on local market conditions and how the program is structured. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Tenants living in their homes on July 1, 2025, would use what they paid then as the starting rent for calculating increases, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RjmkR2L7UmlyqjyZ36XhkzFlV4flZIj6/view?usp=sharing\">report\u003c/a>. Those who moved in afterward would use their move-in rent. Owners could seek increases above the cap to earn a fair return.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Tenants living in their homes on July 1, 2025, would use what they paid then as the starting rent for calculating increases, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RjmkR2L7UmlyqjyZ36XhkzFlV4flZIj6/view?usp=sharing\">report\u003c/a>. Those who moved in afterward would use their move-in rent. Owners could seek increases above the cap to earn a fair return.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The measure would also limit the reasons landlords can evict tenants and require them to help pay moving costs for tenants displaced through owner move-ins and other limited circumstances. Tenants and landlords could bring complaints and rent disputes to the city. Landlords could ask permission to raise rents above the cap if needed to earn a fair return, and fees of up to $120 per unit, paid by landlords, would cover the cost of running the program.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The measure would also limit the reasons landlords can evict tenants and require them to help pay moving costs for tenants displaced through owner move-ins and other limited circumstances. Tenants and landlords could bring complaints and rent disputes to the city. Landlords could ask permission to raise rents above the cap if needed to earn a fair return, and fees of up to $120 per unit, paid by landlords, would cover the cost of running the program.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But Howard said a more effective system for both apartment owners and tenants would be short-term rental assistance. Asked how short-term assistance would help Jackson, who lives on a fixed income and faces repeated rent increases, he encouraged residents and property owners to work together.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But Howard said a more effective system for both apartment owners and tenants would be short-term rental assistance. Asked how short-term assistance would help Jackson, who lives on a fixed income and faces repeated rent increases, he encouraged residents and property owners to work together.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Jackson hopes Measure S will let her stay in the home she and her son bought. Without relief, she said, they may have to sell and leave California.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Jackson hopes Measure S will let her stay in the home she and her son bought. Without relief, she said, they may have to sell and leave California.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“There’s no way we can just keep giving,” she said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“There’s no way we can just keep giving,” she said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "Voters in San Pablo, Redwood City and Berkeley will weigh rent protections this November. For some mobile home owners, the outcome could determine whether they can afford to stay in their homes.",
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"title": "As Costs Rise, Voters in 3 Bay Area Cities Could Cap One of Them: Rent | KQED",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When Linda Jackson and her son moved into the Willow Mobile Home Park in the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/east-bay\">East Bay \u003c/a>town of San Pablo five years ago, they paid roughly $900 to rent the space where they parked the home they own. The costs for their mortgage and rent felt manageable. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“We can be comfortable,” the 75-year-old recalled thinking. “We can do this.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Since then, however, Jackson’s monthly rent has climbed to just over $1,200. And another increase scheduled for January will bring it to nearly $1,300.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“I’ve never been so distraught,” Jackson said, adding she’s living “day-to-day.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now, after organizing her neighbors and pressing city leaders for relief, Jackson wants voters to join the fight. She is supporting Measure S, a rent control proposal on San Pablo’s November ballot — one of three in Bay Area cities where voters are considering new rent limits or stronger protections under existing rent-control laws. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260117-HarmonySanPablo-08-BL_qed-847d67d4.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12105120\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260117-HarmonySanPablo-08-BL_qed-847d67d4.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260117-HarmonySanPablo-08-BL_qed-847d67d4-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/260117-HarmonySanPablo-08-BL_qed-847d67d4-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Residents of Willow Mobile Home Park and the neighboring Creekside Village Mobile Home Park meet in San Pablo on Jan. 17, 2026, to discuss rent increases at the parks. Residents are calling on the city to adopt rent protections as they face rising and unpredictable rent hikes. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“My prayer is that Measure S provides some sort of relief for us,” Jackson said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tenants in San Pablo have pushed for a citywide rent cap for years. Redwood City voters will also consider a new rent cap this election, and Berkeley is weighing changes to its existing rent-control rules. But San Pablo’s proposal also covers mobile home parks, a response to recent rent hikes that have hit residents hard as they try to hold onto one of the few remaining paths to affordable homeownership in California.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A representative for Harmony Communities, which manages Willow, said the annual increases are intended to keep pace with rising operating costs. The company said its expenses rose roughly 6% last year, while its rent adjustments average about 4.5%.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Measure S would limit yearly rent increases for multi-unit rental housing built before Feb. 1, 1995, to 3% or 60% of the regional inflation rate, whichever is lower. The cap would also cover eligible mobile home rentals and the lots residents rent.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But some property owners, including the California Apartment Association, said the measures would also limit their ability to keep up with rising insurance and maintenance costs. That could lead owners to sell their buildings or spend less on upkeep, while doing little to address the housing shortage or lower already-high prices, said Joshua Howard, the executive vice president of local public affairs for the association.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Research on rent control points to a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12008424/prop-33-rent-control-is-on-the-ballot-again-election-2024-california\">mix of benefits and trade-offs\u003c/a>. Studies have \u003ca href=\"https://dornsife.usc.edu/eri/wp-content/uploads/sites/41/2023/01/2018RentMattersPERE.pdf\">found\u003c/a> it can help people stay in their homes and keep communities together. Others have also \u003ca href=\"http://pubs.aeaweb.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1257/aer.20181289\">found\u003c/a> it can prompt owners to take rentals off the market, leaving fewer options and higher costs for people looking for a home.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“San Pablo should instead focus on building housing and providing rental assistance,” Howard said. “We don’t need more local laws regulating the rental housing industry.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Jackson said the measure would offer a defense against future rent increases, while she also juggles other rising costs. Water, sewer, trash and storm drain charges have also increased, bringing her current monthly bill to about $1,450, according to a statement reviewed by KQED. That is more than the roughly $1,044 she said she receives from Social Security after medical deductions. She works part time and sometimes borrows from her son to cover expenses.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“Wherever I’m short, I have to ask him for it,” she said. “But I still got a phone bill, car insurance, food, gas, entertainment — if I dare to.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260117-HarmonySanPablo-12-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12080882\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260117-HarmonySanPablo-12-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260117-HarmonySanPablo-12-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260117-HarmonySanPablo-12-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Linda Jackson helps fellow resident Clara Faria with her jacket during a meeting at Willow Mobile Home Park in San Pablo on Jan. 17, 2026. Residents are calling on the city to adopt rent protections as they face rising and unpredictable rent hikes at both mobile home parks. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Her concerns echo those in an earlier \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12079706/theyre-bleeding-us-dry-seniors-struggle-with-rent-hikes-evictions-in-california-mobile-home-parks\">KQED investigation\u003c/a> into Harmony Communities, the Stockton-based company that manages Willow. Interviews with nearly two dozen residents and lawyers revealed repeated rent increases and confusing notices at parks associated with the company, leaving some low-income residents afraid of losing their homes. For example, Jackson’s latest rent increase includes a $300 monthly credit that offsets an additional rent increase from last year. The credit can be removed at any time, according to a notice reviewed by KQED. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“We understand that many residents are feeling the strain of rising costs, and we do not take rent adjustments lightly,” Nick Ubaldi, a spokesperson for Harmony, said in a statement. “These annual increases help maintain the property and services residents rely on.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But for Jackson and her neighbors, the increases have meant tighter budgets and mounting stress.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That prompted Jackson and her neighbors to bring their concerns directly to the San Pablo City Council, joining a broader community campaign for tenant protections led by the nonprofit Rising Juntos.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260117-HarmonySanPablo-07-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12080879\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260117-HarmonySanPablo-07-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260117-HarmonySanPablo-07-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/260117-HarmonySanPablo-07-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Willow Mobile Home Park in San Pablo on Jan. 17, 2026. The park is a privately owned 55-and-older community owned by Harmony Communities. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“In the face of inaction from the city council, we worked together to create a policy that would improve residents’ lives,” said Rhea Laughlin, executive director of Rising Juntos.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Laughlin noted that although mobile home residents own their homes, renting the land beneath them leaves them uniquely vulnerable to skyrocketing space rents. These communities often include seniors, residents with disabilities and low-income families with few affordable alternatives in California.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If voters pass Measure S, San Pablo would join 95 cities and 11 counties in California, or roughly a fifth of the state’s local jurisdictions, that already limit rent increases for mobile home spaces, according to the Mobile Home Park Home Owners Allegiance. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“When long-time residents are priced out, we lose more than individual households,” Laughlin said. “We lose relationships, community networks, cultural history, and the people who have invested decades in making San Pablo what it is.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The city hired consulting firm RSG to analyze how the proposal could affect San Pablo’s housing market and what it would cost to administer. Its report estimated the program would cost up to around $2.4 million annually to administer. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The report found mixed evidence on how rent control affects housing availability and said the effects in San Pablo would depend on local market conditions and how the program is structured. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Tenants living in their homes on July 1, 2025, would use what they paid then as the starting rent for calculating increases, according to the \u003ca href=\"https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RjmkR2L7UmlyqjyZ36XhkzFlV4flZIj6/view?usp=sharing\">report\u003c/a>. Those who moved in afterward would use their move-in rent. Owners could seek increases above the cap to earn a fair return.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The measure would also limit the reasons landlords can evict tenants and require them to help pay moving costs for tenants displaced through owner move-ins and other limited circumstances. Tenants and landlords could bring complaints and rent disputes to the city. Landlords could ask permission to raise rents above the cap if needed to earn a fair return, and fees of up to $120 per unit, paid by landlords, would cover the cost of running the program.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But Howard said a more effective system for both apartment owners and tenants would be short-term rental assistance. Asked how short-term assistance would help Jackson, who lives on a fixed income and faces repeated rent increases, he encouraged residents and property owners to work together.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jackson hopes Measure S will let her stay in the home she and her son bought. Without relief, she said, they may have to sell and leave California.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">“There’s no way we can just keep giving,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "software-engineers-proposed-neighborhood-event-center-gets-preliminary-green-light",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>Esmeralda, a new neighborhood in the North Bay where \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/siliconvalley\">Silicon Valley\u003c/a> thinkers and culture makers can gather and share ideas, got a preliminary green light on Wednesday.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Cloverdale City Council voted 3-2 to approve the project’s overall plan for some 600 homes, a resort hotel, an event center, a preschool and more than 160 acres of parks and open space — making it one of the largest developments in the small Sonoma County town’s recent history. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A second reading of an ordinance to approve the project is scheduled for mid-November. It would include changes to the site’s current zoning, a draft map of the project and an extensive developer agreement.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While the project faced \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12059557/esmeralda-courts-locals-as-it-tries-to-learn-from-california-forevers-mistakes\">little organized opposition\u003c/a> when former software engineer and Esmeralda Land Company CEO Devon Zuegel first started hosting informational public meetings about the project in 2024, backlash began to grow as it inched closer to reality. Earlier this year, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103065/as-new-north-bay-neighborhood-nears-approval-environmental-concerns-weigh-heavy\">vocal group of residents\u003c/a> started raising concerns about the project’s environmental impacts. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-29-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102962\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-29-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-29-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-29-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Esmeralda Land Company founder and president Devon Zuegel speaks during a Planning Commission public hearing on the proposed Esmeralda development at the Cloverdale Veterans Memorial Building on Oct. 1, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Following the meeting, Zuegel acknowledged the recent backlash and the work ahead. “This was a really important step forward that showed us that the city is really taking seriously all the work we have done to be as transparent as possible,” she told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During the five-hour meeting, residents were evenly split on whether to proceed with the project. Vice Mayor Todd Lands said overwhelming public sentiment — including residents not present for public testimony — favored approving Esmeralda, which promises to revitalize the rural community’s dwindling population and jobs’ base. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“You’ll never please every single person, but we have been elected or appointed to be here to represent you,” Lands said before casting a vote in favor of the project. “Sometimes, we have to make the hard decisions, and we have to do what is best for the entire community as a whole.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Skeptics of the project, however, have called the approval premature and are asking for more environmental review before it can proceed. The project would be sited on an approximately 260-acre property that once housed a wood treatment plant that was known to discharge hazardous waste into the soil and groundwater before it shut down in 1976.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But rather than complete a new environmental impact report, the project’s developers are relying on an update — or addendum — to an existing report completed in 2009. Cloverdale city staff concluded the more focused review was sufficient for the project. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jennifer Sullivan, a staunch opponent, said she’s concerned new construction could unearth dangerous chemicals, hurting existing residents. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’m not anti-growth, I’m about doing things right,” she said. “A [full environmental impact report] takes time because good planning takes time.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Proponents pushed back, however, pointing out that the site had been extensively studied by the developer, the site owner and state agencies, which \u003ca href=\"https://www.cloverdale.net/DocumentCenter/View/6953/EIR-Addendum\">verified it had been decontaminated\u003c/a> of hazardous waste in 2012. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Esmeralda Land Company has also agreed to conduct more studies to ensure the site is safe for people to live there before starting construction and to have a city-hired environmental consultant review those studies. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The whole point of it is to do additional testing, if additional testing is needed, and then to report that testing and to develop a soil management plan for those specific contaminants if those contaminants are found,” said Michael Yarne, Esmeralda’s director of development. “No construction before testing.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ann Elston, who said she has lived in Cloverdale for the past 30 years, argued the project would provide much-needed tax revenue for the city, which has seen its population decline in recent years. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“What is the plan to attract new businesses and new residents to increase that tax base?” she asked. “We all love the small town charm of Cloverdale. And if we’re honest, there probably is a little bit of NIMBYism in all of us. Unfortunately, towns that are not growing and well-funded wither and may eventually fade away.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-09-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102957\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-09-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-09-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-09-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A mural in downtown Cloverdale on Oct. 1, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The City Council was originally scheduled to vote on Esmeralda last week, but ultimately postponed the vote so they could spend more time talking with residents and reading over the project’s lengthy entitlements package. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At Wednesday’s meeting, Zuegel said the project’s investors were getting nervous that it might never progress if the council refused to make a decision. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“What our investors need to hear — if Cloverdale wants to have this happen— is that [the council is] even interested in taking it to the next step,” she said. “We don’t need a final approval tonight.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But two council members — Andres Marquez and Marjorie Morgenstern, who are both running for reelection this year and voted against the project — made it clear they didn’t mind making the investors wait. They want to refrain from making a decision until the city hosts a series of public meetings, scheduled later this month, to discuss community concerns, including questions about the project’s completed environmental reviews. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I think it’s an opportunity to share information with the community [and] have the involvement that people are requesting,” Marquez said. “I think people are asking for time and that’s what we can give them.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While the project faced \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12059557/esmeralda-courts-locals-as-it-tries-to-learn-from-california-forevers-mistakes\">little organized opposition\u003c/a> when former software engineer and Esmeralda Land Company CEO Devon Zuegel first started hosting informational public meetings about the project in 2024, backlash began to grow as it inched closer to reality. Earlier this year, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103065/as-new-north-bay-neighborhood-nears-approval-environmental-concerns-weigh-heavy\">vocal group of residents\u003c/a> started raising concerns about the project’s environmental impacts. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-29-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102962\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-29-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-29-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-29-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Esmeralda Land Company founder and president Devon Zuegel speaks during a Planning Commission public hearing on the proposed Esmeralda development at the Cloverdale Veterans Memorial Building on Oct. 1, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>During the five-hour meeting, residents were evenly split on whether to proceed with the project. Vice Mayor Todd Lands said overwhelming public sentiment — including residents not present for public testimony — favored approving Esmeralda, which promises to revitalize the rural community’s dwindling population and jobs’ base. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Jennifer Sullivan, a staunch opponent, said she’s concerned new construction could unearth dangerous chemicals, hurting existing residents. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Proponents pushed back, however, pointing out that the site had been extensively studied by the developer, the site owner and state agencies, which \u003ca href=\"https://www.cloverdale.net/DocumentCenter/View/6953/EIR-Addendum\">verified it had been decontaminated\u003c/a> of hazardous waste in 2012. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Esmeralda Land Company has also agreed to conduct more studies to ensure the site is safe for people to live there before starting construction and to have a city-hired environmental consultant review those studies. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The whole point of it is to do additional testing, if additional testing is needed, and then to report that testing and to develop a soil management plan for those specific contaminants if those contaminants are found,” said Michael Yarne, Esmeralda’s director of development. “No construction before testing.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The whole point of it is to do additional testing, if additional testing is needed, and then to report that testing and to develop a soil management plan for those specific contaminants if those contaminants are found,” said Michael Yarne, Esmeralda’s director of development. “No construction before testing.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Ann Elston, who said she has lived in Cloverdale for the past 30 years, argued the project would provide much-needed tax revenue for the city, which has seen its population decline in recent years. \u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>Ann Elston, who said she has lived in Cloverdale for the past 30 years, argued the project would provide much-needed tax revenue for the city, which has seen its population decline in recent years. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“What is the plan to attract new businesses and new residents to increase that tax base?” she asked. “We all love the small town charm of Cloverdale. And if we’re honest, there probably is a little bit of NIMBYism in all of us. Unfortunately, towns that are not growing and well-funded wither and may eventually fade away.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“What is the plan to attract new businesses and new residents to increase that tax base?” she asked. “We all love the small town charm of Cloverdale. And if we’re honest, there probably is a little bit of NIMBYism in all of us. Unfortunately, towns that are not growing and well-funded wither and may eventually fade away.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-09-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102957\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-09-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-09-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-09-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A mural in downtown Cloverdale on Oct. 1, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-09-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102957\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A mural in downtown Cloverdale on Oct. 1, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The City Council was originally scheduled to vote on Esmeralda last week, but ultimately postponed the vote so they could spend more time talking with residents and reading over the project’s lengthy entitlements package. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>At Wednesday’s meeting, Zuegel said the project’s investors were getting nervous that it might never progress if the council refused to make a decision. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“What our investors need to hear — if Cloverdale wants to have this happen— is that [the council is] even interested in taking it to the next step,” she said. “We don’t need a final approval tonight.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“What our investors need to hear — if Cloverdale wants to have this happen— is that [the council is] even interested in taking it to the next step,” she said. “We don’t need a final approval tonight.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But two council members — Andres Marquez and Marjorie Morgenstern, who are both running for reelection this year and voted against the project — made it clear they didn’t mind making the investors wait. They want to refrain from making a decision until the city hosts a series of public meetings, scheduled later this month, to discuss community concerns, including questions about the project’s completed environmental reviews. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But two council members — Andres Marquez and Marjorie Morgenstern, who are both running for reelection this year and voted against the project — made it clear they didn’t mind making the investors wait. They want to refrain from making a decision until the city hosts a series of public meetings, scheduled later this month, to discuss community concerns, including questions about the project’s completed environmental reviews. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I think it’s an opportunity to share information with the community [and] have the involvement that people are requesting,” Marquez said. “I think people are asking for time and that’s what we can give them.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I think it’s an opportunity to share information with the community [and] have the involvement that people are requesting,” Marquez said. “I think people are asking for time and that’s what we can give them.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "The Cloverdale City Council voted Wednesday to forward Esmeralda, a controversial new housing development and event center in the small Sonoma County town. The project faced a recent wave of backlash over environmental concerns. ",
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"title": "Software Engineer’s Proposed Neighborhood, Event Center Gets Preliminary Green Light | KQED",
"description": "The Cloverdale City Council voted Wednesday to forward Esmeralda, a controversial new housing development and event center in the small Sonoma County town. The project faced a recent wave of backlash over environmental concerns. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>Esmeralda, a new neighborhood in the North Bay where \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/siliconvalley\">Silicon Valley\u003c/a> thinkers and culture makers can gather and share ideas, got a preliminary green light on Wednesday.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The Cloverdale City Council voted 3-2 to approve the project’s overall plan for some 600 homes, a resort hotel, an event center, a preschool and more than 160 acres of parks and open space — making it one of the largest developments in the small Sonoma County town’s recent history. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A second reading of an ordinance to approve the project is scheduled for mid-November. It would include changes to the site’s current zoning, a draft map of the project and an extensive developer agreement.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While the project faced \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12059557/esmeralda-courts-locals-as-it-tries-to-learn-from-california-forevers-mistakes\">little organized opposition\u003c/a> when former software engineer and Esmeralda Land Company CEO Devon Zuegel first started hosting informational public meetings about the project in 2024, backlash began to grow as it inched closer to reality. Earlier this year, a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12103065/as-new-north-bay-neighborhood-nears-approval-environmental-concerns-weigh-heavy\">vocal group of residents\u003c/a> started raising concerns about the project’s environmental impacts. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-29-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102962\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-29-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-29-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-29-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Esmeralda Land Company founder and president Devon Zuegel speaks during a Planning Commission public hearing on the proposed Esmeralda development at the Cloverdale Veterans Memorial Building on Oct. 1, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Following the meeting, Zuegel acknowledged the recent backlash and the work ahead. “This was a really important step forward that showed us that the city is really taking seriously all the work we have done to be as transparent as possible,” she told KQED.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During the five-hour meeting, residents were evenly split on whether to proceed with the project. Vice Mayor Todd Lands said overwhelming public sentiment — including residents not present for public testimony — favored approving Esmeralda, which promises to revitalize the rural community’s dwindling population and jobs’ base. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“You’ll never please every single person, but we have been elected or appointed to be here to represent you,” Lands said before casting a vote in favor of the project. “Sometimes, we have to make the hard decisions, and we have to do what is best for the entire community as a whole.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Skeptics of the project, however, have called the approval premature and are asking for more environmental review before it can proceed. The project would be sited on an approximately 260-acre property that once housed a wood treatment plant that was known to discharge hazardous waste into the soil and groundwater before it shut down in 1976.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But rather than complete a new environmental impact report, the project’s developers are relying on an update — or addendum — to an existing report completed in 2009. Cloverdale city staff concluded the more focused review was sufficient for the project. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jennifer Sullivan, a staunch opponent, said she’s concerned new construction could unearth dangerous chemicals, hurting existing residents. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’m not anti-growth, I’m about doing things right,” she said. “A [full environmental impact report] takes time because good planning takes time.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Proponents pushed back, however, pointing out that the site had been extensively studied by the developer, the site owner and state agencies, which \u003ca href=\"https://www.cloverdale.net/DocumentCenter/View/6953/EIR-Addendum\">verified it had been decontaminated\u003c/a> of hazardous waste in 2012. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Esmeralda Land Company has also agreed to conduct more studies to ensure the site is safe for people to live there before starting construction and to have a city-hired environmental consultant review those studies. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The whole point of it is to do additional testing, if additional testing is needed, and then to report that testing and to develop a soil management plan for those specific contaminants if those contaminants are found,” said Michael Yarne, Esmeralda’s director of development. “No construction before testing.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ann Elston, who said she has lived in Cloverdale for the past 30 years, argued the project would provide much-needed tax revenue for the city, which has seen its population decline in recent years. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“What is the plan to attract new businesses and new residents to increase that tax base?” she asked. “We all love the small town charm of Cloverdale. And if we’re honest, there probably is a little bit of NIMBYism in all of us. Unfortunately, towns that are not growing and well-funded wither and may eventually fade away.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-09-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102957\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-09-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-09-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-09-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A mural in downtown Cloverdale on Oct. 1, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The City Council was originally scheduled to vote on Esmeralda last week, but ultimately postponed the vote so they could spend more time talking with residents and reading over the project’s lengthy entitlements package. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>At Wednesday’s meeting, Zuegel said the project’s investors were getting nervous that it might never progress if the council refused to make a decision. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“What our investors need to hear — if Cloverdale wants to have this happen— is that [the council is] even interested in taking it to the next step,” she said. “We don’t need a final approval tonight.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But two council members — Andres Marquez and Marjorie Morgenstern, who are both running for reelection this year and voted against the project — made it clear they didn’t mind making the investors wait. They want to refrain from making a decision until the city hosts a series of public meetings, scheduled later this month, to discuss community concerns, including questions about the project’s completed environmental reviews. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I think it’s an opportunity to share information with the community [and] have the involvement that people are requesting,” Marquez said. “I think people are asking for time and that’s what we can give them.”\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "moving-in-with-your-partner-in-the-bay-area-read-this-first",
"title": "Moving in With Your Partner in the Bay Area? Read This First",
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"headTitle": "Moving in With Your Partner in the Bay Area? Read This First | KQED",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>For many couples, moving in together marks a major commitment to the relationship you’re building. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And while romance is for many the main motivator, finances can also influence this decision — particularly in hot housing markets like the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-area\">Bay Area\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Love in the age of the AI boom is complicated. In San Francisco alone, the median rent has risen more than 25% in the past year, \u003ca href=\"https://www.apartmentlist.com/research/national-rent-data\">outpacing\u003c/a> every other major city in the country. To stay close to family, work and their community, renters are improvising ways to keep living here. Some are \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12080289/700-a-month-sleeping-pods-make-sf-more-affordable-but-at-what-cost\">renting “sleeping pods”\u003c/a> in crowded rooms. Others are looking at homes with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12098620/even-in-a-hot-rental-market-what-renters-shouldnt-settle-on-when-looking-for-new-home\">little to no amenities\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And renters in relationships are leaning more on their partners too. A nationwide study published last year by the rental company \u003ca href=\"http://apartments.com\">Apartments.com\u003c/a> found that 54% of couples moved in together to take the next step in their relationship. But 33% of those surveyed said they made this decision to save on money.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/024_SanFrancisco_Housing_07292021_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12069627\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/024_SanFrancisco_Housing_07292021_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/024_SanFrancisco_Housing_07292021_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/024_SanFrancisco_Housing_07292021_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A “For Rent” sign hangs in the window of an apartment building in Nob Hill in San Francisco on July 29, 2021. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Sometimes you will move in quicker than you might otherwise, because you feel that there are no other alternatives,” said Joshua Ezrin, a San Francisco-based attorney and tenants’ rights advocate.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But regardless of your ultimate motives, it’s always important to be pragmatic about your own financial health when moving in with a partner — and yes, to prepare for a possible future where you no longer live with that person, as unromantic as that prospect might seem.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But several legal experts KQED spoke with had the same recommendation: plan ahead and have the difficult conversations \u003cem>now, \u003c/em>while both of you are happy and excited about this next chapter.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘There’s always a risk’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>No matter how well things are right now between you and your partner, be honest with each other about what you can actually pay for rent — mindful that most leases are at least a year. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There’s always a risk when you get into a relationship. And there’s always a risk when you sign a lease,” Ezrin said, “particularly if it’s a 12-month lease.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While the two of you may be planning a future together, it’s also a good idea to consider how you’d personally pay rent if the relationship \u003cem>doesn’t \u003c/em>pan out. “Even if the other tenant is not complying with their obligations, you could still be responsible for the full rent,” Ezrin said. Ask yourself: Is that something you could actually afford to do?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1282\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/pexels-emma-bauso-2253879.jpg\" alt=\"A family of four -- two adult parents or caregivers, and two children -- are photographed skipping along a wet street, holding hands.\" class=\"wp-image-11943501\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/pexels-emma-bauso-2253879.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/pexels-emma-bauso-2253879-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/pexels-emma-bauso-2253879-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/pexels-emma-bauso-2253879-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/pexels-emma-bauso-2253879-1536x1026.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A family of four skipping along a wet street, holding hands. (Emma Bauso/Pexels)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That’s why he recommends that before you move in, first figure out what will be your own legal status when living in the home. You have three options:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>Tenant\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Sub-tenant\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Authorized occupant\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Understand what your legal status is,” Ezrin said. “Because each option has different rights and obligations.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">I will be a tenant\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If your name is on the lease, you’re a tenant. You and your partner can choose to both be on the lease. This gives you more stability, Ezrin said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Your tenancy cannot be terminated at the whim of your romantic partner if the relationship falls apart,” he said. “But you’re also obligated to pay the rent.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And if the relationship ends up falling apart, he said, “that’s not going to be the basis to get out of the lease unless the landlord is willing to release you.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">I will be a subtenant\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you will be paying rent \u003cem>to \u003c/em>a tenant — and not the property owner themselves — that means you’ve got a sublease. This could be a sublease from your partner, who the landlord may designate as the “master tenant.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A sublease could come with greater flexibility. You could arrange to pay rent month-to-month, instead of waiting for a longer formal lease to end.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But it also comes with fewer protections, as the master tenant could ask you to leave once the month you’ve already paid for is over.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">I will be an authorized occupant\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>An authorized occupant is someone who has a legal right to reside in the home but is not obligated to pay rent. It’s a good idea to get written confirmation from the property owner that they know about this arrangement, Ezrin said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There’s really two relationships that you need to be cognizant of. One is your relationship with your co-tenant or co-occupant,” he said. “The other is your relationship with the landlord.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/012_SanFrancisco_Housing_07292021_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12058552\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/012_SanFrancisco_Housing_07292021_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/012_SanFrancisco_Housing_07292021_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/012_SanFrancisco_Housing_07292021_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A “For Rent” sign hangs outside of an apartment building in Nob Hill in San Francisco on July 29, 2021. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Weigh each option carefully\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Before making a decision, Ezrin said, be honest with yourself about your ability to pay rent — but also where you see this relationship going.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“What are your priorities?” he said. “If you’re somebody who wants a quick exit, potentially being an authorized occupant is the best.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Because if you sign a 12-month lease and the relationship doesn’t work out, you are still in a contract with the landlord who can take legal action against you if you start missing payments.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Look at a cohabitation agreement\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yes, talking about how to split the wifi bill may not sound like the perfect date night. But experts say that figuring responsibilities now could be really helpful for the relationship in the long term. The two of you can confirm in writing how you will divide chores, deal with repairs and share common spaces.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I would recommend a cohabitation agreement even when you’re in a happy relationship — because you’re also going to have that as your backup,” said Pamela Ross, managing attorney at All for the Family Legal Clinic in Hayward.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s the same idea as with a \u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/news/12077359/do-i-need-prenup-california-prenuptial-agreement-contract-children-assets-unmarried-couples-polyamory\">prenup\u003c/a>,” she said. “While you love each other, have all of the bullet points and the contractual obligations laid out of ‘What’s going to happen if we break up’.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>You can draft a formal cohabitation agreement with the help of an attorney. Ross recommended asking your \u003ca href=\"https://www.calbar.ca.gov/public/find-legal-professionals/find-lawyer-referral-service\">county’s lawyer referral service\u003c/a> to connect you with low-cost or \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12013522/free-legal-aid-in-the-bay-area-how-it-works-where-to-find-it\">free legal aid\u003c/a> that also complies with established professional standards.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But if for some reason this isn’t an option, just documenting what you’ve agreed on in writing — even in an email or text message — is better than nothing, Ross said. “At least it’s in writing and shows … what the plan was,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If both of you will be paying rent, you can confirm in the cohabitation agreement how money will be handled. If the two of you are opening a joint bank account for home expenses, you should also figure out what will happen to that money if the two of you end up splitting up — especially, Ross said, if the two of you are not considering marriage in the future.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Is it being split equally? Is it based on how much we each paid into it?” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And if your partner one day leaves the home unannounced, an agreement may help you out if both of you are on the lease and the entire rent payment now falls on you.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Talk about who’s responsible for rent,” Ross said. You can both agree on what to do if one partner doesn’t pay their half and the landlord goes after the other for the missing payment. “Some type of remedy that’s in writing,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">And if there are bumps on the road …\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Arguments can feel a lot bigger with your partner when the two of you live together and still have to see each other at home. And if both of you are paying rent, money can make things even more complicated. According to the 2025 study from Apartments.com, nearly a quarter of couples surveyed reported disagreements about budgeting or who would pay for what.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But there are tools available where you and your partner can figure things out — even if it’s about money. Across California, bar associations and legal aid groups offer free or low-cost mediation services with plenty of experience resolving housing issues between partners.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1391\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GettyImages-2250030108-scaled-e1789077751622.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12078788\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An apartment for rent sign hangs outside of an apartment building on Dec. 4, 2025, in San Francisco, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Mediation is a process where you don’t give power over to a judge or to someone else,” said Laura Benghal, director of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfbar.org/adr-services/\">Alternative Dispute Resolution Program\u003c/a> at the Bar Association of San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The parties involved own their conflict, and they own their resolution,” Benghal said. “We invite them to the table to figure out collaboratively what the best way forward is.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Then, “they’re more likely to stick with agreements because they’ve come up with the agreement,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Benghal’s office manages \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfbar.org/adr-services/cis/\">a helpline\u003c/a> that connects callers with mediators experienced in landlord-tenant law, mental health and other housing issues that could lead to an eviction. If you don’t get an immediate answer, you should get a callback within 24 hours. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The service is only available to San Francisco residents and is free for low- and moderate-income tenants.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Conflict Intervention Services: 415-782-8940 and cis@sfbar.org.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you don’t live in San Francisco, you can contact your \u003ca href=\"https://www.calbar.ca.gov/public/find-legal-professionals/find-lawyer-referral-service\">county’s lawyer referral service\u003c/a> to find low-cost mediation services. Another option is Community Boards, a nonprofit conflict-resolution center in San Francisco that serves the wider region.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>To make an appointment with Community Boards, call 415-920-3820.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And while romance is for many the main motivator, finances can also influence this decision — particularly in hot housing markets like the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-area\">Bay Area\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>And while romance is for many the main motivator, finances can also influence this decision — particularly in hot housing markets like the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-area\">Bay Area\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Love in the age of the AI boom is complicated. In San Francisco alone, the median rent has risen more than 25% in the past year, \u003ca href=\"https://www.apartmentlist.com/research/national-rent-data\">outpacing\u003c/a> every other major city in the country. To stay close to family, work and their community, renters are improvising ways to keep living here. Some are \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12080289/700-a-month-sleeping-pods-make-sf-more-affordable-but-at-what-cost\">renting “sleeping pods”\u003c/a> in crowded rooms. Others are looking at homes with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12098620/even-in-a-hot-rental-market-what-renters-shouldnt-settle-on-when-looking-for-new-home\">little to no amenities\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Love in the age of the AI boom is complicated. In San Francisco alone, the median rent has risen more than 25% in the past year, \u003ca href=\"https://www.apartmentlist.com/research/national-rent-data\">outpacing\u003c/a> every other major city in the country. To stay close to family, work and their community, renters are improvising ways to keep living here. Some are \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12080289/700-a-month-sleeping-pods-make-sf-more-affordable-but-at-what-cost\">renting “sleeping pods”\u003c/a> in crowded rooms. Others are looking at homes with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12098620/even-in-a-hot-rental-market-what-renters-shouldnt-settle-on-when-looking-for-new-home\">little to no amenities\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And renters in relationships are leaning more on their partners too. A nationwide study published last year by the rental company \u003ca href=\"http://apartments.com\">Apartments.com\u003c/a> found that 54% of couples moved in together to take the next step in their relationship. But 33% of those surveyed said they made this decision to save on money.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>And renters in relationships are leaning more on their partners too. A nationwide study published last year by the rental company \u003ca href=\"http://apartments.com\">Apartments.com\u003c/a> found that 54% of couples moved in together to take the next step in their relationship. But 33% of those surveyed said they made this decision to save on money.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/024_SanFrancisco_Housing_07292021_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12069627\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/024_SanFrancisco_Housing_07292021_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/024_SanFrancisco_Housing_07292021_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/024_SanFrancisco_Housing_07292021_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A “For Rent” sign hangs in the window of an apartment building in Nob Hill in San Francisco on July 29, 2021.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/024_SanFrancisco_Housing_07292021_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12069627\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A “For Rent” sign hangs in the window of an apartment building in Nob Hill in San Francisco on July 29, 2021.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Sometimes you will move in quicker than you might otherwise, because you feel that there are no other alternatives,” said Joshua Ezrin, a San Francisco-based attorney and tenants’ rights advocate.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Sometimes you will move in quicker than you might otherwise, because you feel that there are no other alternatives,” said Joshua Ezrin, a San Francisco-based attorney and tenants’ rights advocate.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But regardless of your ultimate motives, it’s always important to be pragmatic about your own financial health when moving in with a partner — and yes, to prepare for a possible future where you no longer live with that person, as unromantic as that prospect might seem.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But regardless of your ultimate motives, it’s always important to be pragmatic about your own financial health when moving in with a partner — and yes, to prepare for a possible future where you no longer live with that person, as unromantic as that prospect might seem.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But several legal experts KQED spoke with had the same recommendation: plan ahead and have the difficult conversations \u003cem>now, \u003c/em>while both of you are happy and excited about this next chapter.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But several legal experts KQED spoke with had the same recommendation: plan ahead and have the difficult conversations \u003cem>now, \u003c/em>while both of you are happy and excited about this next chapter.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘There’s always a risk’\u003c/h2>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>No matter how well things are right now between you and your partner, be honest with each other about what you can actually pay for rent — mindful that most leases are at least a year. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>No matter how well things are right now between you and your partner, be honest with each other about what you can actually pay for rent — mindful that most leases are at least a year. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“There’s always a risk when you get into a relationship. And there’s always a risk when you sign a lease,” Ezrin said, “particularly if it’s a 12-month lease.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“There’s always a risk when you get into a relationship. And there’s always a risk when you sign a lease,” Ezrin said, “particularly if it’s a 12-month lease.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While the two of you may be planning a future together, it’s also a good idea to consider how you’d personally pay rent if the relationship \u003cem>doesn’t \u003c/em>pan out. “Even if the other tenant is not complying with their obligations, you could still be responsible for the full rent,” Ezrin said. Ask yourself: Is that something you could actually afford to do?\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>While the two of you may be planning a future together, it’s also a good idea to consider how you’d personally pay rent if the relationship \u003cem>doesn’t \u003c/em>pan out. “Even if the other tenant is not complying with their obligations, you could still be responsible for the full rent,” Ezrin said. Ask yourself: Is that something you could actually afford to do?\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/pexels-emma-bauso-2253879.jpg\" alt=\"A family of four -- two adult parents or caregivers, and two children -- are photographed skipping along a wet street, holding hands.\" class=\"wp-image-11943501\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/pexels-emma-bauso-2253879.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/pexels-emma-bauso-2253879-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/pexels-emma-bauso-2253879-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/pexels-emma-bauso-2253879-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/pexels-emma-bauso-2253879-1536x1026.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A family of four skipping along a wet street, holding hands.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Emma Bauso/Pexels)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/pexels-emma-bauso-2253879.jpg\" alt=\"A family of four -- two adult parents or caregivers, and two children -- are photographed skipping along a wet street, holding hands.\" class=\"wp-image-11943501\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A family of four skipping along a wet street, holding hands.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Emma Bauso/Pexels)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That’s why he recommends that before you move in, first figure out what will be your own legal status when living in the home. You have three options:\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>That’s why he recommends that before you move in, first figure out what will be your own legal status when living in the home. You have three options:\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Understand what your legal status is,” Ezrin said. “Because each option has different rights and obligations.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If your name is on the lease, you’re a tenant. You and your partner can choose to both be on the lease. This gives you more stability, Ezrin said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Your tenancy cannot be terminated at the whim of your romantic partner if the relationship falls apart,” he said. “But you’re also obligated to pay the rent.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And if the relationship ends up falling apart, he said, “that’s not going to be the basis to get out of the lease unless the landlord is willing to release you.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If you will be paying rent \u003cem>to \u003c/em>a tenant — and not the property owner themselves — that means you’ve got a sublease. This could be a sublease from your partner, who the landlord may designate as the “master tenant.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A sublease could come with greater flexibility. You could arrange to pay rent month-to-month, instead of waiting for a longer formal lease to end.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But it also comes with fewer protections, as the master tenant could ask you to leave once the month you’ve already paid for is over.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>An authorized occupant is someone who has a legal right to reside in the home but is not obligated to pay rent. It’s a good idea to get written confirmation from the property owner that they know about this arrangement, Ezrin said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>An authorized occupant is someone who has a legal right to reside in the home but is not obligated to pay rent. It’s a good idea to get written confirmation from the property owner that they know about this arrangement, Ezrin said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“There’s really two relationships that you need to be cognizant of. One is your relationship with your co-tenant or co-occupant,” he said. “The other is your relationship with the landlord.”\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>“There’s really two relationships that you need to be cognizant of. One is your relationship with your co-tenant or co-occupant,” he said. “The other is your relationship with the landlord.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/012_SanFrancisco_Housing_07292021_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12058552\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/012_SanFrancisco_Housing_07292021_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/012_SanFrancisco_Housing_07292021_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/012_SanFrancisco_Housing_07292021_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A “For Rent” sign hangs outside of an apartment building in Nob Hill in San Francisco on July 29, 2021.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/012_SanFrancisco_Housing_07292021_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12058552\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A “For Rent” sign hangs outside of an apartment building in Nob Hill in San Francisco on July 29, 2021.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Before making a decision, Ezrin said, be honest with yourself about your ability to pay rent — but also where you see this relationship going.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Before making a decision, Ezrin said, be honest with yourself about your ability to pay rent — but also where you see this relationship going.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“What are your priorities?” he said. “If you’re somebody who wants a quick exit, potentially being an authorized occupant is the best.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“What are your priorities?” he said. “If you’re somebody who wants a quick exit, potentially being an authorized occupant is the best.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Because if you sign a 12-month lease and the relationship doesn’t work out, you are still in a contract with the landlord who can take legal action against you if you start missing payments.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Because if you sign a 12-month lease and the relationship doesn’t work out, you are still in a contract with the landlord who can take legal action against you if you start missing payments.\u003c/p>\n"
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"attrs": {
"text": "Look at a cohabitation agreement",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Look at a cohabitation agreement\u003c/h2>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Yes, talking about how to split the wifi bill may not sound like the perfect date night. But experts say that figuring responsibilities now could be really helpful for the relationship in the long term. The two of you can confirm in writing how you will divide chores, deal with repairs and share common spaces.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Yes, talking about how to split the wifi bill may not sound like the perfect date night. But experts say that figuring responsibilities now could be really helpful for the relationship in the long term. The two of you can confirm in writing how you will divide chores, deal with repairs and share common spaces.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I would recommend a cohabitation agreement even when you’re in a happy relationship — because you’re also going to have that as your backup,” said Pamela Ross, managing attorney at All for the Family Legal Clinic in Hayward.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I would recommend a cohabitation agreement even when you’re in a happy relationship — because you’re also going to have that as your backup,” said Pamela Ross, managing attorney at All for the Family Legal Clinic in Hayward.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s the same idea as with a \u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/news/12077359/do-i-need-prenup-california-prenuptial-agreement-contract-children-assets-unmarried-couples-polyamory\">prenup\u003c/a>,” she said. “While you love each other, have all of the bullet points and the contractual obligations laid out of ‘What’s going to happen if we break up’.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It’s the same idea as with a \u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/news/12077359/do-i-need-prenup-california-prenuptial-agreement-contract-children-assets-unmarried-couples-polyamory\">prenup\u003c/a>,” she said. “While you love each other, have all of the bullet points and the contractual obligations laid out of ‘What’s going to happen if we break up’.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>You can draft a formal cohabitation agreement with the help of an attorney. Ross recommended asking your \u003ca href=\"https://www.calbar.ca.gov/public/find-legal-professionals/find-lawyer-referral-service\">county’s lawyer referral service\u003c/a> to connect you with low-cost or \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12013522/free-legal-aid-in-the-bay-area-how-it-works-where-to-find-it\">free legal aid\u003c/a> that also complies with established professional standards.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>You can draft a formal cohabitation agreement with the help of an attorney. Ross recommended asking your \u003ca href=\"https://www.calbar.ca.gov/public/find-legal-professionals/find-lawyer-referral-service\">county’s lawyer referral service\u003c/a> to connect you with low-cost or \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12013522/free-legal-aid-in-the-bay-area-how-it-works-where-to-find-it\">free legal aid\u003c/a> that also complies with established professional standards.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But if for some reason this isn’t an option, just documenting what you’ve agreed on in writing — even in an email or text message — is better than nothing, Ross said. “At least it’s in writing and shows … what the plan was,” she said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But if for some reason this isn’t an option, just documenting what you’ve agreed on in writing — even in an email or text message — is better than nothing, Ross said. “At least it’s in writing and shows … what the plan was,” she said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If both of you will be paying rent, you can confirm in the cohabitation agreement how money will be handled. If the two of you are opening a joint bank account for home expenses, you should also figure out what will happen to that money if the two of you end up splitting up — especially, Ross said, if the two of you are not considering marriage in the future.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>If both of you will be paying rent, you can confirm in the cohabitation agreement how money will be handled. If the two of you are opening a joint bank account for home expenses, you should also figure out what will happen to that money if the two of you end up splitting up — especially, Ross said, if the two of you are not considering marriage in the future.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Is it being split equally? Is it based on how much we each paid into it?” she said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Is it being split equally? Is it based on how much we each paid into it?” she said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And if your partner one day leaves the home unannounced, an agreement may help you out if both of you are on the lease and the entire rent payment now falls on you.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>And if your partner one day leaves the home unannounced, an agreement may help you out if both of you are on the lease and the entire rent payment now falls on you.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Talk about who’s responsible for rent,” Ross said. You can both agree on what to do if one partner doesn’t pay their half and the landlord goes after the other for the missing payment. “Some type of remedy that’s in writing,” she said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Talk about who’s responsible for rent,” Ross said. You can both agree on what to do if one partner doesn’t pay their half and the landlord goes after the other for the missing payment. “Some type of remedy that’s in writing,” she said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"attrs": {
"text": "And if there are bumps on the road …",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">And if there are bumps on the road …\u003c/h2>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Arguments can feel a lot bigger with your partner when the two of you live together and still have to see each other at home. And if both of you are paying rent, money can make things even more complicated. According to the 2025 study from Apartments.com, nearly a quarter of couples surveyed reported disagreements about budgeting or who would pay for what.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Arguments can feel a lot bigger with your partner when the two of you live together and still have to see each other at home. And if both of you are paying rent, money can make things even more complicated. According to the 2025 study from Apartments.com, nearly a quarter of couples surveyed reported disagreements about budgeting or who would pay for what.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But there are tools available where you and your partner can figure things out — even if it’s about money. Across California, bar associations and legal aid groups offer free or low-cost mediation services with plenty of experience resolving housing issues between partners.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But there are tools available where you and your partner can figure things out — even if it’s about money. Across California, bar associations and legal aid groups offer free or low-cost mediation services with plenty of experience resolving housing issues between partners.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GettyImages-2250030108-scaled-e1789077751622.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12078788\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An apartment for rent sign hangs outside of an apartment building on Dec. 4, 2025, in San Francisco, California. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GettyImages-2250030108-scaled-e1789077751622.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12078788\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An apartment for rent sign hangs outside of an apartment building on Dec. 4, 2025, in San Francisco, California. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Mediation is a process where you don’t give power over to a judge or to someone else,” said Laura Benghal, director of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfbar.org/adr-services/\">Alternative Dispute Resolution Program\u003c/a> at the Bar Association of San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Mediation is a process where you don’t give power over to a judge or to someone else,” said Laura Benghal, director of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfbar.org/adr-services/\">Alternative Dispute Resolution Program\u003c/a> at the Bar Association of San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The parties involved own their conflict, and they own their resolution,” Benghal said. “We invite them to the table to figure out collaboratively what the best way forward is.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The parties involved own their conflict, and they own their resolution,” Benghal said. “We invite them to the table to figure out collaboratively what the best way forward is.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Then, “they’re more likely to stick with agreements because they’ve come up with the agreement,” she said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Then, “they’re more likely to stick with agreements because they’ve come up with the agreement,” she said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Benghal’s office manages \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfbar.org/adr-services/cis/\">a helpline\u003c/a> that connects callers with mediators experienced in landlord-tenant law, mental health and other housing issues that could lead to an eviction. If you don’t get an immediate answer, you should get a callback within 24 hours. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Benghal’s office manages \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfbar.org/adr-services/cis/\">a helpline\u003c/a> that connects callers with mediators experienced in landlord-tenant law, mental health and other housing issues that could lead to an eviction. If you don’t get an immediate answer, you should get a callback within 24 hours. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The service is only available to San Francisco residents and is free for low- and moderate-income tenants.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Conflict Intervention Services: 415-782-8940 and cis@sfbar.org.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Conflict Intervention Services: 415-782-8940 and cis@sfbar.org.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If you don’t live in San Francisco, you can contact your \u003ca href=\"https://www.calbar.ca.gov/public/find-legal-professionals/find-lawyer-referral-service\">county’s lawyer referral service\u003c/a> to find low-cost mediation services. Another option is Community Boards, a nonprofit conflict-resolution center in San Francisco that serves the wider region.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>If you don’t live in San Francisco, you can contact your \u003ca href=\"https://www.calbar.ca.gov/public/find-legal-professionals/find-lawyer-referral-service\">county’s lawyer referral service\u003c/a> to find low-cost mediation services. Another option is Community Boards, a nonprofit conflict-resolution center in San Francisco that serves the wider region.\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "Some couples do it for love; others do it to save on rent during the AI boom — how experts recommend protecting your finances when moving in with a partner.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>For many couples, moving in together marks a major commitment to the relationship you’re building. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And while romance is for many the main motivator, finances can also influence this decision — particularly in hot housing markets like the \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/bay-area\">Bay Area\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Love in the age of the AI boom is complicated. In San Francisco alone, the median rent has risen more than 25% in the past year, \u003ca href=\"https://www.apartmentlist.com/research/national-rent-data\">outpacing\u003c/a> every other major city in the country. To stay close to family, work and their community, renters are improvising ways to keep living here. Some are \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12080289/700-a-month-sleeping-pods-make-sf-more-affordable-but-at-what-cost\">renting “sleeping pods”\u003c/a> in crowded rooms. Others are looking at homes with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12098620/even-in-a-hot-rental-market-what-renters-shouldnt-settle-on-when-looking-for-new-home\">little to no amenities\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And renters in relationships are leaning more on their partners too. A nationwide study published last year by the rental company \u003ca href=\"http://apartments.com\">Apartments.com\u003c/a> found that 54% of couples moved in together to take the next step in their relationship. But 33% of those surveyed said they made this decision to save on money.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/024_SanFrancisco_Housing_07292021_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12069627\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/024_SanFrancisco_Housing_07292021_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/024_SanFrancisco_Housing_07292021_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/01/024_SanFrancisco_Housing_07292021_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A “For Rent” sign hangs in the window of an apartment building in Nob Hill in San Francisco on July 29, 2021. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Sometimes you will move in quicker than you might otherwise, because you feel that there are no other alternatives,” said Joshua Ezrin, a San Francisco-based attorney and tenants’ rights advocate.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But regardless of your ultimate motives, it’s always important to be pragmatic about your own financial health when moving in with a partner — and yes, to prepare for a possible future where you no longer live with that person, as unromantic as that prospect might seem.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But several legal experts KQED spoke with had the same recommendation: plan ahead and have the difficult conversations \u003cem>now, \u003c/em>while both of you are happy and excited about this next chapter.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">‘There’s always a risk’\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>No matter how well things are right now between you and your partner, be honest with each other about what you can actually pay for rent — mindful that most leases are at least a year. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There’s always a risk when you get into a relationship. And there’s always a risk when you sign a lease,” Ezrin said, “particularly if it’s a 12-month lease.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While the two of you may be planning a future together, it’s also a good idea to consider how you’d personally pay rent if the relationship \u003cem>doesn’t \u003c/em>pan out. “Even if the other tenant is not complying with their obligations, you could still be responsible for the full rent,” Ezrin said. Ask yourself: Is that something you could actually afford to do?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1282\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/pexels-emma-bauso-2253879.jpg\" alt=\"A family of four -- two adult parents or caregivers, and two children -- are photographed skipping along a wet street, holding hands.\" class=\"wp-image-11943501\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/pexels-emma-bauso-2253879.jpg 1920w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/pexels-emma-bauso-2253879-800x534.jpg 800w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/pexels-emma-bauso-2253879-1020x681.jpg 1020w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/pexels-emma-bauso-2253879-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2023/03/pexels-emma-bauso-2253879-1536x1026.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A family of four skipping along a wet street, holding hands. (Emma Bauso/Pexels)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That’s why he recommends that before you move in, first figure out what will be your own legal status when living in the home. You have three options:\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n\u003cli>Tenant\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Sub-tenant\u003c/li>\n\n\n\n\u003cli>Authorized occupant\u003c/li>\n\u003c/ul>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Understand what your legal status is,” Ezrin said. “Because each option has different rights and obligations.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">I will be a tenant\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If your name is on the lease, you’re a tenant. You and your partner can choose to both be on the lease. This gives you more stability, Ezrin said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Your tenancy cannot be terminated at the whim of your romantic partner if the relationship falls apart,” he said. “But you’re also obligated to pay the rent.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And if the relationship ends up falling apart, he said, “that’s not going to be the basis to get out of the lease unless the landlord is willing to release you.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">I will be a subtenant\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you will be paying rent \u003cem>to \u003c/em>a tenant — and not the property owner themselves — that means you’ve got a sublease. This could be a sublease from your partner, who the landlord may designate as the “master tenant.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>A sublease could come with greater flexibility. You could arrange to pay rent month-to-month, instead of waiting for a longer formal lease to end.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But it also comes with fewer protections, as the master tenant could ask you to leave once the month you’ve already paid for is over.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">I will be an authorized occupant\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>An authorized occupant is someone who has a legal right to reside in the home but is not obligated to pay rent. It’s a good idea to get written confirmation from the property owner that they know about this arrangement, Ezrin said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There’s really two relationships that you need to be cognizant of. One is your relationship with your co-tenant or co-occupant,” he said. “The other is your relationship with the landlord.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/012_SanFrancisco_Housing_07292021_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12058552\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/012_SanFrancisco_Housing_07292021_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/012_SanFrancisco_Housing_07292021_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2025/10/012_SanFrancisco_Housing_07292021_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A “For Rent” sign hangs outside of an apartment building in Nob Hill in San Francisco on July 29, 2021. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003ch3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Weigh each option carefully\u003c/h3>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Before making a decision, Ezrin said, be honest with yourself about your ability to pay rent — but also where you see this relationship going.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“What are your priorities?” he said. “If you’re somebody who wants a quick exit, potentially being an authorized occupant is the best.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Because if you sign a 12-month lease and the relationship doesn’t work out, you are still in a contract with the landlord who can take legal action against you if you start missing payments.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Look at a cohabitation agreement\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Yes, talking about how to split the wifi bill may not sound like the perfect date night. But experts say that figuring responsibilities now could be really helpful for the relationship in the long term. The two of you can confirm in writing how you will divide chores, deal with repairs and share common spaces.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I would recommend a cohabitation agreement even when you’re in a happy relationship — because you’re also going to have that as your backup,” said Pamela Ross, managing attorney at All for the Family Legal Clinic in Hayward.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s the same idea as with a \u003ca href=\"http://kqed.org/news/12077359/do-i-need-prenup-california-prenuptial-agreement-contract-children-assets-unmarried-couples-polyamory\">prenup\u003c/a>,” she said. “While you love each other, have all of the bullet points and the contractual obligations laid out of ‘What’s going to happen if we break up’.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>You can draft a formal cohabitation agreement with the help of an attorney. Ross recommended asking your \u003ca href=\"https://www.calbar.ca.gov/public/find-legal-professionals/find-lawyer-referral-service\">county’s lawyer referral service\u003c/a> to connect you with low-cost or \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12013522/free-legal-aid-in-the-bay-area-how-it-works-where-to-find-it\">free legal aid\u003c/a> that also complies with established professional standards.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But if for some reason this isn’t an option, just documenting what you’ve agreed on in writing — even in an email or text message — is better than nothing, Ross said. “At least it’s in writing and shows … what the plan was,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If both of you will be paying rent, you can confirm in the cohabitation agreement how money will be handled. If the two of you are opening a joint bank account for home expenses, you should also figure out what will happen to that money if the two of you end up splitting up — especially, Ross said, if the two of you are not considering marriage in the future.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Is it being split equally? Is it based on how much we each paid into it?” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And if your partner one day leaves the home unannounced, an agreement may help you out if both of you are on the lease and the entire rent payment now falls on you.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Talk about who’s responsible for rent,” Ross said. You can both agree on what to do if one partner doesn’t pay their half and the landlord goes after the other for the missing payment. “Some type of remedy that’s in writing,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">And if there are bumps on the road …\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Arguments can feel a lot bigger with your partner when the two of you live together and still have to see each other at home. And if both of you are paying rent, money can make things even more complicated. According to the 2025 study from Apartments.com, nearly a quarter of couples surveyed reported disagreements about budgeting or who would pay for what.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But there are tools available where you and your partner can figure things out — even if it’s about money. Across California, bar associations and legal aid groups offer free or low-cost mediation services with plenty of experience resolving housing issues between partners.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1391\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/04/GettyImages-2250030108-scaled-e1789077751622.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12078788\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An apartment for rent sign hangs outside of an apartment building on Dec. 4, 2025, in San Francisco, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Mediation is a process where you don’t give power over to a judge or to someone else,” said Laura Benghal, director of the \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfbar.org/adr-services/\">Alternative Dispute Resolution Program\u003c/a> at the Bar Association of San Francisco.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The parties involved own their conflict, and they own their resolution,” Benghal said. “We invite them to the table to figure out collaboratively what the best way forward is.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Then, “they’re more likely to stick with agreements because they’ve come up with the agreement,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Benghal’s office manages \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfbar.org/adr-services/cis/\">a helpline\u003c/a> that connects callers with mediators experienced in landlord-tenant law, mental health and other housing issues that could lead to an eviction. If you don’t get an immediate answer, you should get a callback within 24 hours. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The service is only available to San Francisco residents and is free for low- and moderate-income tenants.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Conflict Intervention Services: 415-782-8940 and cis@sfbar.org.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If you don’t live in San Francisco, you can contact your \u003ca href=\"https://www.calbar.ca.gov/public/find-legal-professionals/find-lawyer-referral-service\">county’s lawyer referral service\u003c/a> to find low-cost mediation services. Another option is Community Boards, a nonprofit conflict-resolution center in San Francisco that serves the wider region.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>To make an appointment with Community Boards, call 415-920-3820.\u003c/strong>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "oaklands-street-vet-provides-care-to-unhoused-residents-four-legged-friends",
"title": "Oakland Pet Lovers Provide Care to Unhoused Residents’ Furry Friends",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>When it started, Bradford and Ophelia only had a few cats. But others soon appeared.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The couple, who have lived together at a West Oakland \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/housing\">homeless\u003c/a> encampment for the last three years, bottle-fed the strays who wandered in and administered medicine to them when they were sick. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It wasn’t long before Bradford and Ophelia, who asked KQED to only use their first names out of concern for their safety, developed a reputation for being knowledgeable pet owners. People started bringing them more cats: the shop owner who couldn’t keep his kitten, or the pregnant cat they were given after a friend passed away. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Today, they’re caring for a verifiable colony: 14 cats and kittens — and counting.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Everybody just got spayed and neutered,” Bradford said with a smile. “So we’re feeling very responsible about that.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-31-MC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102847\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-31-MC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-31-MC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-31-MC-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Two of Kevin Klee’s many cats roam the area outside his trailer on Sept. 23, 2026, in Oakland. Klee says that he’s running out of space where he lives and he wishes that somebody could take them. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-7 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" data-id=\"12102848\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-40-MC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102848\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-40-MC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-40-MC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-40-MC-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Meg McAdams prepares vaccines on Sept. 23, 2026, in Oakland. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" data-id=\"12102849\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-43-MC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102849\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-43-MC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-43-MC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-43-MC-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Meg McAdams tries to gain the trust of a dog she is about to vaccinate on Sept. 23, 2026, in Oakland. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Taking care of a pet — let alone two dozen — can be a challenge for unhoused people. The cost of a typical trip to the vet can easily reach hundreds or thousands of dollars. And figuring out how to transport a sick pet to a low-cost community clinic can be difficult.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One Oakland group, the Human and Pet Initiative, or \u003ca href=\"https://www.hapi.pet/\">HAPI\u003c/a>, is working to solve this problem. For the last three years, on a weekly basis, the small nonprofit has brought shots, microchips, flea medication, kibble and other resources to about 15 encampments in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Meg McAdam, HAPI’s group’s founder and president, made it possible for Bradford and Ophelia to fix their cats. HAPI paid for the operations after McAdam and her team of about five volunteers built a trusting relationship with the couple, who agreed to let her take their cats to the vet to get spayed and neutered.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>McAdam knows that some people have strong feelings about the wellbeing of the animals they see on the street, or question whether unhoused people deserve to have pets in the first place. But she said that’s beside the point.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I don’t even have to debate that, ’cause it doesn’t matter, ’cause they do. So as long as they do, I want to help them take care of them,” McAdam said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>McAdam said that this work has a butterfly effect: providing care to these animals allows HAPI to support their human companions too. “When they’re making a choice of whether to feed their dog or themselves, if I can feed their dog so they can feed themselves, it’s a win, right?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>McAdam wears her heart on her sleeve. Her arms are covered in animal tattoos: A dog on her right arm, and a vibrant blue sleeve of sea creatures on her left. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s a fitting look for the job she does seven days a week: Providing no-cost, mobile medical support to people living on the streets. McAdam has learned that there are many reasons why an unhoused person may choose to have a pet. One of the reasons is safety. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The bigger, the better,” said Star, who lives near the Lake Merritt Estuary with her three guard dogs, Prince, Joker, and Chloe, who weigh over 100 pounds each. “‘Cause they can cuddle you, they can love you, they can protect you.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-20-MC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102840\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-20-MC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-20-MC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-20-MC-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Meg McAdams cuts the nails of Christy Grensberg’s new puppy, Houdini, on Sept. 23, 2026, in Oakland. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>One of the dogs, Prince, acts as her service animal, Star said. She has epilepsy, and he alerts her when she’s going to have a seizure, providing stability when she loses her balance. Her dogs also protect her from external threats, like theft, or sexual harassment and assault — the dangers of being a woman living outside.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ The only way to survive out here is if I have my dogs,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Pets can also provide a sense of companionship, or a second chance at developing bonds that feel like family. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’ve not had responsibility to anyone … or anything in a while,” said Jaquelyn, who lives at an encampment under the West Oakland BART tracks with her puppy, Loco. “I feel like my son will be jealous if I pay more attention to the dog than him, but I don’t get to see my son often.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-51-MC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102852\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-51-MC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-51-MC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-51-MC-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Hailey Looneie and Jane Esposito greet a local’s dog on Sept. 23, 2026, in Oakland. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Losing touch with family is a common source of trauma for unhoused people, and pets can help fill the gap. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I don’t want to mess up this time,” Jaquelyn said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Part of this responsibility is regular veterinary care. Most of the people McAdam works with are eager to receive support from her. But it’s not always so simple.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jaquelyn and Loco live in the same encampment as Loco’s grandma, a German Shepherd named Diamond. Diamond belongs to a man named Alfonso, who has always been wary of McAdam and her team. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Alfonso is the only person who ever said to us, ‘Get away from my dogs,’” McAdam told her volunteers during a weekly outreach meeting. As a result, she tries to give him space to avoid making him feel encroached upon.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-8 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" data-id=\"12102845\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-29-MC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102845\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-29-MC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-29-MC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-29-MC-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Julian Standley and Claudia Glasper pose with their dogs, Benji and Sassy, on Sept. 23, 2026, in Oakland. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" data-id=\"12102837\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-11-MC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102837\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-11-MC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-11-MC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-11-MC-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Meg McAdam’s van is packed with supplies for pet owners on Sept. 23, 2026, in Oakland. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-9 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" data-id=\"12102844\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-28-MC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102844\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-28-MC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-28-MC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-28-MC-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">HAPI member, Jane Esposito, organizes vaccination records while her coworkers vaccinate a dog on Sept. 23, 2026, in Oakland. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" data-id=\"12102842\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-25-MC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102842\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-25-MC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-25-MC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-25-MC-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Meg McAdams injects a microchip into Christy Grensburg’s new puppy, Houdini, on Sept. 23, 2026, in Oakland. In case the owner is not available or doesn’t have a phone, McAdams adds HAPI’s contact information onto every microchip form they fill out. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But one outreach day in May, McAdam noticed that Diamond looked quite ill. Alfonso returned home as a volunteer vet tech named Jocelyn Saenz-Sanchez performed an exam on the German Shepherd, who was breathing heavily in a resting place in the shade. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But instead of getting mad at them and asking him to leave as he had done in the past, Alfonso was happy to see McAdam. The two made a plan for her to come back and take Diamond to the vet.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This was a huge breakthrough,” she said later. “I’m hoping that this is the beginning of a new relationship with him.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Building this level of trust can take a long time. In this case, it took three years of offering food and other support and being turned down or ignored. But time is finite, and the needs of a sick pet can be urgent. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-46-MC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102850\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-46-MC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-46-MC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-46-MC-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Meg McAdams and Alfredo Penate update each other on their lives since HAPI last visited on Sept. 23, 2026, in Oakland. McAdams says that she visited Penate many times over the years in order to first gain his trust. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Diamond’s health drastically declined in the days after McAdam’s team examined her, and she died before she could get in to see a vet.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>McAdam knows that without relationship building, she can’t reach the animals that need help. And ultimately, she also knows these animals are extensions of their owners. The city of Oakland recognizes this, too.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“These nonprofit groups, they are a force multiplier for our work,” said Joe DeVries, director of Oakland Animal Services. He said the resources HAPI provides are critical. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“But I think what’s even more important is the relationships that they provide.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>DeVries said many people associate Animal Control Officers, formerly part of the police department until 2015, with law enforcement. It’s now a standalone agency under the city administrator’s office, but it does have a mandate to enforce local pet laws, like leash laws, and animal cruelty and neglect. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-21-MC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102841\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-21-MC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-21-MC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-21-MC-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Christy Grensberg relays her vaccine record contact information to Jane Esposito on Sept. 23, 2026, in Oakland. After her past two dogs died from Canine Parvovirus, Grensberg said that she is being extremely cautious with Houdini and making sure to get him vaccinated. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>So far this year, they have seized pets from their owners about 300 times. But the majority of the animals in their custody are domesticated pets that are surrendered, DeVries said. Most of the time, this happens when somebody can’t afford both animal care and housing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He witnessed others making this heartbreaking choice when he worked as Oakland’s homelessness administrator back in 2018.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“What I saw when we were out at encampments, and people weren’t accepting offers of shelter, their criticism of congregate shelter was very valid,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Now, some city-run shelter programs do allow pets, making it easier for unhoused people to take the first step toward getting indoors.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But before they get to a shelter or housing, groups like HAPI take care of pets on the street. There are a handful of groups around the state like HAPI, from \u003ca href=\"https://pawfund.org/what-we-do/\">Paw Fund\u003c/a> in Berkeley to the \u003ca href=\"https://folsomtimes.com/paws-mobile-clinic-is-lifeline-for-pets-of-countys-unhoused/\">PAWS Mobile Clinic\u003c/a> in Sacramento and \u003ca href=\"https://www.projectstreetvet.org/volunteer\">Project Street Vet\u003c/a> in Los Angeles. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On an outreach day in May, McAdam and her crew distributed 270 pounds of dog kibble, 45 pounds of cat kibble, and vaccinated 15 dogs and two kittens. Some of these animals were already on her list, but others were new.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“That common ground of loving someone’s pets,” she said, “really breaks down barriers.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It wasn’t long before Bradford and Ophelia, who asked KQED to only use their first names out of concern for their safety, developed a reputation for being knowledgeable pet owners. People started bringing them more cats: the shop owner who couldn’t keep his kitten, or the pregnant cat they were given after a friend passed away. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Taking care of a pet — let alone two dozen — can be a challenge for unhoused people. The cost of a typical trip to the vet can easily reach hundreds or thousands of dollars. And figuring out how to transport a sick pet to a low-cost community clinic can be difficult.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>One Oakland group, the Human and Pet Initiative, or \u003ca href=\"https://www.hapi.pet/\">HAPI\u003c/a>, is working to solve this problem. For the last three years, on a weekly basis, the small nonprofit has brought shots, microchips, flea medication, kibble and other resources to about 15 encampments in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Meg McAdam, HAPI’s group’s founder and president, made it possible for Bradford and Ophelia to fix their cats. HAPI paid for the operations after McAdam and her team of about five volunteers built a trusting relationship with the couple, who agreed to let her take their cats to the vet to get spayed and neutered.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>McAdam knows that some people have strong feelings about the wellbeing of the animals they see on the street, or question whether unhoused people deserve to have pets in the first place. But she said that’s beside the point.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I don’t even have to debate that, ’cause it doesn’t matter, ’cause they do. So as long as they do, I want to help them take care of them,” McAdam said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>McAdam said that this work has a butterfly effect: providing care to these animals allows HAPI to support their human companions too. “When they’re making a choice of whether to feed their dog or themselves, if I can feed their dog so they can feed themselves, it’s a win, right?”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>McAdam said that this work has a butterfly effect: providing care to these animals allows HAPI to support their human companions too. “When they’re making a choice of whether to feed their dog or themselves, if I can feed their dog so they can feed themselves, it’s a win, right?”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>McAdam wears her heart on her sleeve. Her arms are covered in animal tattoos: A dog on her right arm, and a vibrant blue sleeve of sea creatures on her left. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It’s a fitting look for the job she does seven days a week: Providing no-cost, mobile medical support to people living on the streets. McAdam has learned that there are many reasons why an unhoused person may choose to have a pet. One of the reasons is safety. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>It’s a fitting look for the job she does seven days a week: Providing no-cost, mobile medical support to people living on the streets. McAdam has learned that there are many reasons why an unhoused person may choose to have a pet. One of the reasons is safety. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The bigger, the better,” said Star, who lives near the Lake Merritt Estuary with her three guard dogs, Prince, Joker, and Chloe, who weigh over 100 pounds each. “‘Cause they can cuddle you, they can love you, they can protect you.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The bigger, the better,” said Star, who lives near the Lake Merritt Estuary with her three guard dogs, Prince, Joker, and Chloe, who weigh over 100 pounds each. “‘Cause they can cuddle you, they can love you, they can protect you.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-20-MC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102840\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Meg McAdams cuts the nails of Christy Grensberg’s new puppy, Houdini, on Sept. 23, 2026, in Oakland.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>One of the dogs, Prince, acts as her service animal, Star said. She has epilepsy, and he alerts her when she’s going to have a seizure, providing stability when she loses her balance. Her dogs also protect her from external threats, like theft, or sexual harassment and assault — the dangers of being a woman living outside.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>One of the dogs, Prince, acts as her service animal, Star said. She has epilepsy, and he alerts her when she’s going to have a seizure, providing stability when she loses her balance. Her dogs also protect her from external threats, like theft, or sexual harassment and assault — the dangers of being a woman living outside.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“ The only way to survive out here is if I have my dogs,” she said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Pets can also provide a sense of companionship, or a second chance at developing bonds that feel like family. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I’ve not had responsibility to anyone … or anything in a while,” said Jaquelyn, who lives at an encampment under the West Oakland BART tracks with her puppy, Loco. “I feel like my son will be jealous if I pay more attention to the dog than him, but I don’t get to see my son often.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I’ve not had responsibility to anyone … or anything in a while,” said Jaquelyn, who lives at an encampment under the West Oakland BART tracks with her puppy, Loco. “I feel like my son will be jealous if I pay more attention to the dog than him, but I don’t get to see my son often.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-51-MC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102852\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-51-MC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-51-MC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-51-MC-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Hailey Looneie and Jane Esposito greet a local’s dog on Sept. 23, 2026, in Oakland.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-51-MC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102852\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Hailey Looneie and Jane Esposito greet a local’s dog on Sept. 23, 2026, in Oakland.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Losing touch with family is a common source of trauma for unhoused people, and pets can help fill the gap. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I don’t want to mess up this time,” Jaquelyn said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Part of this responsibility is regular veterinary care. Most of the people McAdam works with are eager to receive support from her. But it’s not always so simple.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Jaquelyn and Loco live in the same encampment as Loco’s grandma, a German Shepherd named Diamond. Diamond belongs to a man named Alfonso, who has always been wary of McAdam and her team. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Alfonso is the only person who ever said to us, ‘Get away from my dogs,’” McAdam told her volunteers during a weekly outreach meeting. As a result, she tries to give him space to avoid making him feel encroached upon.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-25-MC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102842\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Meg McAdams injects a microchip into Christy Grensburg’s new puppy, Houdini, on Sept. 23, 2026, in Oakland. In case the owner is not available or doesn’t have a phone, McAdams adds HAPI’s contact information onto every microchip form they fill out.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-25-MC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102842\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Meg McAdams injects a microchip into Christy Grensburg’s new puppy, Houdini, on Sept. 23, 2026, in Oakland. In case the owner is not available or doesn’t have a phone, McAdams adds HAPI’s contact information onto every microchip form they fill out.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But one outreach day in May, McAdam noticed that Diamond looked quite ill. Alfonso returned home as a volunteer vet tech named Jocelyn Saenz-Sanchez performed an exam on the German Shepherd, who was breathing heavily in a resting place in the shade. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But one outreach day in May, McAdam noticed that Diamond looked quite ill. Alfonso returned home as a volunteer vet tech named Jocelyn Saenz-Sanchez performed an exam on the German Shepherd, who was breathing heavily in a resting place in the shade. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But instead of getting mad at them and asking him to leave as he had done in the past, Alfonso was happy to see McAdam. The two made a plan for her to come back and take Diamond to the vet.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But instead of getting mad at them and asking him to leave as he had done in the past, Alfonso was happy to see McAdam. The two made a plan for her to come back and take Diamond to the vet.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This was a huge breakthrough,” she said later. “I’m hoping that this is the beginning of a new relationship with him.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“This was a huge breakthrough,” she said later. “I’m hoping that this is the beginning of a new relationship with him.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Building this level of trust can take a long time. In this case, it took three years of offering food and other support and being turned down or ignored. But time is finite, and the needs of a sick pet can be urgent. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Building this level of trust can take a long time. In this case, it took three years of offering food and other support and being turned down or ignored. But time is finite, and the needs of a sick pet can be urgent. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-46-MC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102850\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-46-MC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-46-MC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-46-MC-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Meg McAdams and Alfredo Penate update each other on their lives since HAPI last visited on Sept. 23, 2026, in Oakland. McAdams says that she visited Penate many times over the years in order to first gain his trust.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-46-MC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102850\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Meg McAdams and Alfredo Penate update each other on their lives since HAPI last visited on Sept. 23, 2026, in Oakland. McAdams says that she visited Penate many times over the years in order to first gain his trust.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Diamond’s health drastically declined in the days after McAdam’s team examined her, and she died before she could get in to see a vet.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Diamond’s health drastically declined in the days after McAdam’s team examined her, and she died before she could get in to see a vet.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>McAdam knows that without relationship building, she can’t reach the animals that need help. And ultimately, she also knows these animals are extensions of their owners. The city of Oakland recognizes this, too.\u003c/p>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cp>McAdam knows that without relationship building, she can’t reach the animals that need help. And ultimately, she also knows these animals are extensions of their owners. The city of Oakland recognizes this, too.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“These nonprofit groups, they are a force multiplier for our work,” said Joe DeVries, director of Oakland Animal Services. He said the resources HAPI provides are critical. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“These nonprofit groups, they are a force multiplier for our work,” said Joe DeVries, director of Oakland Animal Services. He said the resources HAPI provides are critical. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“But I think what’s even more important is the relationships that they provide.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“But I think what’s even more important is the relationships that they provide.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>DeVries said many people associate Animal Control Officers, formerly part of the police department until 2015, with law enforcement. It’s now a standalone agency under the city administrator’s office, but it does have a mandate to enforce local pet laws, like leash laws, and animal cruelty and neglect. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>DeVries said many people associate Animal Control Officers, formerly part of the police department until 2015, with law enforcement. It’s now a standalone agency under the city administrator’s office, but it does have a mandate to enforce local pet laws, like leash laws, and animal cruelty and neglect. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-21-MC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102841\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-21-MC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-21-MC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-21-MC-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Christy Grensberg relays her vaccine record contact information to Jane Esposito on Sept. 23, 2026, in Oakland. After her past two dogs died from Canine Parvovirus, Grensberg said that she is being extremely cautious with Houdini and making sure to get him vaccinated.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
"innerContent": [
"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-21-MC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102841\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Christy Grensberg relays her vaccine record contact information to Jane Esposito on Sept. 23, 2026, in Oakland. After her past two dogs died from Canine Parvovirus, Grensberg said that she is being extremely cautious with Houdini and making sure to get him vaccinated.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>So far this year, they have seized pets from their owners about 300 times. But the majority of the animals in their custody are domesticated pets that are surrendered, DeVries said. Most of the time, this happens when somebody can’t afford both animal care and housing.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>So far this year, they have seized pets from their owners about 300 times. But the majority of the animals in their custody are domesticated pets that are surrendered, DeVries said. Most of the time, this happens when somebody can’t afford both animal care and housing.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>He witnessed others making this heartbreaking choice when he worked as Oakland’s homelessness administrator back in 2018.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>He witnessed others making this heartbreaking choice when he worked as Oakland’s homelessness administrator back in 2018.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“What I saw when we were out at encampments, and people weren’t accepting offers of shelter, their criticism of congregate shelter was very valid,” he said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“What I saw when we were out at encampments, and people weren’t accepting offers of shelter, their criticism of congregate shelter was very valid,” he said.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Now, some city-run shelter programs do allow pets, making it easier for unhoused people to take the first step toward getting indoors.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Now, some city-run shelter programs do allow pets, making it easier for unhoused people to take the first step toward getting indoors.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But before they get to a shelter or housing, groups like HAPI take care of pets on the street. There are a handful of groups around the state like HAPI, from \u003ca href=\"https://pawfund.org/what-we-do/\">Paw Fund\u003c/a> in Berkeley to the \u003ca href=\"https://folsomtimes.com/paws-mobile-clinic-is-lifeline-for-pets-of-countys-unhoused/\">PAWS Mobile Clinic\u003c/a> in Sacramento and \u003ca href=\"https://www.projectstreetvet.org/volunteer\">Project Street Vet\u003c/a> in Los Angeles. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But before they get to a shelter or housing, groups like HAPI take care of pets on the street. There are a handful of groups around the state like HAPI, from \u003ca href=\"https://pawfund.org/what-we-do/\">Paw Fund\u003c/a> in Berkeley to the \u003ca href=\"https://folsomtimes.com/paws-mobile-clinic-is-lifeline-for-pets-of-countys-unhoused/\">PAWS Mobile Clinic\u003c/a> in Sacramento and \u003ca href=\"https://www.projectstreetvet.org/volunteer\">Project Street Vet\u003c/a> in Los Angeles. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On an outreach day in May, McAdam and her crew distributed 270 pounds of dog kibble, 45 pounds of cat kibble, and vaccinated 15 dogs and two kittens. Some of these animals were already on her list, but others were new.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>On an outreach day in May, McAdam and her crew distributed 270 pounds of dog kibble, 45 pounds of cat kibble, and vaccinated 15 dogs and two kittens. Some of these animals were already on her list, but others were new.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“That common ground of loving someone’s pets,” she said, “really breaks down barriers.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“That common ground of loving someone’s pets,” she said, “really breaks down barriers.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "Volunteers providing weekly mobile veterinary care help build trust with the East Bay city’s unhoused pet owners.\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>When it started, Bradford and Ophelia only had a few cats. But others soon appeared.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The couple, who have lived together at a West Oakland \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/housing\">homeless\u003c/a> encampment for the last three years, bottle-fed the strays who wandered in and administered medicine to them when they were sick. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It wasn’t long before Bradford and Ophelia, who asked KQED to only use their first names out of concern for their safety, developed a reputation for being knowledgeable pet owners. People started bringing them more cats: the shop owner who couldn’t keep his kitten, or the pregnant cat they were given after a friend passed away. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Today, they’re caring for a verifiable colony: 14 cats and kittens — and counting.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Everybody just got spayed and neutered,” Bradford said with a smile. “So we’re feeling very responsible about that.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-31-MC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102847\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-31-MC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-31-MC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-31-MC-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Two of Kevin Klee’s many cats roam the area outside his trailer on Sept. 23, 2026, in Oakland. Klee says that he’s running out of space where he lives and he wishes that somebody could take them. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-7 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" data-id=\"12102848\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-40-MC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102848\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-40-MC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-40-MC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-40-MC-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Meg McAdams prepares vaccines on Sept. 23, 2026, in Oakland. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" data-id=\"12102849\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-43-MC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102849\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-43-MC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-43-MC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-43-MC-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Meg McAdams tries to gain the trust of a dog she is about to vaccinate on Sept. 23, 2026, in Oakland. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Taking care of a pet — let alone two dozen — can be a challenge for unhoused people. The cost of a typical trip to the vet can easily reach hundreds or thousands of dollars. And figuring out how to transport a sick pet to a low-cost community clinic can be difficult.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>One Oakland group, the Human and Pet Initiative, or \u003ca href=\"https://www.hapi.pet/\">HAPI\u003c/a>, is working to solve this problem. For the last three years, on a weekly basis, the small nonprofit has brought shots, microchips, flea medication, kibble and other resources to about 15 encampments in Oakland.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Meg McAdam, HAPI’s group’s founder and president, made it possible for Bradford and Ophelia to fix their cats. HAPI paid for the operations after McAdam and her team of about five volunteers built a trusting relationship with the couple, who agreed to let her take their cats to the vet to get spayed and neutered.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>McAdam knows that some people have strong feelings about the wellbeing of the animals they see on the street, or question whether unhoused people deserve to have pets in the first place. But she said that’s beside the point.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I don’t even have to debate that, ’cause it doesn’t matter, ’cause they do. So as long as they do, I want to help them take care of them,” McAdam said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>McAdam said that this work has a butterfly effect: providing care to these animals allows HAPI to support their human companions too. “When they’re making a choice of whether to feed their dog or themselves, if I can feed their dog so they can feed themselves, it’s a win, right?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>McAdam wears her heart on her sleeve. Her arms are covered in animal tattoos: A dog on her right arm, and a vibrant blue sleeve of sea creatures on her left. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It’s a fitting look for the job she does seven days a week: Providing no-cost, mobile medical support to people living on the streets. McAdam has learned that there are many reasons why an unhoused person may choose to have a pet. One of the reasons is safety. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The bigger, the better,” said Star, who lives near the Lake Merritt Estuary with her three guard dogs, Prince, Joker, and Chloe, who weigh over 100 pounds each. “‘Cause they can cuddle you, they can love you, they can protect you.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-20-MC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102840\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-20-MC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-20-MC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-20-MC-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Meg McAdams cuts the nails of Christy Grensberg’s new puppy, Houdini, on Sept. 23, 2026, in Oakland. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>One of the dogs, Prince, acts as her service animal, Star said. She has epilepsy, and he alerts her when she’s going to have a seizure, providing stability when she loses her balance. Her dogs also protect her from external threats, like theft, or sexual harassment and assault — the dangers of being a woman living outside.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“ The only way to survive out here is if I have my dogs,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Pets can also provide a sense of companionship, or a second chance at developing bonds that feel like family. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’ve not had responsibility to anyone … or anything in a while,” said Jaquelyn, who lives at an encampment under the West Oakland BART tracks with her puppy, Loco. “I feel like my son will be jealous if I pay more attention to the dog than him, but I don’t get to see my son often.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-51-MC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102852\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-51-MC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-51-MC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-51-MC-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Hailey Looneie and Jane Esposito greet a local’s dog on Sept. 23, 2026, in Oakland. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Losing touch with family is a common source of trauma for unhoused people, and pets can help fill the gap. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I don’t want to mess up this time,” Jaquelyn said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Part of this responsibility is regular veterinary care. Most of the people McAdam works with are eager to receive support from her. But it’s not always so simple.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Jaquelyn and Loco live in the same encampment as Loco’s grandma, a German Shepherd named Diamond. Diamond belongs to a man named Alfonso, who has always been wary of McAdam and her team. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Alfonso is the only person who ever said to us, ‘Get away from my dogs,’” McAdam told her volunteers during a weekly outreach meeting. As a result, she tries to give him space to avoid making him feel encroached upon.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-8 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" data-id=\"12102845\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-29-MC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102845\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-29-MC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-29-MC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-29-MC-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Julian Standley and Claudia Glasper pose with their dogs, Benji and Sassy, on Sept. 23, 2026, in Oakland. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" data-id=\"12102837\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-11-MC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102837\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-11-MC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-11-MC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-11-MC-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Meg McAdam’s van is packed with supplies for pet owners on Sept. 23, 2026, in Oakland. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-9 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" data-id=\"12102844\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-28-MC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102844\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-28-MC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-28-MC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-28-MC-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">HAPI member, Jane Esposito, organizes vaccination records while her coworkers vaccinate a dog on Sept. 23, 2026, in Oakland. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" data-id=\"12102842\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-25-MC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102842\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-25-MC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-25-MC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-25-MC-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Meg McAdams injects a microchip into Christy Grensburg’s new puppy, Houdini, on Sept. 23, 2026, in Oakland. In case the owner is not available or doesn’t have a phone, McAdams adds HAPI’s contact information onto every microchip form they fill out. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But one outreach day in May, McAdam noticed that Diamond looked quite ill. Alfonso returned home as a volunteer vet tech named Jocelyn Saenz-Sanchez performed an exam on the German Shepherd, who was breathing heavily in a resting place in the shade. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But instead of getting mad at them and asking him to leave as he had done in the past, Alfonso was happy to see McAdam. The two made a plan for her to come back and take Diamond to the vet.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This was a huge breakthrough,” she said later. “I’m hoping that this is the beginning of a new relationship with him.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Building this level of trust can take a long time. In this case, it took three years of offering food and other support and being turned down or ignored. But time is finite, and the needs of a sick pet can be urgent. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-46-MC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102850\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-46-MC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-46-MC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-46-MC-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Meg McAdams and Alfredo Penate update each other on their lives since HAPI last visited on Sept. 23, 2026, in Oakland. McAdams says that she visited Penate many times over the years in order to first gain his trust. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Diamond’s health drastically declined in the days after McAdam’s team examined her, and she died before she could get in to see a vet.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>McAdam knows that without relationship building, she can’t reach the animals that need help. And ultimately, she also knows these animals are extensions of their owners. The city of Oakland recognizes this, too.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“These nonprofit groups, they are a force multiplier for our work,” said Joe DeVries, director of Oakland Animal Services. He said the resources HAPI provides are critical. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“But I think what’s even more important is the relationships that they provide.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>DeVries said many people associate Animal Control Officers, formerly part of the police department until 2015, with law enforcement. It’s now a standalone agency under the city administrator’s office, but it does have a mandate to enforce local pet laws, like leash laws, and animal cruelty and neglect. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1334\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-21-MC-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102841\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-21-MC-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-21-MC-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/092326-STREETVETS-21-MC-KQED-1536x1025.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Christy Grensberg relays her vaccine record contact information to Jane Esposito on Sept. 23, 2026, in Oakland. After her past two dogs died from Canine Parvovirus, Grensberg said that she is being extremely cautious with Houdini and making sure to get him vaccinated. (Miles Cull/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>So far this year, they have seized pets from their owners about 300 times. But the majority of the animals in their custody are domesticated pets that are surrendered, DeVries said. Most of the time, this happens when somebody can’t afford both animal care and housing.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>He witnessed others making this heartbreaking choice when he worked as Oakland’s homelessness administrator back in 2018.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“What I saw when we were out at encampments, and people weren’t accepting offers of shelter, their criticism of congregate shelter was very valid,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Now, some city-run shelter programs do allow pets, making it easier for unhoused people to take the first step toward getting indoors.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But before they get to a shelter or housing, groups like HAPI take care of pets on the street. There are a handful of groups around the state like HAPI, from \u003ca href=\"https://pawfund.org/what-we-do/\">Paw Fund\u003c/a> in Berkeley to the \u003ca href=\"https://folsomtimes.com/paws-mobile-clinic-is-lifeline-for-pets-of-countys-unhoused/\">PAWS Mobile Clinic\u003c/a> in Sacramento and \u003ca href=\"https://www.projectstreetvet.org/volunteer\">Project Street Vet\u003c/a> in Los Angeles. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On an outreach day in May, McAdam and her crew distributed 270 pounds of dog kibble, 45 pounds of cat kibble, and vaccinated 15 dogs and two kittens. Some of these animals were already on her list, but others were new.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“That common ground of loving someone’s pets,” she said, “really breaks down barriers.”\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "prop-45-faster-environmental-reviews-for-certain-projects",
"title": "Prop 45: Faster Environmental Reviews for Certain Projects",
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"content": "\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Episode Transcript:\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:00:00] \u003c/em>In 1970, as California was building freeways and developing dams and levees, Governor Ronald Reagan signed the California Environmental Quality Act into law. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:00:10] \u003c/em>CEQA, as it’s known, requires public agencies to consider the environmental impact of big projects. How rivers could be impacted by new dams and levees, or how local marshland could face more noise pollution. It’s a way of saying, look before you leap, or in this case, build. But housing advocates have often taken issue with CEQa. Arguing that it’s been used to block or stall much needed development here in California. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:00:43] \u003c/em>Now, Prop 45 seeks to change the landmark statute by tightening the timeframe for the environmental review process. Those who oppose the proposition aren’t just worried about what it means for the environment, but also whether it can open the door to more data centers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:01:02] \u003c/em>I’m Ericka Cruz Guevara, host of The Bay. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:01:06] \u003c/em>And I’m Olivia Ellen Price, host of Bay Curious, and you made it to the final edition of PropFest 2026. This has been a collaboration between the Bay and Bay Curios, and this is the 14th and final prop. Are you ready, Ericka? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:01:22] \u003c/em>I sure am, Olivia. Here’s how Prop 45 will read on your ballot. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:01:30] \u003c/em>Prop 45, modifies environmental review for certain projects. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:01:36] \u003c/em>Here to walk us through Proposition 45 is KQED’s climate reporter Laura Klivans. Hey Laura.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:01:43] \u003c/em>Hello \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:01:44] \u003c/em>So Laura, Prop 45 would overhaul the California Environmental Quality Act. First, what is the California environmental quality act, otherwise known as CEQA? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:01:58] \u003c/em>So CEQA is this major California environmental law, and it was passed in 1970 under then-Governor Reagan. And the goal was to require government agencies to study and share potential environmental impacts of public projects like dams and highways and power plants and to do what was possible to reduce or mitigate those impacts. Over time, there have been many lawsuits around it, and it is now applicable to not just public projects, but private ones. Proponents view this law as an essential environmental law for California to protect our environment and think about longer term consequences to building. Critics do not like CEQA because they say it offers people with special interests the opportunity to delay and block projects in the name of the environment. So therefore it’s been like very controversial. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:02:55] \u003c/em>Private projects as in… Maybe a new apartment building or a new housing complex?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:03:02] \u003c/em>Yeah \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:03:04] \u003c/em>So Prop 45 would make some tweaks to CEQA. How exactly could CEQA change under Prop 45? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:03:11] \u003c/em>So the proposition is saying let’s speed up the environmental reviews for certain projects that it calls essential. So those would be things like housing or clean energy, not including nuclear, hospitals, clinics, schools, fire, wildfire risk reductions, like things that sound really important, transportation, and here’s an interesting category, broadband access. We’ll come back to why that’s so interesting. So Prop 45 would put a timeline on CEQA review for these essential categories I mentioned. It would set a 365 day time limit on environmental reviews for these projects. It would require courts to rule on CEQA related lawsuits within 270 days. And then it also changes some other details. So like here’s an example of one, a government agency that’s overseeing a review. They would need to specify all the information that they’d like to get from the application, from the builder, at the time that it needs to be submitted, rather than going back to the builder again and again and saying, we need more info for this and more info for that. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:04:22] \u003c/em>Who put this on the ballot and why are we as voters being asked to potentially make some changes to CEQA?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:04:29] \u003c/em>So the California Chamber of Commerce has sponsored this proposition, and they represent businesses, they advocate for them, they lobby for them. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jennifer Barrera: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:04:38] \u003c/em>The CEQA law was well-intentioned, but we have seen, obviously, the law be abused and misused in order to block projects by groups who don’t want to see any development, don’t want to any growth here in California. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:04:50] \u003c/em>Jennifer Barrera is the CEO of the California Chamber of Commerce, and she is saying we have an issue with growth, nothing’s affordable here, and this would basically advance projects that they designated as essential more quickly and easily. It would streamline legal challenges, reduce frivolous lawsuits, things like that. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jennifer Barrera: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:05:10] \u003c/em>When we talk about delay, and I’ll keep going back to housing just because it is such an important point of our affordability crisis and a part of this ballot initiative, but when you delay ultimate housing, I mean that creates inequity in our population. That creates losers with regards to those who can’t afford and those who can’t afford. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:05:28] \u003c/em>Proponents say, you know, you’re still going to have environmental review, we’re just going to put like a shot clock on it, as they say. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:05:38] \u003c/em>So you mentioned the California Chamber of Commerce. Who else is in favor of this measure?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:05:45] \u003c/em>There are groups that represent places that need to build, like hospitals or some housing organizations and some building industries, like the workers. Also notably, Buffy Wicks, she’s a California Assembly member, and she is one of the people who championed change last year to CEQA. That has exempted housing that is already on developed areas from CEQA review. So that was a major reform that already happened last year. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:06:17] \u003c/em>We’ll have more on Prop 45 with KQED’s Laura Klivans, right after this break. By the way, did you know that KQED is funded almost entirely by everyday listeners just like you? Consider becoming a sustaining KQED member by going to donate.kqed.org/podcasts. We’ll be right back.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:06:46] \u003c/em>So you have some folks who say that these changes to CEQA are necessary in order to address this housing crisis that we’re in, in part. Who is coming out in opposition to this measure and what are their arguments?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:06:59] \u003c/em>There are a bunch of other folks who are against this, like environmental groups, environmental justice groups, health groups, unions that represent teachers and firefighters, for example, are against us. One major argument is that, hey, this is too broad. This is our landmark environmental regulation. Let’s keep it. And state Senator Catherine Blakespear represents northern San Diego and part of Orange County and has come out in opposition. She chairs the Senate Environmental Quality Committee.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sen. Catherine Blakespear: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:07:27] \u003c/em>It’s really important that California continue to be a bulwark against the backsliding and we continue to fight climate change and to protect our environment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:07:36] \u003c/em>She’s saying it’s going to allow for more homes to be built in something called the wildland urban interface, which is like basically places that butt up against beautiful nature areas, but are therefore very fire prone. And so she and some other state legislators are saying this is a terrible idea. We don’t need to build more housing in those areas. And this would allow for that. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sen. Catherine Blakespear: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:08:01] \u003c/em>It really just goes way too far and creates these very big loopholes and changes our system of CEQA and our environmental review, which is our landmark environmental laws in California since the 1970s. And it is far, far too broad. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:08:16] \u003c/em>I think we all know that it takes a long time to build housing in California and that one of the main arguments for Prop 45 is the idea that we need to build more housing more quickly. What about pro-housing or YIMBY (Yes In My Backyard) groups? What do they think about this measure? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:08:35] \u003c/em>Yeah, so it’s mixed. There are some housing groups that support Proposition 45. And then, actually, interestingly, this one large group, California YMBY, YIMBY stands for ‘Yes in My Backyard,’ they have come out with no position on this. They are neutral. That’s because they see both reasons to support this measure and reasons to oppose it. And on the one hand, it could fast track sprawl, which is not something they support, so. Maybe it makes it easier to build a highway, makes it easy to build housing that is not in a dense or already populated area. On the other hand, it might make it easier to build clean energy and clean energy infrastructure, which is something that they would support. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:09:23] \u003c/em>So we’ve been talking about CEQA in the context of building more housing, but it of course applies to all kinds of projects in California. And when it comes to Prop 45, there’s actually one specific kind of project that has made its way into the debate and that’s data centers? Can you explain why data centers have become part of the conversation around Prop 45?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:09:48] \u003c/em>Yes, so people who support Prop 45 say this does not apply to data centers. And opponents, people who are saying no to this proposition, they say, oh, but it could. Look at the broadband access category. The language is broad enough that it could be construed to include data centers, Opponents are also saying, listen, the people who wrote this made carve-outs for what it doesn’t make exclusions for. There’s this huge category of transportation And it says in the language that it doesn’t include high-speed rail. There’s a category for clean energy. Also in the Language for Prop 45, it says that doesn’t including nuclear. So if this truly does not include data centers, wouldn’t the people who wrote this get ahead of that and write, this doesn’t included data centers in the language? And the people that wrote it are saying, well, we weren’t thinking of that because broadband access doesn’t includes data centers. That’s just as simple as that. So that is up in the air. And now data centers is such a wild issue now, and it’s really, we’ve seen it explode politically, that that has impacted this proposition. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:10:55] \u003c/em>Enough people are worried about it that they are, I don’t know, seeing data centers in Prop 45 and adding it to the debate, it sounds like. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:11:03] \u003c/em>Right. Right. And then this is super interesting. So pulling from the Public Policy Institute of California showed support among likely voters was at 73% in July and in September it is 49 percent. In that time, the data center conversation started happening. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:11:26] \u003c/em>Let’s talk about campaign spending here, Laura. What are we seeing on the pro-Prop 45 side in terms of spending? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:11:35] \u003c/em>There’s a lot of money. When I checked last, over $40 million. We see a lot of Silicon Valley tech people, Google executives, like the former CEO, Eric Schmidt, and more. We also see money coming in from the building trades. And then against, still some money there, $15 million. But this was interesting when I was looking at the money because one of the top donors is Wendy Schmidt, who is married to Eric Schmidt. And she has put $5 million in against Prop 45. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:12:06] \u003c/em>Laura, thank you so much. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:12:08] \u003c/em>Thank you for having me.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:12:13] \u003c/em>In a nutshell, a yes vote on this measure means environmental reviews can be expedited for certain projects. A no vote means projects would continue to use existing project review and court challenge procedures under CEQA. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:12:30] \u003c/em>We made it to the finish line, y’all. Thanks so much for joining us on this wild ride. We hope you’re feeling more prepared than ever to cast your ballot this November.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:12:38] \u003c/em>And if you don’t, you can always go back and listen to the entire Prop Fest series again at kqed.org/propfest. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:12:48] \u003c/em>Do us a favor and send Prop Fest to one friend right now. Word of mouth really helps us grow our shows. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:12:57] \u003c/em>Prop Fest is made possible thanks to Katrina Schwartz Pauline Bartolone Anna Casalme Olivia Allen Price Gabriela Glick Christopher Beale, Alan Montecillo and me, Ericka Cruz Guevarra\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:13:11] \u003c/em>We get extra support from Maha Sanad, Katie Springer, Jen Chien. Ethan Toven Lindsey. And everyone on Team KQED. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:13:20] \u003c/em>Our show is made in San Francisco at member-supported KQED. Support for the Bay is provided in part by the Osher Production Fund. Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by the Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco, Northern California Local. I’m Ericka Cruz Guevara.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:13:42] \u003c/em>And I’m Olivia Allen Price. Good luck with your ballot. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:00:00] \u003c/em>In 1970, as California was building freeways and developing dams and levees, Governor Ronald Reagan signed the California Environmental Quality Act into law. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:00:10] \u003c/em>CEQA, as it’s known, requires public agencies to consider the environmental impact of big projects. How rivers could be impacted by new dams and levees, or how local marshland could face more noise pollution. It’s a way of saying, look before you leap, or in this case, build. But housing advocates have often taken issue with CEQa. Arguing that it’s been used to block or stall much needed development here in California. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:00:10] \u003c/em>CEQA, as it’s known, requires public agencies to consider the environmental impact of big projects. How rivers could be impacted by new dams and levees, or how local marshland could face more noise pollution. It’s a way of saying, look before you leap, or in this case, build. But housing advocates have often taken issue with CEQa. Arguing that it’s been used to block or stall much needed development here in California. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:00:43] \u003c/em>Now, Prop 45 seeks to change the landmark statute by tightening the timeframe for the environmental review process. Those who oppose the proposition aren’t just worried about what it means for the environment, but also whether it can open the door to more data centers. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:00:43] \u003c/em>Now, Prop 45 seeks to change the landmark statute by tightening the timeframe for the environmental review process. Those who oppose the proposition aren’t just worried about what it means for the environment, but also whether it can open the door to more data centers. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:01:02] \u003c/em>I’m Ericka Cruz Guevara, host of The Bay. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:01:02] \u003c/em>I’m Ericka Cruz Guevara, host of The Bay. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:01:06] \u003c/em>And I’m Olivia Ellen Price, host of Bay Curious, and you made it to the final edition of PropFest 2026. This has been a collaboration between the Bay and Bay Curios, and this is the 14th and final prop. Are you ready, Ericka? \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:01:06] \u003c/em>And I’m Olivia Ellen Price, host of Bay Curious, and you made it to the final edition of PropFest 2026. This has been a collaboration between the Bay and Bay Curios, and this is the 14th and final prop. Are you ready, Ericka? \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:01:22] \u003c/em>I sure am, Olivia. Here’s how Prop 45 will read on your ballot. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:01:22] \u003c/em>I sure am, Olivia. Here’s how Prop 45 will read on your ballot. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:01:30] \u003c/em>Prop 45, modifies environmental review for certain projects. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:01:30] \u003c/em>Prop 45, modifies environmental review for certain projects. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:01:36] \u003c/em>Here to walk us through Proposition 45 is KQED’s climate reporter Laura Klivans. Hey Laura.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:01:36] \u003c/em>Here to walk us through Proposition 45 is KQED’s climate reporter Laura Klivans. Hey Laura.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:01:43] \u003c/em>Hello \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:01:44] \u003c/em>So Laura, Prop 45 would overhaul the California Environmental Quality Act. First, what is the California environmental quality act, otherwise known as CEQA? \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:01:58] \u003c/em>So CEQA is this major California environmental law, and it was passed in 1970 under then-Governor Reagan. And the goal was to require government agencies to study and share potential environmental impacts of public projects like dams and highways and power plants and to do what was possible to reduce or mitigate those impacts. Over time, there have been many lawsuits around it, and it is now applicable to not just public projects, but private ones. Proponents view this law as an essential environmental law for California to protect our environment and think about longer term consequences to building. Critics do not like CEQA because they say it offers people with special interests the opportunity to delay and block projects in the name of the environment. So therefore it’s been like very controversial. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:01:58] \u003c/em>So CEQA is this major California environmental law, and it was passed in 1970 under then-Governor Reagan. And the goal was to require government agencies to study and share potential environmental impacts of public projects like dams and highways and power plants and to do what was possible to reduce or mitigate those impacts. Over time, there have been many lawsuits around it, and it is now applicable to not just public projects, but private ones. Proponents view this law as an essential environmental law for California to protect our environment and think about longer term consequences to building. Critics do not like CEQA because they say it offers people with special interests the opportunity to delay and block projects in the name of the environment. So therefore it’s been like very controversial. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:02:55] \u003c/em>Private projects as in… Maybe a new apartment building or a new housing complex?\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:02:55] \u003c/em>Private projects as in… Maybe a new apartment building or a new housing complex?\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:03:02] \u003c/em>Yeah \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:03:04] \u003c/em>So Prop 45 would make some tweaks to CEQA. How exactly could CEQA change under Prop 45? \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:03:04] \u003c/em>So Prop 45 would make some tweaks to CEQA. How exactly could CEQA change under Prop 45? \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:03:11] \u003c/em>So the proposition is saying let’s speed up the environmental reviews for certain projects that it calls essential. So those would be things like housing or clean energy, not including nuclear, hospitals, clinics, schools, fire, wildfire risk reductions, like things that sound really important, transportation, and here’s an interesting category, broadband access. We’ll come back to why that’s so interesting. So Prop 45 would put a timeline on CEQA review for these essential categories I mentioned. It would set a 365 day time limit on environmental reviews for these projects. It would require courts to rule on CEQA related lawsuits within 270 days. And then it also changes some other details. So like here’s an example of one, a government agency that’s overseeing a review. They would need to specify all the information that they’d like to get from the application, from the builder, at the time that it needs to be submitted, rather than going back to the builder again and again and saying, we need more info for this and more info for that. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:03:11] \u003c/em>So the proposition is saying let’s speed up the environmental reviews for certain projects that it calls essential. So those would be things like housing or clean energy, not including nuclear, hospitals, clinics, schools, fire, wildfire risk reductions, like things that sound really important, transportation, and here’s an interesting category, broadband access. We’ll come back to why that’s so interesting. So Prop 45 would put a timeline on CEQA review for these essential categories I mentioned. It would set a 365 day time limit on environmental reviews for these projects. It would require courts to rule on CEQA related lawsuits within 270 days. And then it also changes some other details. So like here’s an example of one, a government agency that’s overseeing a review. They would need to specify all the information that they’d like to get from the application, from the builder, at the time that it needs to be submitted, rather than going back to the builder again and again and saying, we need more info for this and more info for that. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:04:22] \u003c/em>Who put this on the ballot and why are we as voters being asked to potentially make some changes to CEQA?\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:04:22] \u003c/em>Who put this on the ballot and why are we as voters being asked to potentially make some changes to CEQA?\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:04:29] \u003c/em>So the California Chamber of Commerce has sponsored this proposition, and they represent businesses, they advocate for them, they lobby for them. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jennifer Barrera: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:04:38] \u003c/em>The CEQA law was well-intentioned, but we have seen, obviously, the law be abused and misused in order to block projects by groups who don’t want to see any development, don’t want to any growth here in California. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jennifer Barrera: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:04:38] \u003c/em>The CEQA law was well-intentioned, but we have seen, obviously, the law be abused and misused in order to block projects by groups who don’t want to see any development, don’t want to any growth here in California. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:04:50] \u003c/em>Jennifer Barrera is the CEO of the California Chamber of Commerce, and she is saying we have an issue with growth, nothing’s affordable here, and this would basically advance projects that they designated as essential more quickly and easily. It would streamline legal challenges, reduce frivolous lawsuits, things like that. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:04:50] \u003c/em>Jennifer Barrera is the CEO of the California Chamber of Commerce, and she is saying we have an issue with growth, nothing’s affordable here, and this would basically advance projects that they designated as essential more quickly and easily. It would streamline legal challenges, reduce frivolous lawsuits, things like that. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jennifer Barrera: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:05:10] \u003c/em>When we talk about delay, and I’ll keep going back to housing just because it is such an important point of our affordability crisis and a part of this ballot initiative, but when you delay ultimate housing, I mean that creates inequity in our population. That creates losers with regards to those who can’t afford and those who can’t afford. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jennifer Barrera: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:05:10] \u003c/em>When we talk about delay, and I’ll keep going back to housing just because it is such an important point of our affordability crisis and a part of this ballot initiative, but when you delay ultimate housing, I mean that creates inequity in our population. That creates losers with regards to those who can’t afford and those who can’t afford. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:05:28] \u003c/em>Proponents say, you know, you’re still going to have environmental review, we’re just going to put like a shot clock on it, as they say. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:05:28] \u003c/em>Proponents say, you know, you’re still going to have environmental review, we’re just going to put like a shot clock on it, as they say. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:05:38] \u003c/em>So you mentioned the California Chamber of Commerce. Who else is in favor of this measure?\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:05:45] \u003c/em>There are groups that represent places that need to build, like hospitals or some housing organizations and some building industries, like the workers. Also notably, Buffy Wicks, she’s a California Assembly member, and she is one of the people who championed change last year to CEQA. That has exempted housing that is already on developed areas from CEQA review. So that was a major reform that already happened last year. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:05:45] \u003c/em>There are groups that represent places that need to build, like hospitals or some housing organizations and some building industries, like the workers. Also notably, Buffy Wicks, she’s a California Assembly member, and she is one of the people who championed change last year to CEQA. That has exempted housing that is already on developed areas from CEQA review. So that was a major reform that already happened last year. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:06:17] \u003c/em>We’ll have more on Prop 45 with KQED’s Laura Klivans, right after this break. By the way, did you know that KQED is funded almost entirely by everyday listeners just like you? Consider becoming a sustaining KQED member by going to donate.kqed.org/podcasts. We’ll be right back.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:06:17] \u003c/em>We’ll have more on Prop 45 with KQED’s Laura Klivans, right after this break. By the way, did you know that KQED is funded almost entirely by everyday listeners just like you? Consider becoming a sustaining KQED member by going to donate.kqed.org/podcasts. We’ll be right back.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:06:46] \u003c/em>So you have some folks who say that these changes to CEQA are necessary in order to address this housing crisis that we’re in, in part. Who is coming out in opposition to this measure and what are their arguments?\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:06:46] \u003c/em>So you have some folks who say that these changes to CEQA are necessary in order to address this housing crisis that we’re in, in part. Who is coming out in opposition to this measure and what are their arguments?\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:06:59] \u003c/em>There are a bunch of other folks who are against this, like environmental groups, environmental justice groups, health groups, unions that represent teachers and firefighters, for example, are against us. One major argument is that, hey, this is too broad. This is our landmark environmental regulation. Let’s keep it. And state Senator Catherine Blakespear represents northern San Diego and part of Orange County and has come out in opposition. She chairs the Senate Environmental Quality Committee.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:06:59] \u003c/em>There are a bunch of other folks who are against this, like environmental groups, environmental justice groups, health groups, unions that represent teachers and firefighters, for example, are against us. One major argument is that, hey, this is too broad. This is our landmark environmental regulation. Let’s keep it. And state Senator Catherine Blakespear represents northern San Diego and part of Orange County and has come out in opposition. She chairs the Senate Environmental Quality Committee.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sen. Catherine Blakespear: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:07:27] \u003c/em>It’s really important that California continue to be a bulwark against the backsliding and we continue to fight climate change and to protect our environment.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sen. Catherine Blakespear: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:07:27] \u003c/em>It’s really important that California continue to be a bulwark against the backsliding and we continue to fight climate change and to protect our environment.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:07:36] \u003c/em>She’s saying it’s going to allow for more homes to be built in something called the wildland urban interface, which is like basically places that butt up against beautiful nature areas, but are therefore very fire prone. And so she and some other state legislators are saying this is a terrible idea. We don’t need to build more housing in those areas. And this would allow for that. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:07:36] \u003c/em>She’s saying it’s going to allow for more homes to be built in something called the wildland urban interface, which is like basically places that butt up against beautiful nature areas, but are therefore very fire prone. And so she and some other state legislators are saying this is a terrible idea. We don’t need to build more housing in those areas. And this would allow for that. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sen. Catherine Blakespear: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:08:01] \u003c/em>It really just goes way too far and creates these very big loopholes and changes our system of CEQA and our environmental review, which is our landmark environmental laws in California since the 1970s. And it is far, far too broad. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sen. Catherine Blakespear: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:08:01] \u003c/em>It really just goes way too far and creates these very big loopholes and changes our system of CEQA and our environmental review, which is our landmark environmental laws in California since the 1970s. And it is far, far too broad. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:08:16] \u003c/em>I think we all know that it takes a long time to build housing in California and that one of the main arguments for Prop 45 is the idea that we need to build more housing more quickly. What about pro-housing or YIMBY (Yes In My Backyard) groups? What do they think about this measure? \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:08:35] \u003c/em>Yeah, so it’s mixed. There are some housing groups that support Proposition 45. And then, actually, interestingly, this one large group, California YMBY, YIMBY stands for ‘Yes in My Backyard,’ they have come out with no position on this. They are neutral. That’s because they see both reasons to support this measure and reasons to oppose it. And on the one hand, it could fast track sprawl, which is not something they support, so. Maybe it makes it easier to build a highway, makes it easy to build housing that is not in a dense or already populated area. On the other hand, it might make it easier to build clean energy and clean energy infrastructure, which is something that they would support. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:08:35] \u003c/em>Yeah, so it’s mixed. There are some housing groups that support Proposition 45. And then, actually, interestingly, this one large group, California YMBY, YIMBY stands for ‘Yes in My Backyard,’ they have come out with no position on this. They are neutral. That’s because they see both reasons to support this measure and reasons to oppose it. And on the one hand, it could fast track sprawl, which is not something they support, so. Maybe it makes it easier to build a highway, makes it easy to build housing that is not in a dense or already populated area. On the other hand, it might make it easier to build clean energy and clean energy infrastructure, which is something that they would support. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:09:23] \u003c/em>So we’ve been talking about CEQA in the context of building more housing, but it of course applies to all kinds of projects in California. And when it comes to Prop 45, there’s actually one specific kind of project that has made its way into the debate and that’s data centers? Can you explain why data centers have become part of the conversation around Prop 45?\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:09:23] \u003c/em>So we’ve been talking about CEQA in the context of building more housing, but it of course applies to all kinds of projects in California. And when it comes to Prop 45, there’s actually one specific kind of project that has made its way into the debate and that’s data centers? Can you explain why data centers have become part of the conversation around Prop 45?\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:09:48] \u003c/em>Yes, so people who support Prop 45 say this does not apply to data centers. And opponents, people who are saying no to this proposition, they say, oh, but it could. Look at the broadband access category. The language is broad enough that it could be construed to include data centers, Opponents are also saying, listen, the people who wrote this made carve-outs for what it doesn’t make exclusions for. There’s this huge category of transportation And it says in the language that it doesn’t include high-speed rail. There’s a category for clean energy. Also in the Language for Prop 45, it says that doesn’t including nuclear. So if this truly does not include data centers, wouldn’t the people who wrote this get ahead of that and write, this doesn’t included data centers in the language? And the people that wrote it are saying, well, we weren’t thinking of that because broadband access doesn’t includes data centers. That’s just as simple as that. So that is up in the air. And now data centers is such a wild issue now, and it’s really, we’ve seen it explode politically, that that has impacted this proposition. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:09:48] \u003c/em>Yes, so people who support Prop 45 say this does not apply to data centers. And opponents, people who are saying no to this proposition, they say, oh, but it could. Look at the broadband access category. The language is broad enough that it could be construed to include data centers, Opponents are also saying, listen, the people who wrote this made carve-outs for what it doesn’t make exclusions for. There’s this huge category of transportation And it says in the language that it doesn’t include high-speed rail. There’s a category for clean energy. Also in the Language for Prop 45, it says that doesn’t including nuclear. So if this truly does not include data centers, wouldn’t the people who wrote this get ahead of that and write, this doesn’t included data centers in the language? And the people that wrote it are saying, well, we weren’t thinking of that because broadband access doesn’t includes data centers. That’s just as simple as that. So that is up in the air. And now data centers is such a wild issue now, and it’s really, we’ve seen it explode politically, that that has impacted this proposition. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:10:55] \u003c/em>Enough people are worried about it that they are, I don’t know, seeing data centers in Prop 45 and adding it to the debate, it sounds like. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:10:55] \u003c/em>Enough people are worried about it that they are, I don’t know, seeing data centers in Prop 45 and adding it to the debate, it sounds like. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:11:03] \u003c/em>Right. Right. And then this is super interesting. So pulling from the Public Policy Institute of California showed support among likely voters was at 73% in July and in September it is 49 percent. In that time, the data center conversation started happening. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:11:03] \u003c/em>Right. Right. And then this is super interesting. So pulling from the Public Policy Institute of California showed support among likely voters was at 73% in July and in September it is 49 percent. In that time, the data center conversation started happening. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:11:26] \u003c/em>Let’s talk about campaign spending here, Laura. What are we seeing on the pro-Prop 45 side in terms of spending? \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:11:26] \u003c/em>Let’s talk about campaign spending here, Laura. What are we seeing on the pro-Prop 45 side in terms of spending? \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:11:35] \u003c/em>There’s a lot of money. When I checked last, over $40 million. We see a lot of Silicon Valley tech people, Google executives, like the former CEO, Eric Schmidt, and more. We also see money coming in from the building trades. And then against, still some money there, $15 million. But this was interesting when I was looking at the money because one of the top donors is Wendy Schmidt, who is married to Eric Schmidt. And she has put $5 million in against Prop 45. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:11:35] \u003c/em>There’s a lot of money. When I checked last, over $40 million. We see a lot of Silicon Valley tech people, Google executives, like the former CEO, Eric Schmidt, and more. We also see money coming in from the building trades. And then against, still some money there, $15 million. But this was interesting when I was looking at the money because one of the top donors is Wendy Schmidt, who is married to Eric Schmidt. And she has put $5 million in against Prop 45. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:12:06] \u003c/em>Laura, thank you so much. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:12:06] \u003c/em>Laura, thank you so much. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:12:08] \u003c/em>Thank you for having me.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:12:08] \u003c/em>Thank you for having me.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:12:13] \u003c/em>In a nutshell, a yes vote on this measure means environmental reviews can be expedited for certain projects. A no vote means projects would continue to use existing project review and court challenge procedures under CEQA. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:12:13] \u003c/em>In a nutshell, a yes vote on this measure means environmental reviews can be expedited for certain projects. A no vote means projects would continue to use existing project review and court challenge procedures under CEQA. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:12:30] \u003c/em>We made it to the finish line, y’all. Thanks so much for joining us on this wild ride. We hope you’re feeling more prepared than ever to cast your ballot this November.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:12:30] \u003c/em>We made it to the finish line, y’all. Thanks so much for joining us on this wild ride. We hope you’re feeling more prepared than ever to cast your ballot this November.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:12:38] \u003c/em>And if you don’t, you can always go back and listen to the entire Prop Fest series again at kqed.org/propfest. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:12:38] \u003c/em>And if you don’t, you can always go back and listen to the entire Prop Fest series again at kqed.org/propfest. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:12:48] \u003c/em>Do us a favor and send Prop Fest to one friend right now. Word of mouth really helps us grow our shows. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:12:48] \u003c/em>Do us a favor and send Prop Fest to one friend right now. Word of mouth really helps us grow our shows. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:12:57] \u003c/em>Prop Fest is made possible thanks to Katrina Schwartz Pauline Bartolone Anna Casalme Olivia Allen Price Gabriela Glick Christopher Beale, Alan Montecillo and me, Ericka Cruz Guevarra\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:12:57] \u003c/em>Prop Fest is made possible thanks to Katrina Schwartz Pauline Bartolone Anna Casalme Olivia Allen Price Gabriela Glick Christopher Beale, Alan Montecillo and me, Ericka Cruz Guevarra\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:13:11] \u003c/em>We get extra support from Maha Sanad, Katie Springer, Jen Chien. Ethan Toven Lindsey. And everyone on Team KQED. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:13:11] \u003c/em>We get extra support from Maha Sanad, Katie Springer, Jen Chien. Ethan Toven Lindsey. And everyone on Team KQED. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:13:42] \u003c/em>And I’m Olivia Allen Price. Good luck with your ballot. \u003c/p>\n",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003ch2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">\u003cstrong>Episode Transcript:\u003c/strong>\u003c/h2>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:00:00] \u003c/em>In 1970, as California was building freeways and developing dams and levees, Governor Ronald Reagan signed the California Environmental Quality Act into law. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:00:10] \u003c/em>CEQA, as it’s known, requires public agencies to consider the environmental impact of big projects. How rivers could be impacted by new dams and levees, or how local marshland could face more noise pollution. It’s a way of saying, look before you leap, or in this case, build. But housing advocates have often taken issue with CEQa. Arguing that it’s been used to block or stall much needed development here in California. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:00:43] \u003c/em>Now, Prop 45 seeks to change the landmark statute by tightening the timeframe for the environmental review process. Those who oppose the proposition aren’t just worried about what it means for the environment, but also whether it can open the door to more data centers. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:01:02] \u003c/em>I’m Ericka Cruz Guevara, host of The Bay. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:01:06] \u003c/em>And I’m Olivia Ellen Price, host of Bay Curious, and you made it to the final edition of PropFest 2026. This has been a collaboration between the Bay and Bay Curios, and this is the 14th and final prop. Are you ready, Ericka? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:01:22] \u003c/em>I sure am, Olivia. Here’s how Prop 45 will read on your ballot. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:01:30] \u003c/em>Prop 45, modifies environmental review for certain projects. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:01:36] \u003c/em>Here to walk us through Proposition 45 is KQED’s climate reporter Laura Klivans. Hey Laura.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:01:43] \u003c/em>Hello \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:01:44] \u003c/em>So Laura, Prop 45 would overhaul the California Environmental Quality Act. First, what is the California environmental quality act, otherwise known as CEQA? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:01:58] \u003c/em>So CEQA is this major California environmental law, and it was passed in 1970 under then-Governor Reagan. And the goal was to require government agencies to study and share potential environmental impacts of public projects like dams and highways and power plants and to do what was possible to reduce or mitigate those impacts. Over time, there have been many lawsuits around it, and it is now applicable to not just public projects, but private ones. Proponents view this law as an essential environmental law for California to protect our environment and think about longer term consequences to building. Critics do not like CEQA because they say it offers people with special interests the opportunity to delay and block projects in the name of the environment. So therefore it’s been like very controversial. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:02:55] \u003c/em>Private projects as in… Maybe a new apartment building or a new housing complex?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:03:02] \u003c/em>Yeah \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:03:04] \u003c/em>So Prop 45 would make some tweaks to CEQA. How exactly could CEQA change under Prop 45? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:03:11] \u003c/em>So the proposition is saying let’s speed up the environmental reviews for certain projects that it calls essential. So those would be things like housing or clean energy, not including nuclear, hospitals, clinics, schools, fire, wildfire risk reductions, like things that sound really important, transportation, and here’s an interesting category, broadband access. We’ll come back to why that’s so interesting. So Prop 45 would put a timeline on CEQA review for these essential categories I mentioned. It would set a 365 day time limit on environmental reviews for these projects. It would require courts to rule on CEQA related lawsuits within 270 days. And then it also changes some other details. So like here’s an example of one, a government agency that’s overseeing a review. They would need to specify all the information that they’d like to get from the application, from the builder, at the time that it needs to be submitted, rather than going back to the builder again and again and saying, we need more info for this and more info for that. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:04:22] \u003c/em>Who put this on the ballot and why are we as voters being asked to potentially make some changes to CEQA?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:04:29] \u003c/em>So the California Chamber of Commerce has sponsored this proposition, and they represent businesses, they advocate for them, they lobby for them. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jennifer Barrera: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:04:38] \u003c/em>The CEQA law was well-intentioned, but we have seen, obviously, the law be abused and misused in order to block projects by groups who don’t want to see any development, don’t want to any growth here in California. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:04:50] \u003c/em>Jennifer Barrera is the CEO of the California Chamber of Commerce, and she is saying we have an issue with growth, nothing’s affordable here, and this would basically advance projects that they designated as essential more quickly and easily. It would streamline legal challenges, reduce frivolous lawsuits, things like that. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Jennifer Barrera: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:05:10] \u003c/em>When we talk about delay, and I’ll keep going back to housing just because it is such an important point of our affordability crisis and a part of this ballot initiative, but when you delay ultimate housing, I mean that creates inequity in our population. That creates losers with regards to those who can’t afford and those who can’t afford. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:05:28] \u003c/em>Proponents say, you know, you’re still going to have environmental review, we’re just going to put like a shot clock on it, as they say. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:05:38] \u003c/em>So you mentioned the California Chamber of Commerce. Who else is in favor of this measure?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:05:45] \u003c/em>There are groups that represent places that need to build, like hospitals or some housing organizations and some building industries, like the workers. Also notably, Buffy Wicks, she’s a California Assembly member, and she is one of the people who championed change last year to CEQA. That has exempted housing that is already on developed areas from CEQA review. So that was a major reform that already happened last year. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:06:17] \u003c/em>We’ll have more on Prop 45 with KQED’s Laura Klivans, right after this break. By the way, did you know that KQED is funded almost entirely by everyday listeners just like you? Consider becoming a sustaining KQED member by going to donate.kqed.org/podcasts. We’ll be right back.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:06:46] \u003c/em>So you have some folks who say that these changes to CEQA are necessary in order to address this housing crisis that we’re in, in part. Who is coming out in opposition to this measure and what are their arguments?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:06:59] \u003c/em>There are a bunch of other folks who are against this, like environmental groups, environmental justice groups, health groups, unions that represent teachers and firefighters, for example, are against us. One major argument is that, hey, this is too broad. This is our landmark environmental regulation. Let’s keep it. And state Senator Catherine Blakespear represents northern San Diego and part of Orange County and has come out in opposition. She chairs the Senate Environmental Quality Committee.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sen. Catherine Blakespear: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:07:27] \u003c/em>It’s really important that California continue to be a bulwark against the backsliding and we continue to fight climate change and to protect our environment.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:07:36] \u003c/em>She’s saying it’s going to allow for more homes to be built in something called the wildland urban interface, which is like basically places that butt up against beautiful nature areas, but are therefore very fire prone. And so she and some other state legislators are saying this is a terrible idea. We don’t need to build more housing in those areas. And this would allow for that. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Sen. Catherine Blakespear: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:08:01] \u003c/em>It really just goes way too far and creates these very big loopholes and changes our system of CEQA and our environmental review, which is our landmark environmental laws in California since the 1970s. And it is far, far too broad. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:08:16] \u003c/em>I think we all know that it takes a long time to build housing in California and that one of the main arguments for Prop 45 is the idea that we need to build more housing more quickly. What about pro-housing or YIMBY (Yes In My Backyard) groups? What do they think about this measure? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:08:35] \u003c/em>Yeah, so it’s mixed. There are some housing groups that support Proposition 45. And then, actually, interestingly, this one large group, California YMBY, YIMBY stands for ‘Yes in My Backyard,’ they have come out with no position on this. They are neutral. That’s because they see both reasons to support this measure and reasons to oppose it. And on the one hand, it could fast track sprawl, which is not something they support, so. Maybe it makes it easier to build a highway, makes it easy to build housing that is not in a dense or already populated area. On the other hand, it might make it easier to build clean energy and clean energy infrastructure, which is something that they would support. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:09:23] \u003c/em>So we’ve been talking about CEQA in the context of building more housing, but it of course applies to all kinds of projects in California. And when it comes to Prop 45, there’s actually one specific kind of project that has made its way into the debate and that’s data centers? Can you explain why data centers have become part of the conversation around Prop 45?\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:09:48] \u003c/em>Yes, so people who support Prop 45 say this does not apply to data centers. And opponents, people who are saying no to this proposition, they say, oh, but it could. Look at the broadband access category. The language is broad enough that it could be construed to include data centers, Opponents are also saying, listen, the people who wrote this made carve-outs for what it doesn’t make exclusions for. There’s this huge category of transportation And it says in the language that it doesn’t include high-speed rail. There’s a category for clean energy. Also in the Language for Prop 45, it says that doesn’t including nuclear. So if this truly does not include data centers, wouldn’t the people who wrote this get ahead of that and write, this doesn’t included data centers in the language? And the people that wrote it are saying, well, we weren’t thinking of that because broadband access doesn’t includes data centers. That’s just as simple as that. So that is up in the air. And now data centers is such a wild issue now, and it’s really, we’ve seen it explode politically, that that has impacted this proposition. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:10:55] \u003c/em>Enough people are worried about it that they are, I don’t know, seeing data centers in Prop 45 and adding it to the debate, it sounds like. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:11:03] \u003c/em>Right. Right. And then this is super interesting. So pulling from the Public Policy Institute of California showed support among likely voters was at 73% in July and in September it is 49 percent. In that time, the data center conversation started happening. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:11:26] \u003c/em>Let’s talk about campaign spending here, Laura. What are we seeing on the pro-Prop 45 side in terms of spending? \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:11:35] \u003c/em>There’s a lot of money. When I checked last, over $40 million. We see a lot of Silicon Valley tech people, Google executives, like the former CEO, Eric Schmidt, and more. We also see money coming in from the building trades. And then against, still some money there, $15 million. But this was interesting when I was looking at the money because one of the top donors is Wendy Schmidt, who is married to Eric Schmidt. And she has put $5 million in against Prop 45. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:12:06] \u003c/em>Laura, thank you so much. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Laura Klivans: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:12:08] \u003c/em>Thank you for having me.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:12:13] \u003c/em>In a nutshell, a yes vote on this measure means environmental reviews can be expedited for certain projects. A no vote means projects would continue to use existing project review and court challenge procedures under CEQA. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:12:30] \u003c/em>We made it to the finish line, y’all. Thanks so much for joining us on this wild ride. We hope you’re feeling more prepared than ever to cast your ballot this November.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:12:38] \u003c/em>And if you don’t, you can always go back and listen to the entire Prop Fest series again at kqed.org/propfest. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:12:48] \u003c/em>Do us a favor and send Prop Fest to one friend right now. Word of mouth really helps us grow our shows. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:12:57] \u003c/em>Prop Fest is made possible thanks to Katrina Schwartz Pauline Bartolone Anna Casalme Olivia Allen Price Gabriela Glick Christopher Beale, Alan Montecillo and me, Ericka Cruz Guevarra\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:13:11] \u003c/em>We get extra support from Maha Sanad, Katie Springer, Jen Chien. Ethan Toven Lindsey. And everyone on Team KQED. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Ericka Cruz Guevarra: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:13:20] \u003c/em>Our show is made in San Francisco at member-supported KQED. Support for the Bay is provided in part by the Osher Production Fund. Some members of the KQED podcast team are represented by the Screen Actors Guild, American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, San Francisco, Northern California Local. I’m Ericka Cruz Guevara.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>Olivia Allen-Price: \u003c/strong>\u003cem>[00:13:42] \u003c/em>And I’m Olivia Allen Price. Good luck with your ballot. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>For the past 11 months, Jennifer Sullivan has been anxiously trying to sound an alarm.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12059557/esmeralda-courts-locals-as-it-tries-to-learn-from-california-forevers-mistakes\">Esmeralda Land Company\u003c/a> has proposed building a resort hotel, hundreds of homes, an event center, a preschool and a public park on a roughly 260-acre property that once housed a wood treatment plant.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tucked in the Sonoma County town of Cloverdale, the 8-acre plant was known to use harmful chemicals and discharged them into the soil and groundwater, she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Sullivan worries that disturbing the site with new development could resurface those chemicals and expose current residents to new harms.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This is the community that I live in,” Sullivan said. “The decision to approve this development is serious — it’s got serious consequences for our water, for public health.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-25-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102961\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-25-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-25-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-25-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Attendees listen to speakers during a Planning Commission public hearing on the proposed Esmeralda development at the Cloverdale Veterans Memorial Building on Oct. 1, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-5 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12102956\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-07-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102956\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-07-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-07-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-07-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A “No Esmeralda” sign is displayed in downtown Cloverdale on Oct. 1, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12102955\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-06-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102955\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-06-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-06-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-06-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">“Yes on Esmeralda” signs are displayed in Cloverdale on Oct. 1, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On Wednesday, the Cloverdale City Council will consider whether to approve the project — one of the largest developments in the city’s recent history — along with its extensive community benefits package and already-completed environmental reviews, essentially clearing the path for its eventual construction. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As it does, however, council members are weighing the homes, jobs and tax revenue such a project might generate against a new wave of concerns from residents over environmental harms. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Esmeralda CEO Devon Zuegel said she generally understands those concerns but argues the project has already undergone extensive environmental reviews. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This site has been studied for over two decades continuously,” Zuegel said. “And if 20 years is not a long enough review, I just don’t understand, is 100 years enough — 25 years? What is the point where it becomes enough?” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Still, Sullivan isn’t satisfied. And she’s preparing to take the fight to voters.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If the city council approves the Esmeralda development as is, Sullivan wants a referendum and said she’ll start collecting signatures to place such a measure on a ballot.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-EsmeraldaProject-17-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103230\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-EsmeraldaProject-17-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-EsmeraldaProject-17-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-EsmeraldaProject-17-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Vice Mayor Todd Lands speaks with a resident before a Planning Commission public hearing on the proposed Esmeralda development at the Cloverdale Veterans Memorial Building on Oct. 1, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>But some officials are skeptical about how widespread Sullivan’s concerns are among the general population. Vice-Mayor Todd Lands said the opposition might be loud, but he has seen more support for the project through letters from residents and conversations in the community. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’ve noticed it’s about the same 15 to 20 people that have been anti-Esmeralda,” he said. “As the letters start steadily coming in, I’m starting to learn more about how the public actually feels as a whole.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Earlier this month, the Cloverdale Planning Commission voted 4-1 to recommend the council approve Esmeralda’s plan with conditions that seek to address some of Sullivan’s concerns, including requiring the developer to hire a consultant to monitor compliance with all environmental mitigation measures.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Officials with the Esmeralda Land Company have hosted several informational town hall meetings with residents since 2024, but Sullivan said she didn’t hear about it until last winter. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The scale of the project surprised her, she said, particularly the fact that Esmeralda wants to build a resort hotel with up to 160 rooms and more than 600 homes on site. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-09-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102957\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-09-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-09-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-09-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A mural in downtown Cloverdale on Oct. 1, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>“This would be a luxury hotel and, when you live in a small town, you’re like ‘Wow, that’s a lot of people, this is a big change,’” she said. “I just started doing some research into the property itself, and then that’s when I went down the rabbit hole.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Sullivan began pulling records on the site’s history and looking into environmental mitigation reports. She started a \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/groups/2111526989254995/\">Facebook page\u003c/a> for opponents of the project and a \u003ca href=\"https://www.gofundme.com/f/defend-cloverdale-from-esmeraldas-shortcuts\">GoFundMe campaign\u003c/a> to hire a land use attorney who could push the city to require more environmental reviews.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For her, it’s personal, she said. When she was 38, she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. While medical research has found that genetics play a large role in cases, environmental factors play a role too. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The environment that we live in has a huge impact on our health,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>About 8 acres of the property where Esmeralda hopes to build was previously used as a wood treatment plant, which closed in 1976. Following the closure, state agencies and the site’s owners spent the next several decades remediating the area and the groundwater below.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-6 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12103228\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-EsmeraldaProject-22-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103228\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-EsmeraldaProject-22-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-EsmeraldaProject-22-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-EsmeraldaProject-22-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jennifer Sullivan speaks with a fellow resident at the Cloverdale Veterans Memorial Building before a Planning Commission public hearing on the proposed Esmeralda development on Oct. 1, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12103227\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-EsmeraldaProject-34-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103227\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-EsmeraldaProject-34-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-EsmeraldaProject-34-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-EsmeraldaProject-34-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Attendees listen to speakers during a Planning Commission public hearing on the proposed Esmeralda development at the Cloverdale Veterans Memorial Building on Oct. 1, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 2009, a different developer proposed the Alexander Valley Resort. Like Esmeralda’s proposal, the project included a hotel, spa, fitness center, offices and shops, but it envisioned an 18-hole golf course and less open space. Though the developer eventually abandoned the project, city officials had \u003ca href=\"https://ceqanet.lci.ca.gov/2003072142/4\">approved \u003c/a>environmental reviews and cleared it for construction. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As part of the site’s ongoing remediation efforts, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.cloverdale.net/DocumentCenter/View/6953/EIR-Addendum\">North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board issued a certification\u003c/a> in 2012 verifying that the site had been decontaminated of hazardous waste. The following year, state agencies sectioned off the portion used as a wood treatment plant, along with a 14.5-acre buffer zone, and prohibited any schools, homes, hospitals or day care centers from ever being built there. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Esmeralda officials felt their project was similar, if not better for the environment than the previous project, partly because it would use less water, would have more dense housing and had more open space. They even conducted their own environmental reviews, including studying how to protect existing animals, habitats and rare plant species on site. The project’s design made sure to avoid building any homes, schools or day care centers on the previously contaminated land. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Esmeralda submitted an addendum environmental impact report — a narrower version of the full report — that’s used “when there’s been small tweaks or changes to a particular project,” according to Tamara Galanter, an environmental attorney at the law firm Shute, Mihaly and Weinberger.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The only time you can do an addendum is if there’s no new information,” Galanter said, adding that, in order for a project to qualify, “There [can’t be any] changes to the project that will result in a new significant environmental impact.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Sullivan argues that Esmeralda’s project shouldn’t qualify because it’s too different from the Alexander Valley Resort to rely on the same reviews. Esmeralda would include significantly more homes, a senior living center and potentially a K-6 school. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Esmeralda is majorly different from the Alexander Valley Resort,” she said. “I believed from the start, I was like, ‘They should be doing a newer updated [environmental report].’” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But the decision on whether a project requires an addendum or a full environmental review is determined by the city, said Chris Elmendorf, a land use law professor at the University of California at Davis. And courts have historically sided with the city’s determination of what is appropriate for a project, he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s a gray area,” Elmendorf said. “If there’s reasonable arguments both ways about whether there’s substantial new information or a substantial change in the project with implications to the environment, cities get the benefit of the doubt.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During the Planning Commission’s meeting, city staff made it clear they felt an addendum was sufficient. That document had been rigorously reviewed by a city-hired consultant, who found Esmeralda’s project would not introduce any new significant environmental effects. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-23-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102960\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-23-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-23-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-23-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Attendees listen to speakers during a Planning Commission public hearing on the proposed Esmeralda development at the Cloverdale Veterans Memorial Building on Oct. 1, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>But it was also clear many residents didn’t agree with that finding and that Sullivan’s skepticism had seeped into public opinion. Many residents demanded more environmental reviews, and some pointed to Sullivan’s Facebook page as a place they turned to for information about the project. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Cloverdale resident Nancy Brown said, originally, she really liked Esmeralda’s plan and was excited about the project’s fancy hotel, spa and restaurants. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We can use the revenue in this town, but when Jennifer Sullivan posted all the information about the site being contaminated, it all changed,” Brown said. “It’s our health and safety. We’re 100% invested in that. So we demand a new [environmental review].”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While commissioners ultimately recommended approving the project, they conditioned it on a number of requests, including a new recycled water study and a requirement for routine soil testing, among other items. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Zuegel said she’s sympathetic — to an extent. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-29-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102962\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-29-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-29-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-29-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Esmeralda Land Company founder and president Devon Zuegel speaks during a Planning Commission public hearing on the proposed Esmeralda development at the Cloverdale Veterans Memorial Building on Oct. 1, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>“You definitely don’t want people to be building, especially homes, on a property that is dirty,” she said. “But that’s why California has such high standards for environmental cleanup; it’s to protect people and to protect the environment.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>What’s more, she said, is that her project is a form of “brownfield development,” where a developer takes old commercial or industrial land and redevelops it “for higher and better use.” The alternatives would be to develop the project on pristine agricultural land or to develop it within a city, which she said could displace businesses or residents. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Brownfield is considered amazing,” Zuegel said. “When you do the development, you end up cleaning [the land] to much higher standards than if you weren’t going to be redeveloping it.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Many Cloverdale residents agree and are urging the city council to ultimately approve the project. Jon Lambert has lived in Cloverdale for the past 20 years. This spring, he started his own Facebook page, called \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/groups/1761744191457347\">Hello Esmeralda\u003c/a>, with hopes that it would be a neutral space where residents could share information. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-02-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102954\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-02-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-02-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-02-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jon Lambert, a Cloverdale resident who supports the proposed Esmeralda development, sits in his front yard in Cloverdale on Oct. 1, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Personally, Lambert is a big supporter and worries the city might miss out on a great opportunity if officials don’t approve the project.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Something like this may not come around again, and if it does come around again, it may be something that is not a good fit for Cloverdale,” he said. “What Esmeralda wants to do right now is the best possible thing that you could do with that piece of land, including not leaving it vacant.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Councilmember Andrés Marquez said that in his conversations with people on both sides, he’s found it’s not so black-and-white. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Just because somebody says they’re for the project doesn’t mean they’re for all the concessions the city might give,” he said. “If somebody says that they are against the project, it doesn’t mean that they don’t want any of this to happen, but they might feel they want certain protections in place.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ultimately, Marquez said Wednesday’s council meeting is going to be about compromise. “What is the right thing to do for the residents of Cloverdale?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the current size of Esmeralda’s proposed project site. While an earlier proposal stated it would be 266 acres, roughly five of those acres have since been removed from the site plan. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12059557/esmeralda-courts-locals-as-it-tries-to-learn-from-california-forevers-mistakes\">Esmeralda Land Company\u003c/a> has proposed building a resort hotel, hundreds of homes, an event center, a preschool and a public park on a roughly 260-acre property that once housed a wood treatment plant.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Tucked in the Sonoma County town of Cloverdale, the 8-acre plant was known to use harmful chemicals and discharged them into the soil and groundwater, she said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This is the community that I live in,” Sullivan said. “The decision to approve this development is serious — it’s got serious consequences for our water, for public health.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-25-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102961\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Attendees listen to speakers during a Planning Commission public hearing on the proposed Esmeralda development at the Cloverdale Veterans Memorial Building on Oct. 1, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-07-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102956\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A “No Esmeralda” sign is displayed in downtown Cloverdale on Oct. 1, 2026. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-07-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102956\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A “No Esmeralda” sign is displayed in downtown Cloverdale on Oct. 1, 2026. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-06-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102955\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">“Yes on Esmeralda” signs are displayed in Cloverdale on Oct. 1, 2026. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-06-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102955\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">“Yes on Esmeralda” signs are displayed in Cloverdale on Oct. 1, 2026. \u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>On Wednesday, the Cloverdale City Council will consider whether to approve the project — one of the largest developments in the city’s recent history — along with its extensive community benefits package and already-completed environmental reviews, essentially clearing the path for its eventual construction. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>On Wednesday, the Cloverdale City Council will consider whether to approve the project — one of the largest developments in the city’s recent history — along with its extensive community benefits package and already-completed environmental reviews, essentially clearing the path for its eventual construction. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As it does, however, council members are weighing the homes, jobs and tax revenue such a project might generate against a new wave of concerns from residents over environmental harms. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Esmeralda CEO Devon Zuegel said she generally understands those concerns but argues the project has already undergone extensive environmental reviews. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This site has been studied for over two decades continuously,” Zuegel said. “And if 20 years is not a long enough review, I just don’t understand, is 100 years enough — 25 years? What is the point where it becomes enough?” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“This site has been studied for over two decades continuously,” Zuegel said. “And if 20 years is not a long enough review, I just don’t understand, is 100 years enough — 25 years? What is the point where it becomes enough?” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Still, Sullivan isn’t satisfied. And she’s preparing to take the fight to voters.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>If the city council approves the Esmeralda development as is, Sullivan wants a referendum and said she’ll start collecting signatures to place such a measure on a ballot.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>If the city council approves the Esmeralda development as is, Sullivan wants a referendum and said she’ll start collecting signatures to place such a measure on a ballot.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-EsmeraldaProject-17-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103230\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-EsmeraldaProject-17-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-EsmeraldaProject-17-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-EsmeraldaProject-17-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Vice Mayor Todd Lands speaks with a resident before a Planning Commission public hearing on the proposed Esmeralda development at the Cloverdale Veterans Memorial Building on Oct. 1, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-EsmeraldaProject-17-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103230\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Vice Mayor Todd Lands speaks with a resident before a Planning Commission public hearing on the proposed Esmeralda development at the Cloverdale Veterans Memorial Building on Oct. 1, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But some officials are skeptical about how widespread Sullivan’s concerns are among the general population. Vice-Mayor Todd Lands said the opposition might be loud, but he has seen more support for the project through letters from residents and conversations in the community. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But some officials are skeptical about how widespread Sullivan’s concerns are among the general population. Vice-Mayor Todd Lands said the opposition might be loud, but he has seen more support for the project through letters from residents and conversations in the community. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I’ve noticed it’s about the same 15 to 20 people that have been anti-Esmeralda,” he said. “As the letters start steadily coming in, I’m starting to learn more about how the public actually feels as a whole.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“I’ve noticed it’s about the same 15 to 20 people that have been anti-Esmeralda,” he said. “As the letters start steadily coming in, I’m starting to learn more about how the public actually feels as a whole.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Earlier this month, the Cloverdale Planning Commission voted 4-1 to recommend the council approve Esmeralda’s plan with conditions that seek to address some of Sullivan’s concerns, including requiring the developer to hire a consultant to monitor compliance with all environmental mitigation measures.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Earlier this month, the Cloverdale Planning Commission voted 4-1 to recommend the council approve Esmeralda’s plan with conditions that seek to address some of Sullivan’s concerns, including requiring the developer to hire a consultant to monitor compliance with all environmental mitigation measures.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Officials with the Esmeralda Land Company have hosted several informational town hall meetings with residents since 2024, but Sullivan said she didn’t hear about it until last winter. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Officials with the Esmeralda Land Company have hosted several informational town hall meetings with residents since 2024, but Sullivan said she didn’t hear about it until last winter. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The scale of the project surprised her, she said, particularly the fact that Esmeralda wants to build a resort hotel with up to 160 rooms and more than 600 homes on site. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The scale of the project surprised her, she said, particularly the fact that Esmeralda wants to build a resort hotel with up to 160 rooms and more than 600 homes on site. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-09-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102957\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-09-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-09-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-09-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A mural in downtown Cloverdale on Oct. 1, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-09-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102957\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A mural in downtown Cloverdale on Oct. 1, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“This would be a luxury hotel and, when you live in a small town, you’re like ‘Wow, that’s a lot of people, this is a big change,’” she said. “I just started doing some research into the property itself, and then that’s when I went down the rabbit hole.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“This would be a luxury hotel and, when you live in a small town, you’re like ‘Wow, that’s a lot of people, this is a big change,’” she said. “I just started doing some research into the property itself, and then that’s when I went down the rabbit hole.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Sullivan began pulling records on the site’s history and looking into environmental mitigation reports. She started a \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/groups/2111526989254995/\">Facebook page\u003c/a> for opponents of the project and a \u003ca href=\"https://www.gofundme.com/f/defend-cloverdale-from-esmeraldas-shortcuts\">GoFundMe campaign\u003c/a> to hire a land use attorney who could push the city to require more environmental reviews.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Sullivan began pulling records on the site’s history and looking into environmental mitigation reports. She started a \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/groups/2111526989254995/\">Facebook page\u003c/a> for opponents of the project and a \u003ca href=\"https://www.gofundme.com/f/defend-cloverdale-from-esmeraldas-shortcuts\">GoFundMe campaign\u003c/a> to hire a land use attorney who could push the city to require more environmental reviews.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>For her, it’s personal, she said. When she was 38, she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. While medical research has found that genetics play a large role in cases, environmental factors play a role too. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>For her, it’s personal, she said. When she was 38, she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. While medical research has found that genetics play a large role in cases, environmental factors play a role too. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The environment that we live in has a huge impact on our health,” she said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>About 8 acres of the property where Esmeralda hopes to build was previously used as a wood treatment plant, which closed in 1976. Following the closure, state agencies and the site’s owners spent the next several decades remediating the area and the groundwater below.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>About 8 acres of the property where Esmeralda hopes to build was previously used as a wood treatment plant, which closed in 1976. Following the closure, state agencies and the site’s owners spent the next several decades remediating the area and the groundwater below.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-EsmeraldaProject-22-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103228\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jennifer Sullivan speaks with a fellow resident at the Cloverdale Veterans Memorial Building before a Planning Commission public hearing on the proposed Esmeralda development on Oct. 1, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-EsmeraldaProject-22-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103228\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jennifer Sullivan speaks with a fellow resident at the Cloverdale Veterans Memorial Building before a Planning Commission public hearing on the proposed Esmeralda development on Oct. 1, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-EsmeraldaProject-34-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103227\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Attendees listen to speakers during a Planning Commission public hearing on the proposed Esmeralda development at the Cloverdale Veterans Memorial Building on Oct. 1, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-EsmeraldaProject-34-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103227\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Attendees listen to speakers during a Planning Commission public hearing on the proposed Esmeralda development at the Cloverdale Veterans Memorial Building on Oct. 1, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In 2009, a different developer proposed the Alexander Valley Resort. Like Esmeralda’s proposal, the project included a hotel, spa, fitness center, offices and shops, but it envisioned an 18-hole golf course and less open space. Though the developer eventually abandoned the project, city officials had \u003ca href=\"https://ceqanet.lci.ca.gov/2003072142/4\">approved \u003c/a>environmental reviews and cleared it for construction. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In 2009, a different developer proposed the Alexander Valley Resort. Like Esmeralda’s proposal, the project included a hotel, spa, fitness center, offices and shops, but it envisioned an 18-hole golf course and less open space. Though the developer eventually abandoned the project, city officials had \u003ca href=\"https://ceqanet.lci.ca.gov/2003072142/4\">approved \u003c/a>environmental reviews and cleared it for construction. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>As part of the site’s ongoing remediation efforts, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.cloverdale.net/DocumentCenter/View/6953/EIR-Addendum\">North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board issued a certification\u003c/a> in 2012 verifying that the site had been decontaminated of hazardous waste. The following year, state agencies sectioned off the portion used as a wood treatment plant, along with a 14.5-acre buffer zone, and prohibited any schools, homes, hospitals or day care centers from ever being built there. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>As part of the site’s ongoing remediation efforts, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.cloverdale.net/DocumentCenter/View/6953/EIR-Addendum\">North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board issued a certification\u003c/a> in 2012 verifying that the site had been decontaminated of hazardous waste. The following year, state agencies sectioned off the portion used as a wood treatment plant, along with a 14.5-acre buffer zone, and prohibited any schools, homes, hospitals or day care centers from ever being built there. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Esmeralda officials felt their project was similar, if not better for the environment than the previous project, partly because it would use less water, would have more dense housing and had more open space. They even conducted their own environmental reviews, including studying how to protect existing animals, habitats and rare plant species on site. The project’s design made sure to avoid building any homes, schools or day care centers on the previously contaminated land. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Esmeralda officials felt their project was similar, if not better for the environment than the previous project, partly because it would use less water, would have more dense housing and had more open space. They even conducted their own environmental reviews, including studying how to protect existing animals, habitats and rare plant species on site. The project’s design made sure to avoid building any homes, schools or day care centers on the previously contaminated land. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Esmeralda submitted an addendum environmental impact report — a narrower version of the full report — that’s used “when there’s been small tweaks or changes to a particular project,” according to Tamara Galanter, an environmental attorney at the law firm Shute, Mihaly and Weinberger.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The only time you can do an addendum is if there’s no new information,” Galanter said, adding that, in order for a project to qualify, “There [can’t be any] changes to the project that will result in a new significant environmental impact.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The only time you can do an addendum is if there’s no new information,” Galanter said, adding that, in order for a project to qualify, “There [can’t be any] changes to the project that will result in a new significant environmental impact.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Sullivan argues that Esmeralda’s project shouldn’t qualify because it’s too different from the Alexander Valley Resort to rely on the same reviews. Esmeralda would include significantly more homes, a senior living center and potentially a K-6 school. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Sullivan argues that Esmeralda’s project shouldn’t qualify because it’s too different from the Alexander Valley Resort to rely on the same reviews. Esmeralda would include significantly more homes, a senior living center and potentially a K-6 school. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Esmeralda is majorly different from the Alexander Valley Resort,” she said. “I believed from the start, I was like, ‘They should be doing a newer updated [environmental report].’” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Esmeralda is majorly different from the Alexander Valley Resort,” she said. “I believed from the start, I was like, ‘They should be doing a newer updated [environmental report].’” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But the decision on whether a project requires an addendum or a full environmental review is determined by the city, said Chris Elmendorf, a land use law professor at the University of California at Davis. And courts have historically sided with the city’s determination of what is appropriate for a project, he said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But the decision on whether a project requires an addendum or a full environmental review is determined by the city, said Chris Elmendorf, a land use law professor at the University of California at Davis. And courts have historically sided with the city’s determination of what is appropriate for a project, he said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It’s a gray area,” Elmendorf said. “If there’s reasonable arguments both ways about whether there’s substantial new information or a substantial change in the project with implications to the environment, cities get the benefit of the doubt.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“It’s a gray area,” Elmendorf said. “If there’s reasonable arguments both ways about whether there’s substantial new information or a substantial change in the project with implications to the environment, cities get the benefit of the doubt.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>During the Planning Commission’s meeting, city staff made it clear they felt an addendum was sufficient. That document had been rigorously reviewed by a city-hired consultant, who found Esmeralda’s project would not introduce any new significant environmental effects. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>During the Planning Commission’s meeting, city staff made it clear they felt an addendum was sufficient. That document had been rigorously reviewed by a city-hired consultant, who found Esmeralda’s project would not introduce any new significant environmental effects. \u003c/p>\n"
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-23-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102960\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Attendees listen to speakers during a Planning Commission public hearing on the proposed Esmeralda development at the Cloverdale Veterans Memorial Building on Oct. 1, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But it was also clear many residents didn’t agree with that finding and that Sullivan’s skepticism had seeped into public opinion. Many residents demanded more environmental reviews, and some pointed to Sullivan’s Facebook page as a place they turned to for information about the project. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But it was also clear many residents didn’t agree with that finding and that Sullivan’s skepticism had seeped into public opinion. Many residents demanded more environmental reviews, and some pointed to Sullivan’s Facebook page as a place they turned to for information about the project. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Cloverdale resident Nancy Brown said, originally, she really liked Esmeralda’s plan and was excited about the project’s fancy hotel, spa and restaurants. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We can use the revenue in this town, but when Jennifer Sullivan posted all the information about the site being contaminated, it all changed,” Brown said. “It’s our health and safety. We’re 100% invested in that. So we demand a new [environmental review].”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We can use the revenue in this town, but when Jennifer Sullivan posted all the information about the site being contaminated, it all changed,” Brown said. “It’s our health and safety. We’re 100% invested in that. So we demand a new [environmental review].”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While commissioners ultimately recommended approving the project, they conditioned it on a number of requests, including a new recycled water study and a requirement for routine soil testing, among other items. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Zuegel said she’s sympathetic — to an extent. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-29-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102962\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-29-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-29-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-29-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Esmeralda Land Company founder and president Devon Zuegel speaks during a Planning Commission public hearing on the proposed Esmeralda development at the Cloverdale Veterans Memorial Building on Oct. 1, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-29-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102962\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Esmeralda Land Company founder and president Devon Zuegel speaks during a Planning Commission public hearing on the proposed Esmeralda development at the Cloverdale Veterans Memorial Building on Oct. 1, 2026.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“You definitely don’t want people to be building, especially homes, on a property that is dirty,” she said. “But that’s why California has such high standards for environmental cleanup; it’s to protect people and to protect the environment.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“You definitely don’t want people to be building, especially homes, on a property that is dirty,” she said. “But that’s why California has such high standards for environmental cleanup; it’s to protect people and to protect the environment.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>What’s more, she said, is that her project is a form of “brownfield development,” where a developer takes old commercial or industrial land and redevelops it “for higher and better use.” The alternatives would be to develop the project on pristine agricultural land or to develop it within a city, which she said could displace businesses or residents. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>What’s more, she said, is that her project is a form of “brownfield development,” where a developer takes old commercial or industrial land and redevelops it “for higher and better use.” The alternatives would be to develop the project on pristine agricultural land or to develop it within a city, which she said could displace businesses or residents. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Brownfield is considered amazing,” Zuegel said. “When you do the development, you end up cleaning [the land] to much higher standards than if you weren’t going to be redeveloping it.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Brownfield is considered amazing,” Zuegel said. “When you do the development, you end up cleaning [the land] to much higher standards than if you weren’t going to be redeveloping it.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Many Cloverdale residents agree and are urging the city council to ultimately approve the project. Jon Lambert has lived in Cloverdale for the past 20 years. This spring, he started his own Facebook page, called \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/groups/1761744191457347\">Hello Esmeralda\u003c/a>, with hopes that it would be a neutral space where residents could share information. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Many Cloverdale residents agree and are urging the city council to ultimately approve the project. Jon Lambert has lived in Cloverdale for the past 20 years. This spring, he started his own Facebook page, called \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/groups/1761744191457347\">Hello Esmeralda\u003c/a>, with hopes that it would be a neutral space where residents could share information. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-02-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102954\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-02-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-02-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-02-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jon Lambert, a Cloverdale resident who supports the proposed Esmeralda development, sits in his front yard in Cloverdale on Oct. 1, 2026. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-02-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102954\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jon Lambert, a Cloverdale resident who supports the proposed Esmeralda development, sits in his front yard in Cloverdale on Oct. 1, 2026. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Personally, Lambert is a big supporter and worries the city might miss out on a great opportunity if officials don’t approve the project.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Something like this may not come around again, and if it does come around again, it may be something that is not a good fit for Cloverdale,” he said. “What Esmeralda wants to do right now is the best possible thing that you could do with that piece of land, including not leaving it vacant.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Something like this may not come around again, and if it does come around again, it may be something that is not a good fit for Cloverdale,” he said. “What Esmeralda wants to do right now is the best possible thing that you could do with that piece of land, including not leaving it vacant.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Councilmember Andrés Marquez said that in his conversations with people on both sides, he’s found it’s not so black-and-white. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Councilmember Andrés Marquez said that in his conversations with people on both sides, he’s found it’s not so black-and-white. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“Just because somebody says they’re for the project doesn’t mean they’re for all the concessions the city might give,” he said. “If somebody says that they are against the project, it doesn’t mean that they don’t want any of this to happen, but they might feel they want certain protections in place.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“Just because somebody says they’re for the project doesn’t mean they’re for all the concessions the city might give,” he said. “If somebody says that they are against the project, it doesn’t mean that they don’t want any of this to happen, but they might feel they want certain protections in place.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Ultimately, Marquez said Wednesday’s council meeting is going to be about compromise. “What is the right thing to do for the residents of Cloverdale?”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the current size of Esmeralda’s proposed project site. While an earlier proposal stated it would be 266 acres, roughly five of those acres have since been removed from the site plan. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "The Cloverdale City Council will vote Wednesday on whether to approve Esmeralda, a controversial event center and new neighborhood in the small Sonoma County town that’s faced a recent wave of backlash over concerns that the site is contaminated.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>For the past 11 months, Jennifer Sullivan has been anxiously trying to sound an alarm.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12059557/esmeralda-courts-locals-as-it-tries-to-learn-from-california-forevers-mistakes\">Esmeralda Land Company\u003c/a> has proposed building a resort hotel, hundreds of homes, an event center, a preschool and a public park on a roughly 260-acre property that once housed a wood treatment plant.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Tucked in the Sonoma County town of Cloverdale, the 8-acre plant was known to use harmful chemicals and discharged them into the soil and groundwater, she said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Sullivan worries that disturbing the site with new development could resurface those chemicals and expose current residents to new harms.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This is the community that I live in,” Sullivan said. “The decision to approve this development is serious — it’s got serious consequences for our water, for public health.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-25-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102961\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-25-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-25-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-25-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Attendees listen to speakers during a Planning Commission public hearing on the proposed Esmeralda development at the Cloverdale Veterans Memorial Building on Oct. 1, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-5 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12102956\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-07-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102956\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-07-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-07-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-07-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A “No Esmeralda” sign is displayed in downtown Cloverdale on Oct. 1, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12102955\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-06-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102955\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-06-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-06-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-06-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">“Yes on Esmeralda” signs are displayed in Cloverdale on Oct. 1, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>On Wednesday, the Cloverdale City Council will consider whether to approve the project — one of the largest developments in the city’s recent history — along with its extensive community benefits package and already-completed environmental reviews, essentially clearing the path for its eventual construction. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As it does, however, council members are weighing the homes, jobs and tax revenue such a project might generate against a new wave of concerns from residents over environmental harms. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Esmeralda CEO Devon Zuegel said she generally understands those concerns but argues the project has already undergone extensive environmental reviews. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This site has been studied for over two decades continuously,” Zuegel said. “And if 20 years is not a long enough review, I just don’t understand, is 100 years enough — 25 years? What is the point where it becomes enough?” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Still, Sullivan isn’t satisfied. And she’s preparing to take the fight to voters.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>If the city council approves the Esmeralda development as is, Sullivan wants a referendum and said she’ll start collecting signatures to place such a measure on a ballot.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-EsmeraldaProject-17-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103230\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-EsmeraldaProject-17-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-EsmeraldaProject-17-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-EsmeraldaProject-17-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Vice Mayor Todd Lands speaks with a resident before a Planning Commission public hearing on the proposed Esmeralda development at the Cloverdale Veterans Memorial Building on Oct. 1, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>But some officials are skeptical about how widespread Sullivan’s concerns are among the general population. Vice-Mayor Todd Lands said the opposition might be loud, but he has seen more support for the project through letters from residents and conversations in the community. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’ve noticed it’s about the same 15 to 20 people that have been anti-Esmeralda,” he said. “As the letters start steadily coming in, I’m starting to learn more about how the public actually feels as a whole.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Earlier this month, the Cloverdale Planning Commission voted 4-1 to recommend the council approve Esmeralda’s plan with conditions that seek to address some of Sullivan’s concerns, including requiring the developer to hire a consultant to monitor compliance with all environmental mitigation measures.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Officials with the Esmeralda Land Company have hosted several informational town hall meetings with residents since 2024, but Sullivan said she didn’t hear about it until last winter. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The scale of the project surprised her, she said, particularly the fact that Esmeralda wants to build a resort hotel with up to 160 rooms and more than 600 homes on site. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-09-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102957\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-09-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-09-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-09-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A mural in downtown Cloverdale on Oct. 1, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>“This would be a luxury hotel and, when you live in a small town, you’re like ‘Wow, that’s a lot of people, this is a big change,’” she said. “I just started doing some research into the property itself, and then that’s when I went down the rabbit hole.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Sullivan began pulling records on the site’s history and looking into environmental mitigation reports. She started a \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/groups/2111526989254995/\">Facebook page\u003c/a> for opponents of the project and a \u003ca href=\"https://www.gofundme.com/f/defend-cloverdale-from-esmeraldas-shortcuts\">GoFundMe campaign\u003c/a> to hire a land use attorney who could push the city to require more environmental reviews.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For her, it’s personal, she said. When she was 38, she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. While medical research has found that genetics play a large role in cases, environmental factors play a role too. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The environment that we live in has a huge impact on our health,” she said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>About 8 acres of the property where Esmeralda hopes to build was previously used as a wood treatment plant, which closed in 1976. Following the closure, state agencies and the site’s owners spent the next several decades remediating the area and the groundwater below.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-6 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1999\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12103228\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-EsmeraldaProject-22-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103228\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-EsmeraldaProject-22-BL_qed.jpg 1999w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-EsmeraldaProject-22-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-EsmeraldaProject-22-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1999px) 100vw, 1999px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jennifer Sullivan speaks with a fellow resident at the Cloverdale Veterans Memorial Building before a Planning Commission public hearing on the proposed Esmeralda development on Oct. 1, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12103227\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-EsmeraldaProject-34-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103227\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-EsmeraldaProject-34-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-EsmeraldaProject-34-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-EsmeraldaProject-34-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Attendees listen to speakers during a Planning Commission public hearing on the proposed Esmeralda development at the Cloverdale Veterans Memorial Building on Oct. 1, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In 2009, a different developer proposed the Alexander Valley Resort. Like Esmeralda’s proposal, the project included a hotel, spa, fitness center, offices and shops, but it envisioned an 18-hole golf course and less open space. Though the developer eventually abandoned the project, city officials had \u003ca href=\"https://ceqanet.lci.ca.gov/2003072142/4\">approved \u003c/a>environmental reviews and cleared it for construction. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>As part of the site’s ongoing remediation efforts, the \u003ca href=\"https://www.cloverdale.net/DocumentCenter/View/6953/EIR-Addendum\">North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board issued a certification\u003c/a> in 2012 verifying that the site had been decontaminated of hazardous waste. The following year, state agencies sectioned off the portion used as a wood treatment plant, along with a 14.5-acre buffer zone, and prohibited any schools, homes, hospitals or day care centers from ever being built there. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Esmeralda officials felt their project was similar, if not better for the environment than the previous project, partly because it would use less water, would have more dense housing and had more open space. They even conducted their own environmental reviews, including studying how to protect existing animals, habitats and rare plant species on site. The project’s design made sure to avoid building any homes, schools or day care centers on the previously contaminated land. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Esmeralda submitted an addendum environmental impact report — a narrower version of the full report — that’s used “when there’s been small tweaks or changes to a particular project,” according to Tamara Galanter, an environmental attorney at the law firm Shute, Mihaly and Weinberger.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The only time you can do an addendum is if there’s no new information,” Galanter said, adding that, in order for a project to qualify, “There [can’t be any] changes to the project that will result in a new significant environmental impact.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Sullivan argues that Esmeralda’s project shouldn’t qualify because it’s too different from the Alexander Valley Resort to rely on the same reviews. Esmeralda would include significantly more homes, a senior living center and potentially a K-6 school. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Esmeralda is majorly different from the Alexander Valley Resort,” she said. “I believed from the start, I was like, ‘They should be doing a newer updated [environmental report].’” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But the decision on whether a project requires an addendum or a full environmental review is determined by the city, said Chris Elmendorf, a land use law professor at the University of California at Davis. And courts have historically sided with the city’s determination of what is appropriate for a project, he said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It’s a gray area,” Elmendorf said. “If there’s reasonable arguments both ways about whether there’s substantial new information or a substantial change in the project with implications to the environment, cities get the benefit of the doubt.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>During the Planning Commission’s meeting, city staff made it clear they felt an addendum was sufficient. That document had been rigorously reviewed by a city-hired consultant, who found Esmeralda’s project would not introduce any new significant environmental effects. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-23-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102960\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-23-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-23-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-23-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Attendees listen to speakers during a Planning Commission public hearing on the proposed Esmeralda development at the Cloverdale Veterans Memorial Building on Oct. 1, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>But it was also clear many residents didn’t agree with that finding and that Sullivan’s skepticism had seeped into public opinion. Many residents demanded more environmental reviews, and some pointed to Sullivan’s Facebook page as a place they turned to for information about the project. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Cloverdale resident Nancy Brown said, originally, she really liked Esmeralda’s plan and was excited about the project’s fancy hotel, spa and restaurants. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We can use the revenue in this town, but when Jennifer Sullivan posted all the information about the site being contaminated, it all changed,” Brown said. “It’s our health and safety. We’re 100% invested in that. So we demand a new [environmental review].”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While commissioners ultimately recommended approving the project, they conditioned it on a number of requests, including a new recycled water study and a requirement for routine soil testing, among other items. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Zuegel said she’s sympathetic — to an extent. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-29-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102962\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-29-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-29-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-29-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Esmeralda Land Company founder and president Devon Zuegel speaks during a Planning Commission public hearing on the proposed Esmeralda development at the Cloverdale Veterans Memorial Building on Oct. 1, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>“You definitely don’t want people to be building, especially homes, on a property that is dirty,” she said. “But that’s why California has such high standards for environmental cleanup; it’s to protect people and to protect the environment.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>What’s more, she said, is that her project is a form of “brownfield development,” where a developer takes old commercial or industrial land and redevelops it “for higher and better use.” The alternatives would be to develop the project on pristine agricultural land or to develop it within a city, which she said could displace businesses or residents. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Brownfield is considered amazing,” Zuegel said. “When you do the development, you end up cleaning [the land] to much higher standards than if you weren’t going to be redeveloping it.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Many Cloverdale residents agree and are urging the city council to ultimately approve the project. Jon Lambert has lived in Cloverdale for the past 20 years. This spring, he started his own Facebook page, called \u003ca href=\"https://www.facebook.com/groups/1761744191457347\">Hello Esmeralda\u003c/a>, with hopes that it would be a neutral space where residents could share information. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-02-BL-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102954\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-02-BL-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-02-BL-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261001-ESMERALDAPROJECT-02-BL-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Jon Lambert, a Cloverdale resident who supports the proposed Esmeralda development, sits in his front yard in Cloverdale on Oct. 1, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>Personally, Lambert is a big supporter and worries the city might miss out on a great opportunity if officials don’t approve the project.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Something like this may not come around again, and if it does come around again, it may be something that is not a good fit for Cloverdale,” he said. “What Esmeralda wants to do right now is the best possible thing that you could do with that piece of land, including not leaving it vacant.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Councilmember Andrés Marquez said that in his conversations with people on both sides, he’s found it’s not so black-and-white. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Just because somebody says they’re for the project doesn’t mean they’re for all the concessions the city might give,” he said. “If somebody says that they are against the project, it doesn’t mean that they don’t want any of this to happen, but they might feel they want certain protections in place.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Ultimately, Marquez said Wednesday’s council meeting is going to be about compromise. “What is the right thing to do for the residents of Cloverdale?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cem>Editor’s Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the current size of Esmeralda’s proposed project site. While an earlier proposal stated it would be 266 acres, roughly five of those acres have since been removed from the site plan. \u003c/em>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>A San Francisco developer is suing Menlo Park, hoping to force the city to approve a proposed \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12101341/congressman-calls-for-investigation-of-russian-owned-silicon-valley-site\">high-rise development\u003c/a> with hundreds of residences, retail and office space and a hotel, on the site of the former Sunset Magazine headquarters.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The lawsuit, filed in San Mateo County Superior Court late last week, asks a judge to require the wealthy Peninsula enclave to greenlight the project under the authority of a bevy of state housing laws passed in recent years meant to increase production of homes and limit local officials’ ability to thwart them.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The legal battle could expose the city to several million dollars in fines under some of the newest state housing laws, and could also serve as a cautionary tale to other municipalities about the penalties for running afoul of California’s web of housing regulations aimed at combating a decadeslong housing shortage and affordability crisis. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s Office has already weighed in on the fight, warning Menlo Park in a July letter that it has mishandled the project application from N17 Development and violated state housing laws in the process, which the city has rebuffed. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We regret having to bring this lawsuit, but we had no choice given the city has done nothing but throw roadblocks in our way to delay and deny the project, arrogantly breaking state housing laws,” Oisín Heneghan, the founder of N17, said in a statement. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1250\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261005-Menlo-Park-lawsuit-03-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102903\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261005-Menlo-Park-lawsuit-03-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261005-Menlo-Park-lawsuit-03-KQED-160x100.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261005-Menlo-Park-lawsuit-03-KQED-1536x960.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An aerial rendering shows what the proposed Willow Park development at 80 Willow Road in Menlo Park could look like. (Courtesy of N17 Development)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>The property, which once served as a physical link to the California suburban lifestyle that was for years depicted in the pages of Sunset, has drawn recent scrutiny from South Bay \u003ca href=\"https://liccardo.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/liccardo.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/quill-letter-l39585-80-willow-road-development-letter-to-treasury-version-1-09-23-2026-08-51-pm.pdf\">Rep. Sam Liccardo\u003c/a>, because he said it is owned by a “Russian oligarch,” and could be used to store ill-gotten wealth or evade sanctions.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But even before Liccardo raised those concerns about owner Vitaly Yusufov, son of a former Russian energy minister, the project sparked years of controversy in the small Peninsula city because of its massive size and height, which many residents and elected officials said was inappropriate for the area.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Heneghan’s company is proposing to demolish the existing buildings to create a mixed-use project with a total of 665 apartments or condos, with roughly 100 of them to be priced below market-rate, along with 332,000 square feet of office space, 17,000 square feet of retail space and a 130-room hotel.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The tallest buildings in the plans would range from 301 feet to as high as 458 feet, according to the city. The project, called Willow Park, would be built on a 6.7-acre piece of land at 80 Willow Road that sits at the corner of Middlefield Road and backs up to San Francisquito Creek.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The project was proposed in late 2023 under a unique provision of state law known as the “Builder’s Remedy,” which allows developers to bypass most local discretionary review and have a project fast-tracked when a city or county hasn’t received certification of its long-term housing plan from the state. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The lawsuit claims the project should be considered “by right” and eligible for a streamlined review by city planners, and is also eligible for a series of waivers and concessions that would brush aside local development requirements like height limits, because it provides enough affordable housing. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1126\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261005-Menlo-Park-lawsuit-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102902\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261005-Menlo-Park-lawsuit-02-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261005-Menlo-Park-lawsuit-02-KQED-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261005-Menlo-Park-lawsuit-02-KQED-1536x865.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261005-Menlo-Park-lawsuit-02-KQED-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A digital rendering shows what a pool deck area in a portion of the Willow Park development at 80 Willow Road in Menlo Park could look like. (Courtesy of N17 Development)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>“In other words, the city is not permitted to say no to the project. Yet over the course of nearly three years, the city has repeatedly refused to comply with state housing reform laws with respect to the project, drawing admonishments from the California Department of Housing and Community Development and the California Attorney General,” the lawsuit said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“While its elected officials have talked a good game, Menlo Park is actually one of the most hostile cities to building new and affordable housing in the nation,” Heneghan said in the statement. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The lawsuit, echoing in part Bonta’s July letter, said the city unlawfully changed its reasoning at different points in the review process to deny the project a streamlined approval. It seeks a refund of roughly $300,000 in legal fees the city asked the developer to pay in connection with the review. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Under AB 712, which went into effect in January, if a city loses a court battle over a housing application debating state housing reform laws, after receiving a notice like the one Menlo Park did from Bonta, the courts must impose fines of $10,000 per housing unit in the project against the city, and potentially more under other provisions. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That could mean at least $6.65 million in fines for Menlo Park, a city with a population of only 32,000 and a roughly $90 million annual budget. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Chris Elmendorf, a law professor at UC Davis, said if Menlo Park loses the case, it would make the risks of the newest housing laws “much more vivid” for leaders around California. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“That will be a huge warning shot to all cities,” Elmendorf said. “Once the Attorney General or [the California Housing and Community Development Department] gets that letter in the record, you are at serious risk of big-time fiscal consequences.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Heneghan’s company has tried to negotiate with the city over a path forward until recently, but he claims the city has rejected those efforts. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mayor Betsy Nash said the city strongly disagrees with Bonta and Heneghan that the project is eligible for streamlined review. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We are not rejecting the project. We are continuing our review in the standard way,” she said in an interview. Nash noted that the city selected a consultant to do an environmental impact report for the project, costs for which are typically footed by the developer. She said N17 has declined to pay for the EIR, which has contributed to the stalled review. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We believe on such a massive project that is on the banks of an environmentally sensitive creek with major impacts to our infrastructure, that we need to go through the regular environmental impact review process,” Nash said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The city leaders also believe the project is not considered a housing project under recently updated state laws because it includes hotel space. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After a Sept. 29 closed session meeting of the council, the city manager sent an Oct. 1 response letter to Bonta, disagreeing with his office’s interpretation, and taking issue with his office sending a warning notice that “unlocks potentially catastrophic financial penalties against the city” without visiting the site. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The letter also said the city does not believe the project from N17 will help stem the housing crisis. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1230\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/2-v07-scaled-e1791329526834.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103248\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A digital rendering of what the proposed Willow Park development at 80 Willow Road in Menlo Park could look like. (Courtesy of N17 Development)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>“There is no doubt that the vast majority of the housing in this project would\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>be affordable only to the very wealthiest residents of the Bay Area,” the letter said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>From 2015-23, the city built or approved 2,349 homes, exceeding its state-mandated housing goals in all income categories except moderate, where it built or approved about three-fourths of what was needed. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the current 2023-31 housing cycle, the state tasked the city with building or approving nearly 3,000 homes. Menlo Park had hit about 40% of that overall goal at the end of last year, though for homes in lower-income categories, it had achieved less than 30% of the goal, and less than 20% for very low-income homes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While the legal wrangling over the details of the Willow Park project and the timing around certain housing laws is very specific to this case, Elmendorf said the issue helps illustrate how far the pendulum has swung in the state for housing production.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The fact that a project that five years ago would have been seen as preposterous is now a project that Menlo Park is very much on its back foot in trying to fend off, and stands to lose a ton of money on in court,” he said, “is a testament to how the legislature and officialdom generally within the state government has come to view the appropriate balance between local control and the state’s interest in the need for more housing.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>A San Francisco developer is suing Menlo Park, hoping to force the city to approve a proposed \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12101341/congressman-calls-for-investigation-of-russian-owned-silicon-valley-site\">high-rise development\u003c/a> with hundreds of residences, retail and office space and a hotel, on the site of the former Sunset Magazine headquarters.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The lawsuit, filed in San Mateo County Superior Court late last week, asks a judge to require the wealthy Peninsula enclave to greenlight the project under the authority of a bevy of state housing laws passed in recent years meant to increase production of homes and limit local officials’ ability to thwart them.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The lawsuit, filed in San Mateo County Superior Court late last week, asks a judge to require the wealthy Peninsula enclave to greenlight the project under the authority of a bevy of state housing laws passed in recent years meant to increase production of homes and limit local officials’ ability to thwart them.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The legal battle could expose the city to several million dollars in fines under some of the newest state housing laws, and could also serve as a cautionary tale to other municipalities about the penalties for running afoul of California’s web of housing regulations aimed at combating a decadeslong housing shortage and affordability crisis. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The legal battle could expose the city to several million dollars in fines under some of the newest state housing laws, and could also serve as a cautionary tale to other municipalities about the penalties for running afoul of California’s web of housing regulations aimed at combating a decadeslong housing shortage and affordability crisis. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s Office has already weighed in on the fight, warning Menlo Park in a July letter that it has mishandled the project application from N17 Development and violated state housing laws in the process, which the city has rebuffed. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s Office has already weighed in on the fight, warning Menlo Park in a July letter that it has mishandled the project application from N17 Development and violated state housing laws in the process, which the city has rebuffed. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We regret having to bring this lawsuit, but we had no choice given the city has done nothing but throw roadblocks in our way to delay and deny the project, arrogantly breaking state housing laws,” Oisín Heneghan, the founder of N17, said in a statement. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We regret having to bring this lawsuit, but we had no choice given the city has done nothing but throw roadblocks in our way to delay and deny the project, arrogantly breaking state housing laws,” Oisín Heneghan, the founder of N17, said in a statement. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261005-Menlo-Park-lawsuit-03-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102903\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261005-Menlo-Park-lawsuit-03-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261005-Menlo-Park-lawsuit-03-KQED-160x100.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261005-Menlo-Park-lawsuit-03-KQED-1536x960.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An aerial rendering shows what the proposed Willow Park development at 80 Willow Road in Menlo Park could look like. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of N17 Development)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261005-Menlo-Park-lawsuit-03-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102903\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An aerial rendering shows what the proposed Willow Park development at 80 Willow Road in Menlo Park could look like. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of N17 Development)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The property, which once served as a physical link to the California suburban lifestyle that was for years depicted in the pages of Sunset, has drawn recent scrutiny from South Bay \u003ca href=\"https://liccardo.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/liccardo.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/quill-letter-l39585-80-willow-road-development-letter-to-treasury-version-1-09-23-2026-08-51-pm.pdf\">Rep. Sam Liccardo\u003c/a>, because he said it is owned by a “Russian oligarch,” and could be used to store ill-gotten wealth or evade sanctions.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The property, which once served as a physical link to the California suburban lifestyle that was for years depicted in the pages of Sunset, has drawn recent scrutiny from South Bay \u003ca href=\"https://liccardo.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/liccardo.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/quill-letter-l39585-80-willow-road-development-letter-to-treasury-version-1-09-23-2026-08-51-pm.pdf\">Rep. Sam Liccardo\u003c/a>, because he said it is owned by a “Russian oligarch,” and could be used to store ill-gotten wealth or evade sanctions.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But even before Liccardo raised those concerns about owner Vitaly Yusufov, son of a former Russian energy minister, the project sparked years of controversy in the small Peninsula city because of its massive size and height, which many residents and elected officials said was inappropriate for the area.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But even before Liccardo raised those concerns about owner Vitaly Yusufov, son of a former Russian energy minister, the project sparked years of controversy in the small Peninsula city because of its massive size and height, which many residents and elected officials said was inappropriate for the area.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Heneghan’s company is proposing to demolish the existing buildings to create a mixed-use project with a total of 665 apartments or condos, with roughly 100 of them to be priced below market-rate, along with 332,000 square feet of office space, 17,000 square feet of retail space and a 130-room hotel.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Heneghan’s company is proposing to demolish the existing buildings to create a mixed-use project with a total of 665 apartments or condos, with roughly 100 of them to be priced below market-rate, along with 332,000 square feet of office space, 17,000 square feet of retail space and a 130-room hotel.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The tallest buildings in the plans would range from 301 feet to as high as 458 feet, according to the city. The project, called Willow Park, would be built on a 6.7-acre piece of land at 80 Willow Road that sits at the corner of Middlefield Road and backs up to San Francisquito Creek.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The tallest buildings in the plans would range from 301 feet to as high as 458 feet, according to the city. The project, called Willow Park, would be built on a 6.7-acre piece of land at 80 Willow Road that sits at the corner of Middlefield Road and backs up to San Francisquito Creek.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The project was proposed in late 2023 under a unique provision of state law known as the “Builder’s Remedy,” which allows developers to bypass most local discretionary review and have a project fast-tracked when a city or county hasn’t received certification of its long-term housing plan from the state. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The project was proposed in late 2023 under a unique provision of state law known as the “Builder’s Remedy,” which allows developers to bypass most local discretionary review and have a project fast-tracked when a city or county hasn’t received certification of its long-term housing plan from the state. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The lawsuit claims the project should be considered “by right” and eligible for a streamlined review by city planners, and is also eligible for a series of waivers and concessions that would brush aside local development requirements like height limits, because it provides enough affordable housing. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The lawsuit claims the project should be considered “by right” and eligible for a streamlined review by city planners, and is also eligible for a series of waivers and concessions that would brush aside local development requirements like height limits, because it provides enough affordable housing. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261005-Menlo-Park-lawsuit-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102902\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261005-Menlo-Park-lawsuit-02-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261005-Menlo-Park-lawsuit-02-KQED-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261005-Menlo-Park-lawsuit-02-KQED-1536x865.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261005-Menlo-Park-lawsuit-02-KQED-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 992px) min(100vw, 1536px), (min-width: 768px) min(100vw, 1280px), min(100vw, 1020px)\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A digital rendering shows what a pool deck area in a portion of the Willow Park development at 80 Willow Road in Menlo Park could look like. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of N17 Development)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261005-Menlo-Park-lawsuit-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102902\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A digital rendering shows what a pool deck area in a portion of the Willow Park development at 80 Willow Road in Menlo Park could look like. \u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of N17 Development)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“In other words, the city is not permitted to say no to the project. Yet over the course of nearly three years, the city has repeatedly refused to comply with state housing reform laws with respect to the project, drawing admonishments from the California Department of Housing and Community Development and the California Attorney General,” the lawsuit said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“In other words, the city is not permitted to say no to the project. Yet over the course of nearly three years, the city has repeatedly refused to comply with state housing reform laws with respect to the project, drawing admonishments from the California Department of Housing and Community Development and the California Attorney General,” the lawsuit said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“While its elected officials have talked a good game, Menlo Park is actually one of the most hostile cities to building new and affordable housing in the nation,” Heneghan said in the statement. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“While its elected officials have talked a good game, Menlo Park is actually one of the most hostile cities to building new and affordable housing in the nation,” Heneghan said in the statement. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The lawsuit, echoing in part Bonta’s July letter, said the city unlawfully changed its reasoning at different points in the review process to deny the project a streamlined approval. It seeks a refund of roughly $300,000 in legal fees the city asked the developer to pay in connection with the review. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>The lawsuit, echoing in part Bonta’s July letter, said the city unlawfully changed its reasoning at different points in the review process to deny the project a streamlined approval. It seeks a refund of roughly $300,000 in legal fees the city asked the developer to pay in connection with the review. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Under AB 712, which went into effect in January, if a city loses a court battle over a housing application debating state housing reform laws, after receiving a notice like the one Menlo Park did from Bonta, the courts must impose fines of $10,000 per housing unit in the project against the city, and potentially more under other provisions. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Under AB 712, which went into effect in January, if a city loses a court battle over a housing application debating state housing reform laws, after receiving a notice like the one Menlo Park did from Bonta, the courts must impose fines of $10,000 per housing unit in the project against the city, and potentially more under other provisions. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That could mean at least $6.65 million in fines for Menlo Park, a city with a population of only 32,000 and a roughly $90 million annual budget. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Chris Elmendorf, a law professor at UC Davis, said if Menlo Park loses the case, it would make the risks of the newest housing laws “much more vivid” for leaders around California. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Chris Elmendorf, a law professor at UC Davis, said if Menlo Park loses the case, it would make the risks of the newest housing laws “much more vivid” for leaders around California. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“That will be a huge warning shot to all cities,” Elmendorf said. “Once the Attorney General or [the California Housing and Community Development Department] gets that letter in the record, you are at serious risk of big-time fiscal consequences.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“That will be a huge warning shot to all cities,” Elmendorf said. “Once the Attorney General or [the California Housing and Community Development Department] gets that letter in the record, you are at serious risk of big-time fiscal consequences.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Heneghan’s company has tried to negotiate with the city over a path forward until recently, but he claims the city has rejected those efforts. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Mayor Betsy Nash said the city strongly disagrees with Bonta and Heneghan that the project is eligible for streamlined review. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We are not rejecting the project. We are continuing our review in the standard way,” she said in an interview. Nash noted that the city selected a consultant to do an environmental impact report for the project, costs for which are typically footed by the developer. She said N17 has declined to pay for the EIR, which has contributed to the stalled review. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We are not rejecting the project. We are continuing our review in the standard way,” she said in an interview. Nash noted that the city selected a consultant to do an environmental impact report for the project, costs for which are typically footed by the developer. She said N17 has declined to pay for the EIR, which has contributed to the stalled review. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“We believe on such a massive project that is on the banks of an environmentally sensitive creek with major impacts to our infrastructure, that we need to go through the regular environmental impact review process,” Nash said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“We believe on such a massive project that is on the banks of an environmentally sensitive creek with major impacts to our infrastructure, that we need to go through the regular environmental impact review process,” Nash said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The city leaders also believe the project is not considered a housing project under recently updated state laws because it includes hotel space. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>After a Sept. 29 closed session meeting of the council, the city manager sent an Oct. 1 response letter to Bonta, disagreeing with his office’s interpretation, and taking issue with his office sending a warning notice that “unlocks potentially catastrophic financial penalties against the city” without visiting the site. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>After a Sept. 29 closed session meeting of the council, the city manager sent an Oct. 1 response letter to Bonta, disagreeing with his office’s interpretation, and taking issue with his office sending a warning notice that “unlocks potentially catastrophic financial penalties against the city” without visiting the site. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The letter also said the city does not believe the project from N17 will help stem the housing crisis. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/2-v07-scaled-e1791329526834.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103248\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A digital rendering of what the proposed Willow Park development at 80 Willow Road in Menlo Park could look like.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of N17 Development)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/2-v07-scaled-e1791329526834.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103248\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A digital rendering of what the proposed Willow Park development at 80 Willow Road in Menlo Park could look like.\u003ccite class=\"wp-inline-image-credit\"> (Courtesy of N17 Development)\u003c/cite>\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“There is no doubt that the vast majority of the housing in this project would\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>be affordable only to the very wealthiest residents of the Bay Area,” the letter said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>From 2015-23, the city built or approved 2,349 homes, exceeding its state-mandated housing goals in all income categories except moderate, where it built or approved about three-fourths of what was needed. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>From 2015-23, the city built or approved 2,349 homes, exceeding its state-mandated housing goals in all income categories except moderate, where it built or approved about three-fourths of what was needed. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In the current 2023-31 housing cycle, the state tasked the city with building or approving nearly 3,000 homes. Menlo Park had hit about 40% of that overall goal at the end of last year, though for homes in lower-income categories, it had achieved less than 30% of the goal, and less than 20% for very low-income homes. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In the current 2023-31 housing cycle, the state tasked the city with building or approving nearly 3,000 homes. Menlo Park had hit about 40% of that overall goal at the end of last year, though for homes in lower-income categories, it had achieved less than 30% of the goal, and less than 20% for very low-income homes. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>While the legal wrangling over the details of the Willow Park project and the timing around certain housing laws is very specific to this case, Elmendorf said the issue helps illustrate how far the pendulum has swung in the state for housing production.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>While the legal wrangling over the details of the Willow Park project and the timing around certain housing laws is very specific to this case, Elmendorf said the issue helps illustrate how far the pendulum has swung in the state for housing production.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“The fact that a project that five years ago would have been seen as preposterous is now a project that Menlo Park is very much on its back foot in trying to fend off, and stands to lose a ton of money on in court,” he said, “is a testament to how the legislature and officialdom generally within the state government has come to view the appropriate balance between local control and the state’s interest in the need for more housing.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>“The fact that a project that five years ago would have been seen as preposterous is now a project that Menlo Park is very much on its back foot in trying to fend off, and stands to lose a ton of money on in court,” he said, “is a testament to how the legislature and officialdom generally within the state government has come to view the appropriate balance between local control and the state’s interest in the need for more housing.”\u003c/p>\n"
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"excerpt": "A developer seeking to build high-rises on the former Sunset Magazine headquarters property is suing Menlo Park.",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>A San Francisco developer is suing Menlo Park, hoping to force the city to approve a proposed \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12101341/congressman-calls-for-investigation-of-russian-owned-silicon-valley-site\">high-rise development\u003c/a> with hundreds of residences, retail and office space and a hotel, on the site of the former Sunset Magazine headquarters.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The lawsuit, filed in San Mateo County Superior Court late last week, asks a judge to require the wealthy Peninsula enclave to greenlight the project under the authority of a bevy of state housing laws passed in recent years meant to increase production of homes and limit local officials’ ability to thwart them.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The legal battle could expose the city to several million dollars in fines under some of the newest state housing laws, and could also serve as a cautionary tale to other municipalities about the penalties for running afoul of California’s web of housing regulations aimed at combating a decadeslong housing shortage and affordability crisis. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s Office has already weighed in on the fight, warning Menlo Park in a July letter that it has mishandled the project application from N17 Development and violated state housing laws in the process, which the city has rebuffed. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We regret having to bring this lawsuit, but we had no choice given the city has done nothing but throw roadblocks in our way to delay and deny the project, arrogantly breaking state housing laws,” Oisín Heneghan, the founder of N17, said in a statement. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1250\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261005-Menlo-Park-lawsuit-03-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102903\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261005-Menlo-Park-lawsuit-03-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261005-Menlo-Park-lawsuit-03-KQED-160x100.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261005-Menlo-Park-lawsuit-03-KQED-1536x960.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">An aerial rendering shows what the proposed Willow Park development at 80 Willow Road in Menlo Park could look like. (Courtesy of N17 Development)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>The property, which once served as a physical link to the California suburban lifestyle that was for years depicted in the pages of Sunset, has drawn recent scrutiny from South Bay \u003ca href=\"https://liccardo.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/liccardo.house.gov/files/evo-media-document/quill-letter-l39585-80-willow-road-development-letter-to-treasury-version-1-09-23-2026-08-51-pm.pdf\">Rep. Sam Liccardo\u003c/a>, because he said it is owned by a “Russian oligarch,” and could be used to store ill-gotten wealth or evade sanctions.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But even before Liccardo raised those concerns about owner Vitaly Yusufov, son of a former Russian energy minister, the project sparked years of controversy in the small Peninsula city because of its massive size and height, which many residents and elected officials said was inappropriate for the area.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Heneghan’s company is proposing to demolish the existing buildings to create a mixed-use project with a total of 665 apartments or condos, with roughly 100 of them to be priced below market-rate, along with 332,000 square feet of office space, 17,000 square feet of retail space and a 130-room hotel.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The tallest buildings in the plans would range from 301 feet to as high as 458 feet, according to the city. The project, called Willow Park, would be built on a 6.7-acre piece of land at 80 Willow Road that sits at the corner of Middlefield Road and backs up to San Francisquito Creek.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The project was proposed in late 2023 under a unique provision of state law known as the “Builder’s Remedy,” which allows developers to bypass most local discretionary review and have a project fast-tracked when a city or county hasn’t received certification of its long-term housing plan from the state. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The lawsuit claims the project should be considered “by right” and eligible for a streamlined review by city planners, and is also eligible for a series of waivers and concessions that would brush aside local development requirements like height limits, because it provides enough affordable housing. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1126\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261005-Menlo-Park-lawsuit-02-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12102902\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261005-Menlo-Park-lawsuit-02-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261005-Menlo-Park-lawsuit-02-KQED-160x90.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261005-Menlo-Park-lawsuit-02-KQED-1536x865.jpg 1536w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/261005-Menlo-Park-lawsuit-02-KQED-1200x675.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A digital rendering shows what a pool deck area in a portion of the Willow Park development at 80 Willow Road in Menlo Park could look like. (Courtesy of N17 Development)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>“In other words, the city is not permitted to say no to the project. Yet over the course of nearly three years, the city has repeatedly refused to comply with state housing reform laws with respect to the project, drawing admonishments from the California Department of Housing and Community Development and the California Attorney General,” the lawsuit said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“While its elected officials have talked a good game, Menlo Park is actually one of the most hostile cities to building new and affordable housing in the nation,” Heneghan said in the statement. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The lawsuit, echoing in part Bonta’s July letter, said the city unlawfully changed its reasoning at different points in the review process to deny the project a streamlined approval. It seeks a refund of roughly $300,000 in legal fees the city asked the developer to pay in connection with the review. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Under AB 712, which went into effect in January, if a city loses a court battle over a housing application debating state housing reform laws, after receiving a notice like the one Menlo Park did from Bonta, the courts must impose fines of $10,000 per housing unit in the project against the city, and potentially more under other provisions. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That could mean at least $6.65 million in fines for Menlo Park, a city with a population of only 32,000 and a roughly $90 million annual budget. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Chris Elmendorf, a law professor at UC Davis, said if Menlo Park loses the case, it would make the risks of the newest housing laws “much more vivid” for leaders around California. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“That will be a huge warning shot to all cities,” Elmendorf said. “Once the Attorney General or [the California Housing and Community Development Department] gets that letter in the record, you are at serious risk of big-time fiscal consequences.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Heneghan’s company has tried to negotiate with the city over a path forward until recently, but he claims the city has rejected those efforts. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Mayor Betsy Nash said the city strongly disagrees with Bonta and Heneghan that the project is eligible for streamlined review. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We are not rejecting the project. We are continuing our review in the standard way,” she said in an interview. Nash noted that the city selected a consultant to do an environmental impact report for the project, costs for which are typically footed by the developer. She said N17 has declined to pay for the EIR, which has contributed to the stalled review. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“We believe on such a massive project that is on the banks of an environmentally sensitive creek with major impacts to our infrastructure, that we need to go through the regular environmental impact review process,” Nash said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The city leaders also believe the project is not considered a housing project under recently updated state laws because it includes hotel space. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After a Sept. 29 closed session meeting of the council, the city manager sent an Oct. 1 response letter to Bonta, disagreeing with his office’s interpretation, and taking issue with his office sending a warning notice that “unlocks potentially catastrophic financial penalties against the city” without visiting the site. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The letter also said the city does not believe the project from N17 will help stem the housing crisis. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"wp-block-image\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"aligncenter size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1230\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/10/2-v07-scaled-e1791329526834.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12103248\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A digital rendering of what the proposed Willow Park development at 80 Willow Road in Menlo Park could look like. (Courtesy of N17 Development)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/div>\n\n\n\u003cp>“There is no doubt that the vast majority of the housing in this project would\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>be affordable only to the very wealthiest residents of the Bay Area,” the letter said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>From 2015-23, the city built or approved 2,349 homes, exceeding its state-mandated housing goals in all income categories except moderate, where it built or approved about three-fourths of what was needed. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In the current 2023-31 housing cycle, the state tasked the city with building or approving nearly 3,000 homes. Menlo Park had hit about 40% of that overall goal at the end of last year, though for homes in lower-income categories, it had achieved less than 30% of the goal, and less than 20% for very low-income homes. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>While the legal wrangling over the details of the Willow Park project and the timing around certain housing laws is very specific to this case, Elmendorf said the issue helps illustrate how far the pendulum has swung in the state for housing production.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“The fact that a project that five years ago would have been seen as preposterous is now a project that Menlo Park is very much on its back foot in trying to fend off, and stands to lose a ton of money on in court,” he said, “is a testament to how the legislature and officialdom generally within the state government has come to view the appropriate balance between local control and the state’s interest in the need for more housing.”\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"title": "Will Prop. 45 Fix California’s Housing Crisis or Roll Back a Valuable Environmental Law?",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>Proposition 45 would put a shot clock on environmental reviews under the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA. Opponents say CEQA still protects people and the environment from harmful development. Marisa talks with Jordan Grimes, legislative director at the Bay Area environmental group Greenbelt Alliance, who oppose the measure. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Last week, Marisa spoke with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12100915/housing-fix-or-data-center-loophole-this-ballot-measure-would-overhaul-ceqa\">Jennifer Barrera\u003c/a>, CEO of the California Chamber of Commerce, which is leading the campaign in support of Prop. 45. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Check out \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/newsletters/political-breakdown\">Political Breakdown’s weekly newsletter\u003c/a>, delivered straight to your inbox.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Opponents of Proposition 45 argue the Legislature already fixed CEQA with a bill that took effect last year. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>Proposition 45 would put a shot clock on environmental reviews under the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA. Opponents say CEQA still protects people and the environment from harmful development. Marisa talks with Jordan Grimes, legislative director at the Bay Area environmental group Greenbelt Alliance, who oppose the measure. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Last week, Marisa spoke with \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12100915/housing-fix-or-data-center-loophole-this-ballot-measure-would-overhaul-ceqa\">Jennifer Barrera\u003c/a>, CEO of the California Chamber of Commerce, which is leading the campaign in support of Prop. 45. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Check out \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/newsletters/political-breakdown\">Political Breakdown’s weekly newsletter\u003c/a>, delivered straight to your inbox.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"slug": "this-sf-renter-is-trying-to-beat-the-ai-fueled-housing-boom-with-an-analog-approach",
"title": "This SF Renter Is Trying to Beat the AI-Fueled Housing Boom With an Analog Approach",
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"content": "\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story is part of How We Get By, a KQED series exploring how people are coping with rising costs in the Bay Area and California. Find the \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/affordability\">\u003cem>full series here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em> \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Over the past nine months, Harlow Srain has reached out to more than 200 landlords and property managers. In search of a deal, she’s determined to stay in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After nearly a decade bouncing between couches, cars and shoddy apartments, the 28-year-old finally found the perfect place: a one-bedroom in Bernal Heights with access to a backyard that she shares with her now ex-partner. After they broke up late last year, they’ve continued to live uncomfortably together while Srain looks for a new place. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But Srain said it’s been a difficult search. The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101915202/sf-renters-face-buyout-offers-and-evictions-as-ai-boom-sends-prices-soaring\">AI-fueled housing market\u003c/a> has sent rents soaring, \u003ca href=\"https://www.apartmentlist.com/rent-report/ca/san-francisco\">up more than 25%\u003c/a> over the past year. Even with a roommate or two, Srain said she’d have to stretch her budget to stay in the neighborhood she’s grown to love.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>So, she decided to do something unusual: cold-call landlords and property managers to appeal to their humanity and possibly get them to lower the rent. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I know these people are probably making a stupid amount of profit,” she said. “Why not just ask to have them cut that back a little bit?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12087198\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260609-housingcrisisharlowsrain-TV-01030-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12087198\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260609-housingcrisisharlowsrain-TV-01030-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260609-housingcrisisharlowsrain-TV-01030-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260609-housingcrisisharlowsrain-TV-01030-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Harlow Srain’s (not pictured) plants line a shelf in the backyard of her complex in San Francisco on June 9, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12087197\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260609-housingcrisisharlowsrain-TV-01021-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12087197\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260609-housingcrisisharlowsrain-TV-01021-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260609-housingcrisisharlowsrain-TV-01021-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260609-housingcrisisharlowsrain-TV-01021-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Harlow Srain’s (not pictured) view from a balcony in her complex in San Francisco on June 9, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San Francisco’s rental market has “always been a pressure cooker,” Redfin’s chief economist Daryl Fairweather said. The land-constrained city’s scant supply of homes has long been outweighed by intense demand. But now, as more companies require employees to return to the office and investors pump billions of dollars into AI, Fairweather said the fight for available housing has become even more competitive. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“People, when they have money, they wanna spend it on a better, nicer place,” she said. “It goes into the real estate market and drives up both home prices and rents.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Those prices have spiked so swiftly that earlier this month, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie declared a “rent emergency” and introduced a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12098973/san-francisco-mayor-lurie-infuses-30-million-in-reforms-to-tackle-rent-emergency\">$30 million package\u003c/a> to forestall evictions and protect existing tenants from displacement. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That doesn’t address Srain’s problem, however, since her landlord isn’t evicting her. She’s competing for a limited supply of apartments with people who have a lot more money to spend. According to a June report from ApartmentList, an online rental marketplace, just over \u003ca href=\"https://www.apartmentlist.com/research/vacancy-rate-dashboard\">2% of San Francisco’s multifamily housing\u003c/a> is vacant. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Sitting on the back patio of her Bernal Heights apartment earlier this summer, Srain scrolled through listings on her phone in search of a new home. Most of the calls ended in voicemails. Or a bot. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When she did get a hold of a live human, they often stonewalled her. “With any situation where there’s a manager — like, ‘I’m just the manager’ — there’s no talking.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But every once in a while, someone picked up and played ball. That’s when she’d get into her pitch. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I recognize AI is really booming, tech is hiring, we’re going back into the office, but I don’t work in tech,” Srain told a property manager listing a two-bedroom in the Mission District for $4,700. “I’ve just lived in the Bay Area for … around 10 years, and I would like to stay here. So I’m just trying to see if rent prices are negotiable at all.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The manager sympathized but didn’t budge. People are willing to pay top dollar, he told her. The city is experiencing a boom right now, but he said one day, that boom will cool. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>JJ Panzer, the owner of Real Management Company in San Francisco, said that if Srain had been looking to get a good deal on an apartment, she might have found one during the pandemic, when \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/realestate/article/These-charts-show-just-how-extreme-the-rent-15848320.php\">rents dropped by more than 20%\u003c/a>, and San Francisco’s apartment vacancy rate \u003ca href=\"https://www.apartmentlist.com/research/vacancy-rate-dashboard\">reached nearly 11%\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Srain never reached out to Panzer. But if she had, he said her pitch would have been a “hard sell” in today’s market. His company manages more than 700 units across the Bay Area, though mostly in San Francisco. He owns three buildings himself. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-RentNegotiator-04-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095218\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-RentNegotiator-04-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-RentNegotiator-04-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-RentNegotiator-04-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">JJ Panzer, president of Real Management Company, in front of their offices in San Francisco on Aug. 13, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Because many San Francisco apartments are covered under state or local rent control laws, Panzer said landlords can only increase rents significantly after a tenant leaves. Once a new tenant moves into a rent-controlled unit, he said they often don’t move out for years.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“You’ve got to get as much as you can for that vacancy because you don’t know when you’re going to see that apartment come vacant again,” Panzer said. “The better price I give you, the longer it’s going to be before I get a chance to make that money back.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There are also first-come, first-served laws that require landlords to approve the first qualified application they receive. And there are anti-discrimination laws that don’t allow landlords to consider protected characteristics — including race, immigration status, familial status or source of income — when choosing a tenant, Fairweather said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“You might come to your landlord and say ‘I have small kids’ or ‘I have an aging mother’ or ‘I’ve lived in this neighborhood forever,’ and those all might sound like innocent things to say,” she said. “But in housing, you’re not allowed to give preferential treatment to people based on their family status or these other protected characteristics.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Paul Griffiths, CEO and owner of Vesta Asset Management in San Francisco, a mid-size property management company, said today’s rental market has so much demand that it encourages pricing homes above market so there are fewer applicants to sift through. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260609-housingcrisisharlowsrain-TV-01026_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12101639\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260609-housingcrisisharlowsrain-TV-01026_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260609-housingcrisisharlowsrain-TV-01026_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260609-housingcrisisharlowsrain-TV-01026_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Harlow Srain’s (not pictured) plants line a stairwell in the backyard of her complex in San Francisco on June 9, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If somebody calls me to say, ‘Can you offer less money?’ First of all, I don’t even have time to call that person back because I’m just scheduling the showings for 75 people,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Srain understands the competition is tough, but can’t help being frustrated by it. “It kind of makes me wonder, where’s the line? Where does it stop?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Srain grew up in Salinas, a mid-sized agricultural community about a two-hour drive south of San Francisco. She decided to move to the Bay Area in 2019 after she started dating someone in San José. She was working as a DoorDash driver and found a room in a three-bedroom house in Fremont for $750 a month. A couple rented one of the other rooms, and another person slept on a mattress in the garage.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’m freshly moved out of my parents’ house in this giant city that’s in a larger metropolitan area,” she said. “It was really, really exciting until I figured out what it meant to be housing-stable.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Within a week, another person moved into the remaining vacant room and then a stranger started living on the couch. She began to feel like she was living amongst strangers and didn’t have control over who entered or exited her home. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She said she witnessed drug use and domestic violence while living there, so she moved out. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For the next three years, Srain moved from apartment to apartment to find an affordable place to live. For some of that time, she lived with friends or in her car.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Having to move almost twice a year every year, it can lead to trauma, believe it or not,” Srain said. “I have been sent through the wringer so many times.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The fear of returning to a semi-nomadic lifestyle is part of what’s driving her current push to stay in San Francisco, and especially the neighborhood she’s called home for nearly two years — the longest she’s been in one place in the past decade.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It was in her Bernal Heights apartment where she finally got an opportunity to plant roots and build community. She got to know her neighbors, joined a dodgeball league nearby and volunteered at a nearby bookstore. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This is one of the first places I’ve ever felt comfortable. I felt at home,” she said. “I know my neighbors, whether they’re on this street or down a few blocks. I’ve never had this before.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She also got involved in advocating for tenants rights. Srain became a community organizer with the nonprofit Faith in Action, which champions tenants’ rights, affordable housing and efforts to reduce homelessness. Earlier this year, she canvassed for a rent control measure the group supports that’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12090248/redwood-city-to-vote-on-rent-control-in-november\">headed to the November ballot in Redwood City\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Through that work, she spoke with small landlords and homeowners about the problems they face.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260609-housingcrisisharlowsrain-TV-01227_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12101628\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260609-housingcrisisharlowsrain-TV-01227_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260609-housingcrisisharlowsrain-TV-01227_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260609-housingcrisisharlowsrain-TV-01227_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Harlow Srain poses for a portrait on the balcony of her housing unit in San Francisco on June 9, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I can understand that some homeowners are totally oblivious to the rental crisis because they have their own issues owning a home,” she said. “It has become really expensive with rising property taxes, [insurance], PG&E. It’s beginning to become unmanageable to own a home for some people.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She developed sympathy for small mom-and-pop landlords, who own just a building or two and face their own set of affordability issues. While cold-calling, she found they were more willing to explain how they set their rents and the profit they made on each unit.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In one such call in January, Srain spoke with an older landlord who walked her through his costs to maintain a Pacifica apartment he was renting out, including details about his water bill, property taxes and how much profit he made. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It was only around $100 to $200 [in profit],” she said. “I was like, ‘Wow, this guy really walked me through this!’ That’s impressive.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But not all landlords are willing to entertain Srain’s questions. Of the hundreds she called, she said only around 50 actually picked up the phone and were willing to talk. Many times, she’s found they were unwilling to divulge their experiences. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And no one has been willing to lower the rent. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Griffiths said he understands Srain’s struggle. “I think, ethically, most people believe that housing is a human right.” But he said the United States — even California — doesn’t have enough housing to provide that right to everyone.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“You can’t put the responsibility of saying, ‘Well, everybody should be housed, and it’s the landlord’s responsibility,’” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Fairweather argued that, if anyone is to blame, it’s local governments that largely control how much housing can be built. San Francisco, she said, has long \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12033966/sfs-single-family-home-neighborhoods-apartments-65-story-towers-downtown\">restricted development in certain neighborhoods, and while\u003c/a> city leaders have agreed to allow more housing in those parts of town, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12062042/report-projects-weak-housing-production-under-san-francisco-zoning-plan-over-next-20-years\">reports suggest\u003c/a> it may not make a dent in the city’s housing affordability crisis.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>“\u003c/strong>In San Francisco, the problem is so far gone that we can’t just say ‘Get rid of single-family zoning,’ and everything will be fixed,” Fairweather said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Then again, she said, the reality is that there may never be enough apartments in San Francisco for everyone who would like to live there. “There’s no mathematical way around that. There are going to be some people who are left moving to other places because there physically aren’t enough units for everybody.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Srain knows her best option might be to move out of San Francisco to the East Bay, where it’s cheaper — something families have done for generations as the city has grown more expensive. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But she said that reality points to a broken system. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There are people living through so much worse right now in the Bay Area,” she said. “No one deserves that.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>After nearly a decade bouncing between couches, cars and shoddy apartments, the 28-year-old finally found the perfect place: a one-bedroom in Bernal Heights with access to a backyard that she shares with her now ex-partner. After they broke up late last year, they’ve continued to live uncomfortably together while Srain looks for a new place. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But Srain said it’s been a difficult search. The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101915202/sf-renters-face-buyout-offers-and-evictions-as-ai-boom-sends-prices-soaring\">AI-fueled housing market\u003c/a> has sent rents soaring, \u003ca href=\"https://www.apartmentlist.com/rent-report/ca/san-francisco\">up more than 25%\u003c/a> over the past year. Even with a roommate or two, Srain said she’d have to stretch her budget to stay in the neighborhood she’s grown to love.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>So, she decided to do something unusual: cold-call landlords and property managers to appeal to their humanity and possibly get them to lower the rent. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I know these people are probably making a stupid amount of profit,” she said. “Why not just ask to have them cut that back a little bit?”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260609-housingcrisisharlowsrain-TV-01030-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12087198\"/>\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Harlow Srain’s (not pictured) plants line a shelf in the backyard of her complex in San Francisco on June 9, 2026.\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>San Francisco’s rental market has “always been a pressure cooker,” Redfin’s chief economist Daryl Fairweather said. The land-constrained city’s scant supply of homes has long been outweighed by intense demand. But now, as more companies require employees to return to the office and investors pump billions of dollars into AI, Fairweather said the fight for available housing has become even more competitive. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“People, when they have money, they wanna spend it on a better, nicer place,” she said. “It goes into the real estate market and drives up both home prices and rents.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Those prices have spiked so swiftly that earlier this month, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie declared a “rent emergency” and introduced a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12098973/san-francisco-mayor-lurie-infuses-30-million-in-reforms-to-tackle-rent-emergency\">$30 million package\u003c/a> to forestall evictions and protect existing tenants from displacement. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Those prices have spiked so swiftly that earlier this month, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie declared a “rent emergency” and introduced a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12098973/san-francisco-mayor-lurie-infuses-30-million-in-reforms-to-tackle-rent-emergency\">$30 million package\u003c/a> to forestall evictions and protect existing tenants from displacement. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>That doesn’t address Srain’s problem, however, since her landlord isn’t evicting her. She’s competing for a limited supply of apartments with people who have a lot more money to spend. According to a June report from ApartmentList, an online rental marketplace, just over \u003ca href=\"https://www.apartmentlist.com/research/vacancy-rate-dashboard\">2% of San Francisco’s multifamily housing\u003c/a> is vacant. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Sitting on the back patio of her Bernal Heights apartment earlier this summer, Srain scrolled through listings on her phone in search of a new home. Most of the calls ended in voicemails. Or a bot. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>When she did get a hold of a live human, they often stonewalled her. “With any situation where there’s a manager — like, ‘I’m just the manager’ — there’s no talking.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I recognize AI is really booming, tech is hiring, we’re going back into the office, but I don’t work in tech,” Srain told a property manager listing a two-bedroom in the Mission District for $4,700. “I’ve just lived in the Bay Area for … around 10 years, and I would like to stay here. So I’m just trying to see if rent prices are negotiable at all.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>The manager sympathized but didn’t budge. People are willing to pay top dollar, he told her. The city is experiencing a boom right now, but he said one day, that boom will cool. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>JJ Panzer, the owner of Real Management Company in San Francisco, said that if Srain had been looking to get a good deal on an apartment, she might have found one during the pandemic, when \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/realestate/article/These-charts-show-just-how-extreme-the-rent-15848320.php\">rents dropped by more than 20%\u003c/a>, and San Francisco’s apartment vacancy rate \u003ca href=\"https://www.apartmentlist.com/research/vacancy-rate-dashboard\">reached nearly 11%\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Srain never reached out to Panzer. But if she had, he said her pitch would have been a “hard sell” in today’s market. His company manages more than 700 units across the Bay Area, though mostly in San Francisco. He owns three buildings himself. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Srain never reached out to Panzer. But if she had, he said her pitch would have been a “hard sell” in today’s market. His company manages more than 700 units across the Bay Area, though mostly in San Francisco. He owns three buildings himself. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Because many San Francisco apartments are covered under state or local rent control laws, Panzer said landlords can only increase rents significantly after a tenant leaves. Once a new tenant moves into a rent-controlled unit, he said they often don’t move out for years.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Because many San Francisco apartments are covered under state or local rent control laws, Panzer said landlords can only increase rents significantly after a tenant leaves. Once a new tenant moves into a rent-controlled unit, he said they often don’t move out for years.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“You’ve got to get as much as you can for that vacancy because you don’t know when you’re going to see that apartment come vacant again,” Panzer said. “The better price I give you, the longer it’s going to be before I get a chance to make that money back.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>There are also first-come, first-served laws that require landlords to approve the first qualified application they receive. And there are anti-discrimination laws that don’t allow landlords to consider protected characteristics — including race, immigration status, familial status or source of income — when choosing a tenant, Fairweather said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“You might come to your landlord and say ‘I have small kids’ or ‘I have an aging mother’ or ‘I’ve lived in this neighborhood forever,’ and those all might sound like innocent things to say,” she said. “But in housing, you’re not allowed to give preferential treatment to people based on their family status or these other protected characteristics.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Paul Griffiths, CEO and owner of Vesta Asset Management in San Francisco, a mid-size property management company, said today’s rental market has so much demand that it encourages pricing homes above market so there are fewer applicants to sift through. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“If somebody calls me to say, ‘Can you offer less money?’ First of all, I don’t even have time to call that person back because I’m just scheduling the showings for 75 people,” he said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Srain grew up in Salinas, a mid-sized agricultural community about a two-hour drive south of San Francisco. She decided to move to the Bay Area in 2019 after she started dating someone in San José. She was working as a DoorDash driver and found a room in a three-bedroom house in Fremont for $750 a month. A couple rented one of the other rooms, and another person slept on a mattress in the garage.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>It was in her Bernal Heights apartment where she finally got an opportunity to plant roots and build community. She got to know her neighbors, joined a dodgeball league nearby and volunteered at a nearby bookstore. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She also got involved in advocating for tenants rights. Srain became a community organizer with the nonprofit Faith in Action, which champions tenants’ rights, affordable housing and efforts to reduce homelessness. Earlier this year, she canvassed for a rent control measure the group supports that’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12090248/redwood-city-to-vote-on-rent-control-in-november\">headed to the November ballot in Redwood City\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“I can understand that some homeowners are totally oblivious to the rental crisis because they have their own issues owning a home,” she said. “It has become really expensive with rising property taxes, [insurance], PG&E. It’s beginning to become unmanageable to own a home for some people.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>She developed sympathy for small mom-and-pop landlords, who own just a building or two and face their own set of affordability issues. While cold-calling, she found they were more willing to explain how they set their rents and the profit they made on each unit.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>She developed sympathy for small mom-and-pop landlords, who own just a building or two and face their own set of affordability issues. While cold-calling, she found they were more willing to explain how they set their rents and the profit they made on each unit.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>In one such call in January, Srain spoke with an older landlord who walked her through his costs to maintain a Pacifica apartment he was renting out, including details about his water bill, property taxes and how much profit he made. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>In one such call in January, Srain spoke with an older landlord who walked her through his costs to maintain a Pacifica apartment he was renting out, including details about his water bill, property taxes and how much profit he made. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“It was only around $100 to $200 [in profit],” she said. “I was like, ‘Wow, this guy really walked me through this!’ That’s impressive.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But not all landlords are willing to entertain Srain’s questions. Of the hundreds she called, she said only around 50 actually picked up the phone and were willing to talk. Many times, she’s found they were unwilling to divulge their experiences. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>But not all landlords are willing to entertain Srain’s questions. Of the hundreds she called, she said only around 50 actually picked up the phone and were willing to talk. Many times, she’s found they were unwilling to divulge their experiences. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>And no one has been willing to lower the rent. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Griffiths said he understands Srain’s struggle. “I think, ethically, most people believe that housing is a human right.” But he said the United States — even California — doesn’t have enough housing to provide that right to everyone.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Griffiths said he understands Srain’s struggle. “I think, ethically, most people believe that housing is a human right.” But he said the United States — even California — doesn’t have enough housing to provide that right to everyone.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“You can’t put the responsibility of saying, ‘Well, everybody should be housed, and it’s the landlord’s responsibility,’” he said.\u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Fairweather argued that, if anyone is to blame, it’s local governments that largely control how much housing can be built. San Francisco, she said, has long \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12033966/sfs-single-family-home-neighborhoods-apartments-65-story-towers-downtown\">restricted development in certain neighborhoods, and while\u003c/a> city leaders have agreed to allow more housing in those parts of town, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12062042/report-projects-weak-housing-production-under-san-francisco-zoning-plan-over-next-20-years\">reports suggest\u003c/a> it may not make a dent in the city’s housing affordability crisis.\u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Fairweather argued that, if anyone is to blame, it’s local governments that largely control how much housing can be built. San Francisco, she said, has long \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12033966/sfs-single-family-home-neighborhoods-apartments-65-story-towers-downtown\">restricted development in certain neighborhoods, and while\u003c/a> city leaders have agreed to allow more housing in those parts of town, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12062042/report-projects-weak-housing-production-under-san-francisco-zoning-plan-over-next-20-years\">reports suggest\u003c/a> it may not make a dent in the city’s housing affordability crisis.\u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>“\u003c/strong>In San Francisco, the problem is so far gone that we can’t just say ‘Get rid of single-family zoning,’ and everything will be fixed,” Fairweather said. \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>“\u003c/strong>In San Francisco, the problem is so far gone that we can’t just say ‘Get rid of single-family zoning,’ and everything will be fixed,” Fairweather said. \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Then again, she said, the reality is that there may never be enough apartments in San Francisco for everyone who would like to live there. “There’s no mathematical way around that. There are going to be some people who are left moving to other places because there physically aren’t enough units for everybody.” \u003c/p>\n",
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"\n\u003cp>Then again, she said, the reality is that there may never be enough apartments in San Francisco for everyone who would like to live there. “There’s no mathematical way around that. There are going to be some people who are left moving to other places because there physically aren’t enough units for everybody.” \u003c/p>\n"
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>Srain knows her best option might be to move out of San Francisco to the East Bay, where it’s cheaper — something families have done for generations as the city has grown more expensive. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>But she said that reality points to a broken system. \u003c/p>\n",
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"innerHTML": "\n\u003cp>“There are people living through so much worse right now in the Bay Area,” she said. “No one deserves that.”\u003c/p>\n",
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"excerpt": "Thanks to the AI boom, rents in San Francisco have soared more than 20% since last year. One renter is trying an unusual approach to finding an apartment she can afford. ",
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"content": "\u003cdiv class=\"post-body\">\u003cp>\n\u003cp>\u003cem>This story is part of How We Get By, a KQED series exploring how people are coping with rising costs in the Bay Area and California. Find the \u003c/em>\u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/affordability\">\u003cem>full series here\u003c/em>\u003c/a>\u003cem>.\u003c/em> \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Over the past nine months, Harlow Srain has reached out to more than 200 landlords and property managers. In search of a deal, she’s determined to stay in \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/tag/san-francisco\">San Francisco\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>After nearly a decade bouncing between couches, cars and shoddy apartments, the 28-year-old finally found the perfect place: a one-bedroom in Bernal Heights with access to a backyard that she shares with her now ex-partner. After they broke up late last year, they’ve continued to live uncomfortably together while Srain looks for a new place. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But Srain said it’s been a difficult search. The \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/forum/2010101915202/sf-renters-face-buyout-offers-and-evictions-as-ai-boom-sends-prices-soaring\">AI-fueled housing market\u003c/a> has sent rents soaring, \u003ca href=\"https://www.apartmentlist.com/rent-report/ca/san-francisco\">up more than 25%\u003c/a> over the past year. Even with a roommate or two, Srain said she’d have to stretch her budget to stay in the neighborhood she’s grown to love.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>So, she decided to do something unusual: cold-call landlords and property managers to appeal to their humanity and possibly get them to lower the rent. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I know these people are probably making a stupid amount of profit,” she said. “Why not just ask to have them cut that back a little bit?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12087198\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260609-housingcrisisharlowsrain-TV-01030-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12087198\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260609-housingcrisisharlowsrain-TV-01030-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260609-housingcrisisharlowsrain-TV-01030-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260609-housingcrisisharlowsrain-TV-01030-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Harlow Srain’s (not pictured) plants line a shelf in the backyard of her complex in San Francisco on June 9, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" data-id=\"12087197\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260609-housingcrisisharlowsrain-TV-01021-KQED.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12087197\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260609-housingcrisisharlowsrain-TV-01021-KQED.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260609-housingcrisisharlowsrain-TV-01021-KQED-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/06/260609-housingcrisisharlowsrain-TV-01021-KQED-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Harlow Srain’s (not pictured) view from a balcony in her complex in San Francisco on June 9, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>San Francisco’s rental market has “always been a pressure cooker,” Redfin’s chief economist Daryl Fairweather said. The land-constrained city’s scant supply of homes has long been outweighed by intense demand. But now, as more companies require employees to return to the office and investors pump billions of dollars into AI, Fairweather said the fight for available housing has become even more competitive. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“People, when they have money, they wanna spend it on a better, nicer place,” she said. “It goes into the real estate market and drives up both home prices and rents.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Those prices have spiked so swiftly that earlier this month, San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie declared a “rent emergency” and introduced a \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12098973/san-francisco-mayor-lurie-infuses-30-million-in-reforms-to-tackle-rent-emergency\">$30 million package\u003c/a> to forestall evictions and protect existing tenants from displacement. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>That doesn’t address Srain’s problem, however, since her landlord isn’t evicting her. She’s competing for a limited supply of apartments with people who have a lot more money to spend. According to a June report from ApartmentList, an online rental marketplace, just over \u003ca href=\"https://www.apartmentlist.com/research/vacancy-rate-dashboard\">2% of San Francisco’s multifamily housing\u003c/a> is vacant. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Sitting on the back patio of her Bernal Heights apartment earlier this summer, Srain scrolled through listings on her phone in search of a new home. Most of the calls ended in voicemails. Or a bot. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>When she did get a hold of a live human, they often stonewalled her. “With any situation where there’s a manager — like, ‘I’m just the manager’ — there’s no talking.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But every once in a while, someone picked up and played ball. That’s when she’d get into her pitch. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I recognize AI is really booming, tech is hiring, we’re going back into the office, but I don’t work in tech,” Srain told a property manager listing a two-bedroom in the Mission District for $4,700. “I’ve just lived in the Bay Area for … around 10 years, and I would like to stay here. So I’m just trying to see if rent prices are negotiable at all.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The manager sympathized but didn’t budge. People are willing to pay top dollar, he told her. The city is experiencing a boom right now, but he said one day, that boom will cool. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>JJ Panzer, the owner of Real Management Company in San Francisco, said that if Srain had been looking to get a good deal on an apartment, she might have found one during the pandemic, when \u003ca href=\"https://www.sfchronicle.com/realestate/article/These-charts-show-just-how-extreme-the-rent-15848320.php\">rents dropped by more than 20%\u003c/a>, and San Francisco’s apartment vacancy rate \u003ca href=\"https://www.apartmentlist.com/research/vacancy-rate-dashboard\">reached nearly 11%\u003c/a>.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Srain never reached out to Panzer. But if she had, he said her pitch would have been a “hard sell” in today’s market. His company manages more than 700 units across the Bay Area, though mostly in San Francisco. He owns three buildings himself. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-RentNegotiator-04-BL_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12095218\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-RentNegotiator-04-BL_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-RentNegotiator-04-BL_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/08/260813-RentNegotiator-04-BL_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">JJ Panzer, president of Real Management Company, in front of their offices in San Francisco on Aug. 13, 2026. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Because many San Francisco apartments are covered under state or local rent control laws, Panzer said landlords can only increase rents significantly after a tenant leaves. Once a new tenant moves into a rent-controlled unit, he said they often don’t move out for years.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“You’ve got to get as much as you can for that vacancy because you don’t know when you’re going to see that apartment come vacant again,” Panzer said. “The better price I give you, the longer it’s going to be before I get a chance to make that money back.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>There are also first-come, first-served laws that require landlords to approve the first qualified application they receive. And there are anti-discrimination laws that don’t allow landlords to consider protected characteristics — including race, immigration status, familial status or source of income — when choosing a tenant, Fairweather said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“You might come to your landlord and say ‘I have small kids’ or ‘I have an aging mother’ or ‘I’ve lived in this neighborhood forever,’ and those all might sound like innocent things to say,” she said. “But in housing, you’re not allowed to give preferential treatment to people based on their family status or these other protected characteristics.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Paul Griffiths, CEO and owner of Vesta Asset Management in San Francisco, a mid-size property management company, said today’s rental market has so much demand that it encourages pricing homes above market so there are fewer applicants to sift through. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260609-housingcrisisharlowsrain-TV-01026_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12101639\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260609-housingcrisisharlowsrain-TV-01026_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260609-housingcrisisharlowsrain-TV-01026_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260609-housingcrisisharlowsrain-TV-01026_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Harlow Srain’s (not pictured) plants line a stairwell in the backyard of her complex in San Francisco on June 9, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“If somebody calls me to say, ‘Can you offer less money?’ First of all, I don’t even have time to call that person back because I’m just scheduling the showings for 75 people,” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Srain understands the competition is tough, but can’t help being frustrated by it. “It kind of makes me wonder, where’s the line? Where does it stop?”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Srain grew up in Salinas, a mid-sized agricultural community about a two-hour drive south of San Francisco. She decided to move to the Bay Area in 2019 after she started dating someone in San José. She was working as a DoorDash driver and found a room in a three-bedroom house in Fremont for $750 a month. A couple rented one of the other rooms, and another person slept on a mattress in the garage.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I’m freshly moved out of my parents’ house in this giant city that’s in a larger metropolitan area,” she said. “It was really, really exciting until I figured out what it meant to be housing-stable.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Within a week, another person moved into the remaining vacant room and then a stranger started living on the couch. She began to feel like she was living amongst strangers and didn’t have control over who entered or exited her home. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She said she witnessed drug use and domestic violence while living there, so she moved out. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>For the next three years, Srain moved from apartment to apartment to find an affordable place to live. For some of that time, she lived with friends or in her car.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“Having to move almost twice a year every year, it can lead to trauma, believe it or not,” Srain said. “I have been sent through the wringer so many times.”\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>The fear of returning to a semi-nomadic lifestyle is part of what’s driving her current push to stay in San Francisco, and especially the neighborhood she’s called home for nearly two years — the longest she’s been in one place in the past decade.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>It was in her Bernal Heights apartment where she finally got an opportunity to plant roots and build community. She got to know her neighbors, joined a dodgeball league nearby and volunteered at a nearby bookstore. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“This is one of the first places I’ve ever felt comfortable. I felt at home,” she said. “I know my neighbors, whether they’re on this street or down a few blocks. I’ve never had this before.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She also got involved in advocating for tenants rights. Srain became a community organizer with the nonprofit Faith in Action, which champions tenants’ rights, affordable housing and efforts to reduce homelessness. Earlier this year, she canvassed for a rent control measure the group supports that’s \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12090248/redwood-city-to-vote-on-rent-control-in-november\">headed to the November ballot in Redwood City\u003c/a>. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Through that work, she spoke with small landlords and homeowners about the problems they face.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cfigure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\">\u003cimg loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2000\" height=\"1333\" src=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260609-housingcrisisharlowsrain-TV-01227_qed.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-12101628\" srcset=\"https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260609-housingcrisisharlowsrain-TV-01227_qed.jpg 2000w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260609-housingcrisisharlowsrain-TV-01227_qed-160x107.jpg 160w, https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2026/09/260609-housingcrisisharlowsrain-TV-01227_qed-1536x1024.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2000px) 100vw, 2000px\" />\u003cfigcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Harlow Srain poses for a portrait on the balcony of her housing unit in San Francisco on June 9, 2026. (Tâm Vũ/KQED)\u003c/figcaption>\u003c/figure>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“I can understand that some homeowners are totally oblivious to the rental crisis because they have their own issues owning a home,” she said. “It has become really expensive with rising property taxes, [insurance], PG&E. It’s beginning to become unmanageable to own a home for some people.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>She developed sympathy for small mom-and-pop landlords, who own just a building or two and face their own set of affordability issues. While cold-calling, she found they were more willing to explain how they set their rents and the profit they made on each unit.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>In one such call in January, Srain spoke with an older landlord who walked her through his costs to maintain a Pacifica apartment he was renting out, including details about his water bill, property taxes and how much profit he made. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“It was only around $100 to $200 [in profit],” she said. “I was like, ‘Wow, this guy really walked me through this!’ That’s impressive.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But not all landlords are willing to entertain Srain’s questions. Of the hundreds she called, she said only around 50 actually picked up the phone and were willing to talk. Many times, she’s found they were unwilling to divulge their experiences. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\u003cp>And no one has been willing to lower the rent. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Griffiths said he understands Srain’s struggle. “I think, ethically, most people believe that housing is a human right.” But he said the United States — even California — doesn’t have enough housing to provide that right to everyone.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“You can’t put the responsibility of saying, ‘Well, everybody should be housed, and it’s the landlord’s responsibility,’” he said.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Fairweather argued that, if anyone is to blame, it’s local governments that largely control how much housing can be built. San Francisco, she said, has long \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12033966/sfs-single-family-home-neighborhoods-apartments-65-story-towers-downtown\">restricted development in certain neighborhoods, and while\u003c/a> city leaders have agreed to allow more housing in those parts of town, \u003ca href=\"https://www.kqed.org/news/12062042/report-projects-weak-housing-production-under-san-francisco-zoning-plan-over-next-20-years\">reports suggest\u003c/a> it may not make a dent in the city’s housing affordability crisis.\u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>\u003cstrong>“\u003c/strong>In San Francisco, the problem is so far gone that we can’t just say ‘Get rid of single-family zoning,’ and everything will be fixed,” Fairweather said. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Then again, she said, the reality is that there may never be enough apartments in San Francisco for everyone who would like to live there. “There’s no mathematical way around that. There are going to be some people who are left moving to other places because there physically aren’t enough units for everybody.” \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>Srain knows her best option might be to move out of San Francisco to the East Bay, where it’s cheaper — something families have done for generations as the city has grown more expensive. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>But she said that reality points to a broken system. \u003c/p>\n\n\n\n\u003cp>“There are people living through so much worse right now in the Bay Area,” she said. “No one deserves that.”\u003c/p>\n\u003c/div>\u003c/p>",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareport",
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 8
},
"link": "/californiareport",
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},
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"id": "californiareportmagazine",
"title": "The California Report Magazine",
"tagline": "Your state, your stories",
"info": "Every week, The California Report Magazine takes you on a road trip for the ears: to visit the places and meet the people who make California unique. The in-depth storytelling podcast from the California Report.",
"airtime": "FRI 4:30pm-5pm, 6:30pm-7pm, 11pm-11:30pm",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/californiareportmagazine",
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"order": 10
},
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM3NjkwNjk1OTAz",
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},
"city-arts": {
"id": "city-arts",
"title": "City Arts & Lectures",
"info": "A one-hour radio program to hear celebrated writers, artists and thinkers address contemporary ideas and values, often discussing the creative process. Please note: tapes or transcripts are not available",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/05/cityartsandlecture-300x300.jpg",
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"airtime": "SUN 1pm-2pm, TUE 10pm, WED 1am",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "City Arts & Lectures"
},
"link": "https://www.cityarts.net",
"subscribe": {
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"rss": "https://www.cityarts.net/feed/"
}
},
"closealltabs": {
"id": "closealltabs",
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"info": "Close All Tabs breaks down how digital culture shapes our world through thoughtful insights and irreverent humor.",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/closealltabs",
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"order": 1
},
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"title": "Code Switch / Life Kit",
"info": "\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em>, which listeners will hear in the first part of the hour, has fearless and much-needed conversations about race. Hosted by journalists of color, the show tackles the subject of race head-on, exploring how it impacts every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, sports and more.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em>, which will be in the second part of the hour, guides you through spaces and feelings no one prepares you for — from finances to mental health, from workplace microaggressions to imposter syndrome, from relationships to parenting. The show features experts with real world experience and shares their knowledge. Because everyone needs a little help being human.\u003cbr />\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510312/codeswitch\">\u003cem>Code Switch\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />\u003ca href=\"https://www.npr.org/lifekit\">\u003cem>Life Kit\u003c/em> offical site and podcast\u003c/a>\u003cbr />",
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"meta": {
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"id": "commonwealth-club",
"title": "Commonwealth Club of California Podcast",
"info": "The Commonwealth Club of California is the nation's oldest and largest public affairs forum. As a non-partisan forum, The Club brings to the public airwaves diverse viewpoints on important topics. The Club's weekly radio broadcast - the oldest in the U.S., dating back to 1924 - is carried across the nation on public radio stations and is now podcasting. Our website archive features audio of our recent programs, as well as selected speeches from our long and distinguished history. This podcast feed is usually updated twice a week and is always un-edited.",
"airtime": "THU 10pm, FRI 1am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Commonwealth-Club-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
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"meta": {
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"source": "Commonwealth Club of California"
},
"link": "/radio/program/commonwealth-club",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5jb21tb253ZWFsdGhjbHViLm9yZy9hdWRpby9wb2RjYXN0L3dlZWtseS54bWw",
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},
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"id": "forum",
"title": "Forum",
"tagline": "The conversation starts here",
"info": "KQED’s live call-in program discussing local, state, national and international issues, as well as in-depth interviews.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 9am-11am, 10pm-11pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Forum-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED Forum with Mina Kim and Alexis Madrigal",
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 9
},
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM5NTU3MzgxNjMz",
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"id": "freakonomics-radio",
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"info": "Freakonomics Radio is a one-hour award-winning podcast and public-radio project hosted by Stephen Dubner, with co-author Steve Levitt as a regular guest. It is produced in partnership with WNYC.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/freakonomicsRadio.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://freakonomics.com/",
"airtime": "SUN 1am-2am, SAT 3pm-4pm",
"meta": {
"site": "radio",
"source": "WNYC"
},
"link": "/radio/program/freakonomics-radio",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/freakonomics-radio/id354668519",
"tuneIn": "https://tunein.com/podcasts/WNYC-Podcasts/Freakonomics-Radio-p272293/",
"rss": "https://feeds.feedburner.com/freakonomicsradio"
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},
"fresh-air": {
"id": "fresh-air",
"title": "Fresh Air",
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"link": "/radio/program/fresh-air",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=214089682&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/381444908/podcast.xml"
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"here-and-now": {
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"info": "A live production of NPR and WBUR Boston, in collaboration with stations across the country, Here & Now reflects the fluid world of news as it's happening in the middle of the day, with timely, in-depth news, interviews and conversation. Hosted by Robin Young, Jeremy Hobson and Tonya Mosley.",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510051/podcast.xml"
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},
"hidden-brain": {
"id": "hidden-brain",
"title": "Hidden Brain",
"info": "Shankar Vedantam uses science and storytelling to reveal the unconscious patterns that drive human behavior, shape our choices and direct our relationships.",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/series/423302056/hidden-brain",
"airtime": "SUN 7pm-8pm",
"meta": {
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"source": "NPR"
},
"link": "/radio/program/hidden-brain",
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},
"how-i-built-this": {
"id": "how-i-built-this",
"title": "How I Built This with Guy Raz",
"info": "Guy Raz dives into the stories behind some of the world's best known companies. How I Built This weaves a narrative journey about innovators, entrepreneurs and idealists—and the movements they built.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/news/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2018/05/howIBuiltThis.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this",
"airtime": "SUN 7:30pm-8pm",
"meta": {
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"source": "npr"
},
"link": "/radio/program/how-i-built-this",
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"npr": "https://rpb3r.app.goo.gl/3zxy",
"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-i-built-this-with-guy-raz/id1150510297?mt=2",
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},
"hyphenacion": {
"id": "hyphenacion",
"title": "Hyphenación",
"tagline": "Where conversation and cultura meet",
"info": "What kind of no sabo word is Hyphenación? For us, it’s about living within a hyphenation. Like being a third-gen Mexican-American from the Texas border now living that Bay Area Chicano life. Like Xorje! Each week we bring together a couple of hyphenated Latinos to talk all about personal life choices: family, careers, relationships, belonging … everything is on the table. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Hyphenacion_FinalAssets_PodcastTile.png",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
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"order": 15
},
"link": "/podcasts/hyphenacion",
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"spotify": "https://open.spotify.com/show/2p3Fifq96nw9BPcmFdIq0o?si=39209f7b25774f38",
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"amazon": "https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/6c3dd23c-93fb-4aab-97ba-1725fa6315f1/hyphenaci%C3%B3n",
"rss": "https://feeds.megaphone.fm/KQINC2275451163"
}
},
"jerrybrown": {
"id": "jerrybrown",
"title": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown",
"tagline": "Lessons from a lifetime in politics",
"info": "The Political Mind of Jerry Brown brings listeners the wisdom of the former Governor, Mayor, and presidential candidate. Scott Shafer interviewed Brown for more than 40 hours, covering the former governor's life and half-century in the political game – and Brown has some lessons he'd like to share. ",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/The-Political-Mind-of-Jerry-Brown-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
"meta": {
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"order": 18
},
"link": "/podcasts/jerrybrown",
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/id1492194549",
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}
},
"latino-usa": {
"id": "latino-usa",
"title": "Latino USA",
"airtime": "MON 1am-2am, SUN 6pm-7pm",
"info": "Latino USA, the radio journal of news and culture, is the only national, English-language radio program produced from a Latino perspective.",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/latinoUsa.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "http://latinousa.org/",
"meta": {
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},
"link": "/radio/program/latino-usa",
"subscribe": {
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"apple": "https://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?s=143441&mt=2&id=79681317&at=11l79Y&ct=nprdirectory",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510016/podcast.xml"
}
},
"marketplace": {
"id": "marketplace",
"title": "Marketplace",
"info": "Our flagship program, helmed by Kai Ryssdal, examines what the day in money delivered, through stories, conversations, newsworthy numbers and more. Updated Monday through Friday at about 3:30 p.m. PT.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 4pm-4:30pm, MON-WED 6:30pm-7pm",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Marketplace-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.marketplace.org/",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "American Public Media"
},
"link": "/radio/program/marketplace",
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"rss": "https://feeds.publicradio.org/public_feeds/marketplace-pm/rss/rss"
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},
"masters-of-scale": {
"id": "masters-of-scale",
"title": "Masters of Scale",
"info": "Masters of Scale is an original podcast in which LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock Partner Reid Hoffman sets out to describe and prove theories that explain how great entrepreneurs take their companies from zero to a gazillion in ingenious fashion.",
"airtime": "Every other Wednesday June 12 through October 16 at 8pm (repeats Thursdays at 2am)",
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"officialWebsiteLink": "https://mastersofscale.com/",
"meta": {
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"source": "WaitWhat"
},
"link": "/radio/program/masters-of-scale",
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"apple": "http://mastersofscale.app.link/",
"rss": "https://rss.art19.com/masters-of-scale"
}
},
"mindshift": {
"id": "mindshift",
"title": "MindShift",
"tagline": "A podcast about the future of learning and how we raise our kids",
"info": "The MindShift podcast explores the innovations in education that are shaping how kids learn. Hosts Ki Sung and Katrina Schwartz introduce listeners to educators, researchers, parents and students who are developing effective ways to improve how kids learn. We cover topics like how fed-up administrators are developing surprising tactics to deal with classroom disruptions; how listening to podcasts are helping kids develop reading skills; the consequences of overparenting; and why interdisciplinary learning can engage students on all ends of the traditional achievement spectrum. This podcast is part of the MindShift education site, a division of KQED News. KQED is an NPR/PBS member station based in San Francisco. You can also visit the MindShift website for episodes and supplemental blog posts or tweet us \u003ca href=\"https://twitter.com/MindShiftKQED\">@MindShiftKQED\u003c/a> or visit us at \u003ca href=\"/mindshift\">MindShift.KQED.org\u003c/a>",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Mindshift-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "KQED MindShift: How We Will Learn",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/mindshift/",
"meta": {
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"source": "kqed",
"order": 12
},
"link": "/podcasts/mindshift",
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"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5tZWdhcGhvbmUuZm0vS1FJTkM1NzY0NjAwNDI5",
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}
},
"morning-edition": {
"id": "morning-edition",
"title": "Morning Edition",
"info": "\u003cem>Morning Edition\u003c/em> takes listeners around the country and the world with multi-faceted stories and commentaries every weekday. Hosts Steve Inskeep, David Greene and Rachel Martin bring you the latest breaking news and features to prepare you for the day.",
"airtime": "MON-FRI 3am-9am",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Morning-Edition-Podcast-Tile-360x360-1.jpg",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.npr.org/programs/morning-edition/",
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"link": "/radio/program/morning-edition"
},
"onourwatch": {
"id": "onourwatch",
"title": "On Our Watch",
"tagline": "Deeply-reported investigative journalism",
"info": "For decades, the process for how police police themselves has been inconsistent – if not opaque. In some states, like California, these proceedings were completely hidden. After a new police transparency law unsealed scores of internal affairs files, our reporters set out to examine these cases and the shadow world of police discipline. On Our Watch brings listeners into the rooms where officers are questioned and witnesses are interrogated to find out who this system is really protecting. Is it the officers, or the public they've sworn to serve?",
"imageSrc": "https://cdn.kqed.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/On-Our-Watch-Podcast-Tile-703x703-1.jpg",
"imageAlt": "On Our Watch from NPR and KQED",
"officialWebsiteLink": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"meta": {
"site": "news",
"source": "kqed",
"order": 11
},
"link": "/podcasts/onourwatch",
"subscribe": {
"apple": "https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1567098962",
"google": "https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5ucHIub3JnLzUxMDM2MC9wb2RjYXN0LnhtbD9zYz1nb29nbGVwb2RjYXN0cw",
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"rss": "https://feeds.npr.org/510360/podcast.xml"
}
},
"on-the-media": {
"id": "on-the-media",
"title": "On The Media",
"info": "Our weekly podcast explores how the media 'sausage' is made, casts an incisive eye on fluctuations in the marketplace of ideas, and examines threats to the freedom of information and expression in America and abroad. For one hour a week, the show tries to lift the veil from the process of \"making media,\" especially news media, because it's through that lens that we see the world and the world sees us",
"airtime": "SUN 2pm-3pm, MON 12am-1am",
"imageSrc": "https://ww2.kqed.org/radio/wp-content/uploads/sites/50/2018/04/onTheMedia.png",
"officialWebsiteLink": "https://www.wnycstudios.org/shows/otm",
"meta": {
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"source": "wnyc"
},
"link": "/radio/program/on-the-media",
"subscribe": {
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