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[1111solutions-blog]

Affordable Housing in Monterey

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You ever stop and wonder why no one calls their real estate agent and says, "We are looking for housing."? What I mean by this is in all the home shopping I've done, I never asked to be housed. People in Carmel are not in "housing".

There's something subtle going on - barracks, slave quarters... how about we talk about homes and living spaces...

Next, we say "affordable" because it's better than "low-income" or "workforce", but has no meaning because affordable to whom?

I suggest we break this down because these fundamentals get in the way of solutions.

Large employers need a place for their low wage employees to sleep. They can't use their desk, so they ask the city to help finance a solution. The real estate market driven by higher incomes and wealth push the underpaid out of the area and causes people to live far away and then they have high travel costs, more carbon production, and we all have high traffic congestion.

The truth is that Monterey does not want to depress the market. To force something to be more affordable means to depress its value. Who wants to decrease the value of real estate? Shall we start up the graffiti and knock down some walls? Who wants property values to drop? The reason they drop is because it's a less desirable place to live - I know, smaller and smaller, farther and farther - a big projects of matching sink, bed, and TV.

ACTUALLY, we want to make Monterey an even more desirable place to live with smooth roads, light traffic, and a protected environment. We want property values to go UP! And when we choose a beautiful geographic area with a mild climate and wealthy people settled here, maybe we should EXPECT higher values and rents.

So what gives? Notice that the pressure is on giving the lower income people less - always. We are brainstorming how to provide a cheaper place to live in an expensive region. We need something smaller, something closer to the freeway, something denser with fewer amenities, maybe behind an industrial park. The truth is low income people are already scraping their pennies to make it and we are saying we need to reduce the quality of the places to live for them to "afford it". There is very little room in their budget and there are very few ways to make a home cheaper here.

Therefore, instead of squeezing down, maybe we should be expanding up! Maybe we should be looking at their income rather than asking them to live in less desirable property. The problem is an income problem, not only a problem of an expensive market. As a city, county and state, we can implement changes that increase the income level of all our residents through education, cultural changes in our expectation of employers and higher minimum wages - to a living wage - get this - based on the REAL cost of “housing” here.

In a tourism destination, these costs are pasts on to tourists who can afford a few percentage points of cost in order for our working people a place to live in the community. They are working for residents who can afford to live here and are working for tourists who can afford to travel the world. I suggest we have a living wage for all the workers in our region, then we all can afford to live here together and the have income to spend for our regional economy at restaurants, golf courses, hair salons, and you’d even increase the budgets for our local non-profits.

Next, instead of just creating cheaper places to live in this highly desirable community, we can lower the cost of other living expenses. For example, water. A family of 4 is paying too much for water, too much for health insurance and too much for transportation. We can assist as a community in all those areas increasing their budget for their homes, which helps the value of our entire community.

First, we decide we want our bank teller and our nurse to live in our community. We want our student and veteran and theater manager to not be pushed out simply because it's a beautiful place to live with limited real estate. It's a cultural decision. Instead of a "go away", "not in my backyard", "all I care about is myself", we collectively make a decision, “I want an integrated society, not an oligarchy, not a class based community exclusively.” Once that decision is made, it creates a unity of effort that improves the life for all of us as we solve these issues.

Second, we stop electing people that say the same ol' things without progress. We stop electing people that misuse public funds, make false claims, repeat the campaign jargon and receive money from special interests, who influence their behavior in government. We demand honesty, transparency, an engaging connection with the community that is not based on partisanship, but is based on sustainable solutions for the greatest number of people - all people - property owners, golf club members and homeless people on public assistance. "There but the Grace of God, go I".

All this work puts us in a place where when we build, we are not overpaying the developer that is friends with the elected officials. When we build efficiently, we build for the top of the line city that we are because efficiency is desirable - not government "projects". We build modern living communities that use new methods to lower the cost of utilities with multi-use rooms, communities we can be proud of to represent the region.

Our long-term rentable homes can be a part of a community where the tourists shoot their photos because they are an example for the world.

Another consideration is that we have plenty of space and homes here if we opened our front door.

How many spare rooms are there for a veteran or a student or an elderly friend? Many! We can talk to the community about opening their homes to wonderful people and to get their attention, we can incentivize them. A financial incentive costs less than full support of a person in a private dwelling. It's an idea that works because it does not change the existing property, does not require building, does not require a new kitchen and bathroom, putting less demand on the environment and infrastructure. The incentive will be less than government “housing”, but still creates a market for those who volunteer to participate. It's rewarding by choice rather than punitive taxes, so resented by many in the community.

In addition, there are ideas for homelessness that have not been tried because of a lack of political support. All of the above helps people avoid being on the street or in desperate situations with friends or in trailers or garages, which releases many resources for the severe situations which need a lot more community support. We can learn from Gathering for Women and Interim on how to address the serious cases which now have more resources to provide for those needs - needs this community with its 1200 non-profits does well and will do better with stronger leadership.

There are solutions on the books buried in bureaucracy, like the veteran home loan that can be used for a new 4-plex mixed use dwelling, serving the vet and all who join in, including revenue generating businesses. Terrell Maddox (candidate for City Council) has this process all worked out. Monterey has land to use for community building R&D. We can start this project next year with political support. His leadership and some political will can demonstrate what can be done without a single new law or new tax.

I thought I'd share what was on my mind this morning...😉

[1111solutions-blog]

Jimmy Panetta at the Monterey Rotary Club

Congressman Panetta,

Inspired. I want to help! I had a special appreciation for attending your speech to the Monterey Rotary today. It was my first time attending the rotary, my first time hearing you speak and a significant part of my personal development into local community affairs - first as a new business support group of my creation, than to the Development Chair for GI Josie, whom really need and appreciate your support, and now to the Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce Membership Relations Manager. Quite honestly, being inspired by your father first, I moved to Monterey from the Bay Area, as a self-employed family man, with the hopes of some time meeting you both - and not for the most common reasons. Your speech at the Rotary was more important than the policies discussed or the people in the room. I believe the central theme of your speech is key to saving our country. Bipartisanship is an obvious topic of concern to address, but more than that, embedded in your content and style was honest, fair, accurate, TRANSPARENCY. And you named names! You brought reality home! You shared your experience like a scout who ran to the front lines to come back and tell us honestly what was going on - without pretense or artificial posturing or protection of party. I did enjoy your turning around your received threats and pressure from leadership for voting the wrong way, to a story of a Republican under pressure from Speaker Ryan - genius, but still authentic! I have yet to participate as you have been leading in the community and the battle field for years! I've been an armchair fan of your father's for 30 years while raising my family in Contra Costa County - also as a fan of the honest Rep. George Miller. My thoughts though have been tested face to face with a Trump voting, Fox watching, life long Republican Catholic 80 year old horse rancher and an evangelical suburbs contractor and a politically charged-tea party-birther-blame-the-Masons handyman, along with the easier to please crystals and yoga gals of Marin, while helping with the Marianne Williamson campaign. Mine are not unique thoughts, but they are not mainstream yet. These are thoughts that bring people together and have them snap out of the divisive trance we are in currently. I believe meeting you and your father and learning - always learning, will bring me closer to where I am supposed to be - to the most important peaceful revolutionary change coming to the Great Experiment of the United States of America. You speak of great people in Congress, people who agree with you in both parties that the polarization is poison, but I have not heard anyone seeking election to office speak about it the way you did today. Your quoting McCain for his words more than his symbolism was unusually, but exactly what is needed to be recognized.

Yes, some leaving Congress, some facing mortality become inspired, but you were unusually respectful of all those who are respectful, without regard to party or issue. As you pointed out, you do not do it out of necessity. You could be comfortably partisan in this district.  I felt the people in the room, some who would defend Trump right then and there, respect and trust your delivery of the information, even if they would vote differently. We are in trouble because the pillars of our country are no longer trusted by the people - Congress obviously, but the courts, the journalists, media outlets, the military,  the president, even physicians, the Supreme Court, and science itself is all eroded in credibility to bring us to a very shaky place. Not only our institutions are becoming a house of cards, but the entire notion of our nation around the world as a place for inspiration and leadership is dropping like a stone into a state of swamp beyond anything conscriptedly painted by Trump. You would know better than I, but I fear the powers behind what is an unnaturally bold fanning of polarization. Division is a very common way to weaken a nation and natural division always exist. This is not natural division. Your positions and transparent and accountable candor are the solution. It simply needs to be expanded upon and focused on beyond being the background of specific issues. It needs to become THE issue, as if a football player is fighting cancer - he'll practice football and learn techniques to beat the other team only if he beats the cancer. I believe the people are ready to support a solution and the solution is already being championed, it's just not quite broken through to the top of the thought process of the country. It is NOT being sold effectively. It is not been fully identified by even the ones who could lead us through it. I look forward to meting you - to helping you help the community, which scales to helping the country and the world, and I hope to meet your father - a greater hero than I think even his reputation suggests. Until then, Nathan James

[1111solutions-blog]

Honesty in Politics