SB9 and YIMBY Carpetbaggers

The irony of the YIMBY movement is that for the most part YIMBY's don't actually have backyards--they're just jealous of other people's backyards.  Couple financial jealousy with a tinge of misplaced racism--what I have termed neo-racism--and you get political pressure to destroy single-family zoning as noted here.  A letter to the Comicle today decries this "home shaming".  I'll add it to the comment section.  But people are waking up to the threat posed by Senate Bill 9 and the YIMBY carpetbaggers.  Regular Voice reader Laura has crafted a call to action for us and asked me to share it:

Please be aware of what Sacramento is doing and how it affects our town.  Burlingame is under siege by Sacramento, large Construction Developers, and affordable housing advocates that seek to disrupt the successful balance of single family and multi-family housing that we have in our town today!  They are showing up in numbers for the Zoom City Council meetings and they are advocating for SB-9. 

SB-9 has the potential to change our town forever. In a nutshell, SB-9 rezones all parcels within single-family residential zones, to allow for the creation of up to 10 units on one residential lot, no matter how small the lot size, with NO parking requirement.  That means that your neighbor's home, could become a 10 unit building and neither you, nor your local Council could do anything about it.  SB-9 is one of dozens of similar bills, all designed to erode local control over land-use. 

Our Burlingame Community supported a General Plan revision in 2019 that allows for reasonable growth that our schools, roads, and water infrastructure can accommodate. This plan meets our State mandated housing goals. Burlingame presently has more multi-family residential units as a percentage of housing (53% compared to 47% for single family) than any other city in San Mateo County except East Palo Alto.  We are doing our part and have accomplished this with local control and balance!  Don’t let the outsiders say otherwise.  It is just not true.  

Please let your representatives know that you support your Council's local control over our city’s zoning and do not want interference from Large developers and outside housing advocates that care nothing for your quality of life, or your town.

Please voice your concern to Burlingame City Council at [email protected] 

 

Assembly member Kevin  Mullin                                                 Senator Josh Becker

[email protected] 

                                                                          https://sd13.senate.ca.gov/contact

916-319-2022                                                                              (916) 651-4013

650-349-2200                                                                                (650) 212-3313

State Senior Scott Weiner 

 [email protected]

916-651-4013

650-212-3313

Comments

[Joe]

LTTE of the SF Chronicle

Stop home shaming

Many years ago, my wife and I scraped together every available shred of cash and bought a home in the Bay Area.

We thought that the quality of family life that we were looking for would be most readily available in a single-family dwelling located amid other single-family dwellings. That was our preference.

It was not as if we had a moral compunction about apartment living, and, as a matter of fact we could only afford a home in a neighborhood that had a mixture of apartments and single-family homes.

For many years, our mortgage payments decimated our disposable income, but we were pleased with our choice.

Now, in these recent days, I find it remarkable that there are people elsewhere in the state who do not hesitate to self-righteously cast shame upon us for not abandoning the living conditions and quality of life that we and our neighbors struggled for.

We are told that we have a moral obligation to make room for the flood of new employees lured to move to the Bay Area with the promise that the bay has an endless capacity for new residents. Demolish those single-family dwellings and build multistory high-density accommodations.

Robert Taber, Palo Alto

[Peter Garrison]

“Envy is a strange sad anger.”
Augustine.
Seems the default emotion leading to socialism.

[resident]

Not YIMBYs, they are Yes In Your Back Yard

[Paloma Ave]

I have been warning as many as possible about these two senate bills, SB-9 and SB-10.

Mullins and Becker will be the ones voting on these bills. We need to make it clear that their political careers will be over if they vote yes.

Ask yourself this question. If you own or rent a single family home, do you want a multi-unit building on either side?

If the answer is no, then DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! DON"T JUST SIT THERE.

We know that State Senator Weiner is in the pockets of developers. What about Mullin and Becker? Call them and demand to know what their positions are, after all, they are supposed to be representing us, not themselves.

It is time for us to make the time to actively pursue this issue.

Has anyone seen the abomination being built on Millbrae Avenue, next to the BART station?

[MBGA]

I posted a few weeks ago about this. We are up against bigger forces than the carpet baggers. Biden has been installed by these huge forces.

The point is that these forces wants to take down the system and build back something else.

We are in the early years of the largest war in history and we are losing.

[Everything's Jake]

Thank you Joe. My emails have been sent.

The 2022 election is only 18 months away, self preservation is a strong motivator. Let's raise our voice!

I'm hopeful.

[MBGA]

How does one get involved with election integrity? There are indications that elections throughout this country are rigged. I have no idea whether that is true here in Burlingame.
My informal poling of my neighbors leads me to believe that any Democrat can win over a Republican. So there is a possibility that here in this part of California conservatives are going to lose every issue and race without the Democrats resorting to cheating.
But still it makes sense to be checking the integrity of the vote here. How can we do this?
Years ago when I lived in the east bay I volunteered to work a polling station during a mid term election, helping people sign in and vote with paper ballots. As we get further away from paper ballots and other requirements for voting I'm not sure what we can do to try to make sure things are on the up and up.
Any ideas?

[Joanne]

I would like to know whether Becker and Mullins live in single family neighborhoods??

[Barking Dog]

Josh Becker's single family home

Edited to remove actual address in Menlo Park.

[Evan Adams]

It is completely unacceptable to publish the home address of an elected or appointed individual. This places their family and children at risk. The question can be answered without doxing people who serve our communities.

[Joe]

The address has been removed since I agree with you. It is readily available to anyone looking for it as Barking Dog has shown. One does wonder if the carpetbaggers will be playing by the same rules?

[Paloma Ave]

Evan Adams - You state "people who serve our communities" Do they serve our communities or just their self interest?

Why won't Mullins and Becker come out and state their positions on these proposals?

[BillyGBob]

Despite the usual BV ranting (including MBGA’s typical conspiracy-laden screeds), I’m curious as to what you all propose as a solution to the housing challenges in the region. Where should newer teachers, first responders, child care providers, etc. live? Stockton? 4 to an apartment? Magically reappear in Burlingame at each morning and disappear in the afternoon? A 2nd or 3rd year teacher in the BSD makes around $60k, which means they can typically afford around $1500/month for housing. Good luck finding that in the surrounding towns (I imagine a teacher in the BSD wouldn’t want to live in Burlingame…that way you avoid having impromptu parent-teacher conferences in the Mollie Stone’s produce aisle). Or is this an SEP (somebody else’s problem) that you figure will go away if you ignore it long enough? Sarcasm aside, I’m not a big fan of SB9 as written, but affordable housing is a challenge. Suggestions of alternative solutions would be welcomed.

[Joe]

According to Zumper one-bedroom rents in Burlingame are actually down nearly 16% from last April. That is a Covid reaction but it points to a way forward which is to stop building offices. Burlingame has or is adding about 1200 units in the last couple of years. That is more than we want or should be forced to swallow. Neighboring cities are doing the same. Thinking we can build our way out of the cost of living here without managing demand better is foolish.

At least you didn't call it a "crisis", so thanks for that.

[Adam Smith]

The Invisible Hand is the best way to address the housing market.

Truisms

Rent control adds risk and hurts renters
Capital flows to opportunity
Eliminating zoning laws adds risk and capital hates risk
The Invisible Hand is not the government hand

[Overthrow]

Straight out of Wikipedia: Welcome to 70% of Burlingamer's Philosophy

Most often, proponents of a one-party state argue that the existence of separate parties runs counter to national unity. Others argue that the one party is the vanguard of the people, and therefore its right to rule cannot be legitimately questioned.

[Barking Dog]

Wasn't trying to 'dox' anyone, just passing on, as stated above, easily available info. Apologies Joe.

[Joe]

No worries, Barking Dog. We'll just use an abundance of care on personal info especially on hot topics. Your skills in finding interesting facts is appreciated.

[[email protected]]

Has anyone beside myself noticed the the Upper Middle Class "complains about everything" more than any other City of Burlingame "sub group?"

[resident]

No

[Paloma Ave]

holyroller - It seems out of state housing 'activist or advocates' are complaining about everything, ALL OF THE TIME.

Apparently they are envious of what others here have and don't mind ruining our area.

[Spurinna]

How many renters are on the planning commission?

[[email protected]]

Wow...
You "neighbors" of mine have no Heart.
How many of my Neighbors went to Church Today?
How many of you, "my neighbors" are over 75 years young?
Don't be afraid. Stand up for your beliefs.

[Barking Dog]

Here is the newest Planning Commissioner, dont know if renter or owner. Rhetoric on his Twitter feed, I'm assuming a renter.

https://mobile.twitter.com/Ry_lrs

[[email protected]]

If this person has the experience, and wants to help the COB let them.
Dear BD how do you know if anyone is a renter or not?
Let me know when your next Racial/Economic Profiling Seminar happens again..
I bet you will almost add $30.00 a year to the "Bottom Line."
I especially liked the renting of "public parking spaces in front of your Building for Tenants.