FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Media Contact: Colleen Farrell | SBCCOG | 424-271-4681 | [email protected]
SOLUTION TO CALIFORNIA’S HOUSING CRISIS LIES IN COLLABORATION, NOT CONDEMNATION
TORRANCE, CALIF., November 16, 2021 – In response to California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s announcement of the creation of a Housing Strike Force, speaking on behalf of the South Bay Cities Council of Governments (SBCCOG), Drew Boyles, SBCCOG board of directors’ chair and City of El Segundo Mayor, has released the following statement:
“The South Bay cities have been working diligently for years to plan for housing solutions across all income levels. Because most of the South Bay was settled in the early 20th century, like other subregions of California, it grew rapidly and dramatically, leaving it with almost no vacant parcels today. Recent state legislative mandates to add more density, without any affordable housing requirements or consideration of environmental impacts, are not appropriate solutions for the South Bay subregion or for meeting the goal of giving ‘all Californians a place to call home.’
Cities don’t build housing, and more frequently, major corporations and foreign investors are aggressively acquiring housing subdivisions and buildings, redeveloping the properties, raising rents and displacing tenants, largely unchecked, not just locally but also across the globe. This is one of several factors—not our cities—which is leading to increased real estate prices and exacerbating the homelessness crisis.
We implore state agencies to stop making our cities the scapegoat and instead set them up for success, not with a “strike force,” dictated hundreds of miles away in Sacramento, but through collaboration. Let’s work together to find solutions that are more equitable, meet environmental goals, pay mind to existing local transportation and infrastructure, including sewer and water systems, and address affordability to aid those in the greatest of need. The future of our subregion and the state depend on it.”
ABOUT SOUTH BAY CITIES COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS:
The South Bay Cities Council of Governments (SBCCOG) is a joint powers government agency of 16 cities and the County of Los Angeles which share the goal of maximizing the quality of life and productivity of the subregion. Within this structure, cities and Los Angeles County maintain the qualities and characteristics that make them unique and independent, while also coming together collectively to address issues of common interest for a greater good of the communities through partnership, persuasion, performance and advocacy. For more information about the SBCCOG visit http://southbaycities.org