LOS ANGELES (August 26, 2021) In its ongoing effort to stop California bills SB 9 and SB 10, Housing Is A Human Right, the housing advocacy division of AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), has taken out a full-page ad in the Thursday edition (8/26/21) of the Sacramento Bee, urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to oppose the harmful legislation. SB 9 and SB 10 will not only fuel gentrification and higher rents in middle- and working-class neighborhoods, but they also have no requirements for the construction of more affordable and homeless housing.
The bills’ fatal flaws are why 71% of California voters oppose SB 9 and 75% oppose SB 10, according to a recent poll commissioned by Housing Is A Human Right. The poll also found that 46% of California voters would look at Newsom less favorably if he supported SB 9 and SB 10.
“Californians have spoken about their overwhelming opposition to SB 9 and SB 10, two housing bills that fail to provide affordable and homeless housing,” says Susie Shannon, the policy director of Housing Is A Human Right. “With 46% of the electorate saying they would look unfavorably on the governor should he support SB 9 and SB 10, it would be smart of Newsom to listen to the people.”
Housing Is A Human Right has been a leading opponent of SB 9 and SB 10, which aim to enrich luxury-housing developers while harming middle- and working-class residents, especially Black and Latino Californians. For any land-use legislation, politicians must always consider the economic, social, and political impacts on communities of color and the working class, but SB 9 and SB 10 fail to take these things into consideration. Housing Is A Human Right expects Gov. Newsom to oppose the bills, and then focus on building more affordable and homeless housing.
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