It’s not over… SB-50 may be shelved temporarily, but we are still under attack by Sacramento! There are a slew of other state/assembly bills that are moving forward which, if passed, will eliminate local governance over land use and zoning. Most of these proposed bills aim to eliminate single family neighborhoods.

These bills will be voted at the Capitol by the Senators and Assembly Members, not by you and I. We have No SAY, even though it will directly impact us in many ways; mentally, physically and financially. For detailed analyses of the impact of these bills see the letters by Lydia Kou and Hydee Feldstein.

On March 30, 2019, 48 Hills in San Francisco presented a very informative talk by “geographical economist” Dr. Michael Storper entitled “Why Scott Wiener’s SB-50 Won’t Get Us Affordable Housing.” The following two videos are Dr. Storper’s talk and the Q&A session that followed.

Why Scott’ Wiener’s SB-50 Won’t Get Us Affordable Housing
Question & Answer Session

On March 17, 2019 Livable California, Palo Altans for Sensible Zoning and Palo Alto Neighborhoods co-sponsored a Town Hall Meeting on SB-50 and the CASA Compact. Speakers included Susan Kirsch, Dennis Richards, Doria Summa, Bill Brand and Lydia Kou.

Stop the erosion and loss of local decision-making and control to state legislators in Sacramento. SB50 and other proposed regional proposals threaten R-1 neighborhoods, cities and towns throughout the state.

The goal of Silicon Valley Housing Forum on April 6, 2019, sponsored by Better Cupertino and other local organizations, was to raise awareness about the significant changes that will occur where we live if these bills become laws. The expert panelists shared views and entertained questions from the audience.
Panelists for the forum included Susan Kirsch (Livable California), Steven Scharf (Cupertino), Michael Goldman (Sunnyvale), Julie Testa (Pleasanton) and Lydia Kou (Palo Alto).

On January 31, 2019 the San Francisco Planning Commission held a meeting to discuss Housing Strategies for the city, SB-50 and the CASA Compact.

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors has just passed a resolution opposing SB-50, stating that it “undermines the ability of local governments to protect existing housing and small businesses, and otherwise advance the public good.”


Palo Alto Mayor Eric Filseth discusses with the Weekly his concerns with Senate Bill 50, which aims to boost California’s housing stock, and his own ideas for addressing the state’s housing shortage.

On March 29, 2019 Palo Alto Vice Mayor Adrian Fine and Greer Stone, vice chair of the Santa Clara County Human Rights Commission, join Weekly journalists for a discussion of state Senate Bill 50

Listen to the January 21, 2019 KQED Forum on CASA with host Rachael Myrow and guests Susan Kirsch, Founder, Livable California; Michael Covarrubias, CASA Co-Chair, CEO, TMG Partners and Guy Marzorati, reporter, KQED’s California Politics and Government Desk.

Read Guy Mazorati’s article on The California Report

For more details, read Diane Diamond’s article


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