Questionnaire of political positions of DSA backed challenger to Scott Weiner
- What do you see as the most important short-term and long-term solutions to SF’s homeless crisis? What can you do in your office to help end homelessness?
Homelessness ends with a house. We can remain in gridlock about zoning policy, but as Our City Our Home showed us, most of us can agree on the need for serious investments in no-to-low income housing. We need to take housing off the speculative markets and build social and public housing for no-to-low-to-moderate incomes across California. The way we get there is by making the wealthiest corporations and billionaires in our state pay their fair share of taxes
- Do you support State Senator Scott Wiener’s SB 50, a rezoning proposal to promote housing density? Why or why not?
No. I agree that certain areas in California need to be re-zoned to allow for increased density and more affordable housing, but as written, SB50 is bad policy with serious negative consequences. Without billions of dollars to ensure it will be built for no-to-low income people, SB 50 leaves low income communities of color susceptible to unprecedented displacement. My opponent has twice failed to pass his own signature zoning legislation because he’s chosen to work with lobbyists instead of housing experts, impacted communities, and affordability advocates. It’s no secret that the California Association of Realtors and the California Apartment Association are big fans of SB 50, and it’s no mystery why. Housing is a human right. Therefore, the government needs to step in on behalf of the public instead of entrusting the Invisible Hand of the market to save us.