CC 07-08-2020 Oral Communications_Late Written CommunicationsCC 07-08-20
#1
Review Bay Area
RHND
Written Comments
1
Cyrah Caburian
From:Jennifer Griffin <grenna5000@yahoo.com>
Sent:Wednesday, July 8, 2020 5:24 PM
To:City Council; CityClerk@Cupertino.rog
Cc:grenna5000@yahoo.com
Subject:Targets of Big Housing Bills
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the
sender and know the content is safe.
Dear City Council:
Where is the funding coming for all the Big Housing Bills? Senator
Wiener has been pumping out the same type of housing bill for several
years. Why is that? Why did Toni Atkins decide to suddenly support
Five Big Housing Bills as sort of a Big Five that is ready to be signed by
the Governor? Why is the target of these bills the suburban neighborhoods
and the smaller cities in California? The suburbs and the smaller cities are the
targets over and over again.
Is this a game of one-up man ship? Why does the target keep coming back to the
same group of Californians?
Why are our Senators targetting a certain group of Californians who happen
to live in suburban neighborhoods or in smaller cities?
So they want our land? Do they want our neighborhoods? Do they want our
schools? Do they want our smaller cities?
It sure seems like it and groups are aiding and abetting our California
Senators' desire to take over our neighborhoods and cities.
So how do Senators actually write bills? Does someone give them money
or promises?
Is that what is happening with the Big Housing Bills? Sure seems like it.
Someone sure does not want the suburban neighborhoods and smaller cities
to feel like they are part of California.
Is that someone Senators in California or the groups that aid and abet them?
If it is, then this is indeed scandalous, and it needs to stop. Or be investigated
by the whole state- the targetted and the untargetted.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Griffin
1
Cyrah Caburian
From:Danessa Techmanski <danessa@pacbell.net>
Sent:Wednesday, July 8, 2020 6:18 PM
To:Steven Scharf; Darcy Paul; Liang Chao; Jon Robert Willey; Rod Sinks; Deborah L. Feng; Heather
Minner
Cc:Kitty Moore; Ray Wang
Subject:Today's RHNA Study Session
Follow Up Flag:Follow up
Flag Status:Flagged
CAUTION: This email originated from outside of the organization. Do not click links or open attachments unless you recognize the
sender and know the content is safe.
Good Evening All,
Gosh, darn it. I messed up the time for today’s study session on RHNAs and thought it was at 5:30. Thank you so much
for doing it and I will watch as soon as it is available. I feel like it’s such a set up for our City Manager, Council and our
residents and I am so upset. Where are we supposed to get the land for double our current RHNA?!!!! I had planned to
say the following during orals to repeat my earlier sentiments on the subject:
In my opinion ABAG has pulled a fast one by not making it clear to cities that they only had until July 10th to challenge the
RHNA numbers assigned to them and considering that most cities don’t even have elected representation in ABAG this is
all incredibly undemocratic.
Secondly, ABAG and HCD have been completely off the mark in determining the jobs to housing balance for the last two
Plan Bay Area cycles and now they are trying to make up for it in one fell swoop by assigning mostly West Bay Area cities
with housing goals that they couldn’t possibly meet. Why are they not shifting more growth to the East Bay were housing
is more affordable and more jobs would be greatly welcomed.
West Bay cities that are already suffering from over-densification, traffic, environmental, and quality of life issues also
have land prices that will make it an extreme challenge at best to get developers to build low and very-low income
housing. At the bottom line where are we supposed to get the transit and water to support that growth? Yet we will be
punished for not meeting our 8-year RHNA goals through the garnishment of city property tax income, greater
streamlining of development, and greater erosion of the power of our locally elected representatives.
ABAG also seems to completely ignore that Covid 19 will be here to stay for a while and that up to 30% of employees may
end up working permanently from home. That means that fewer people will elect to live in dense urban centers when they
can live in more affordable areas further out. ABAG also seems to ignore that both Covid-19 and the recession will also
make developers less likely to take risks in the next eight-year housing cycle and yet cities like Cupertino and Palo Alto
will be penalized for not reaching double their previous housing goals.
RHNA numbers and the new and proposed housing bills enable each other. As outside interests gain greater control on
how our cities are designed we will suffer at the hands of real estate special interests as long as there is money to be
made until our cities become unrecognizable and unlivable. Just go look at the who’s who behind CASA—that says it all.
Residents need to become more aware and more involved and our City Councils need to band together and push back
against against ABAG/MTC, CASA and HCD and politicians like Scott Wiener and his cabal.
I hope that many folks tuned in today. I’m so sorry to have missed it. Thank you.
Most sincerely,
Danessa Techmanski
2
On Jul 3, 2020, at 7:35 PM, Danessa Techmanski <danessa@pacbell.net> wrote:
Dear Mayor Scharf, Council Members, Manager Feng, and Attorney Minner
ABAG/MTC are forecasting exponential employment and housing growth throughout the Bay Area
despite that some of the most heavily targeted cities (especially in the West Bay) are already so
dense that affordability, traffic, the environment, and our quality of life are being severely eroded.
The same previous flawed methodologies that set us on our current trajectory of a severe jobs to
housing imbalance will be used again for PLAN BAY AREA 2050.
Upcoming RHNAs for “job-rich”or “high-resource” cities like Cupertino and Palo Alto may double
despite that cities do not build housing and cannot force developers to do so—especially in times of
such economic uncertainty.1 Other Bay Area cities may see increases of 135% albeit decreasing
populations, maxed-out densities, and land prices that make building lower-income units almost
impossible. City Managers and Council Members will ultimately be the ones held accountable for
failure to meet these arduous goals for the next 8-year housing cycle. Failure to do so could subject
cities to a number of penalties including, but not limited to, greater developer streamlining
entitlements,2 continued erosion of locally-elected power, and the possible garnishment of city
property tax income which could send cities into an even greater downward housing spiral.3
MTC is requesting $100 billion and CASA plans to raise $2.5 billion per year for the next 15 years to
meet enormous growth goals through a bevy of sales and head taxes (with plans to pass bonds at a
lower threshold of 55%). Such tax impositions could devastate the finances of already struggling
cities, destroy small businesses, and impact California taxpayers at even the lowest levels. Keep in
mind that these enormous financial decisions and expenditures will mostly occur in the absence
locally-elected representation.
It is critical for ABAG/HCD to extend the date for RHNA finalization so as to better assess the
impacts of Covid-19, the outward migration of both jobs and California residents, and the current
recession that will hinder developers. Up to 35% of the workforce could end up permanently working
remotely in areas where housing is more affordable and at greater distances from traditional job
centers . With only days* until the next RHNA numbers are set in stone it is imperative that
Cupertino and other cities make a concerted effort to push back against ABAG/MTC’s unrealistic
goals.
PLEASE TAKE ACTION BEFORE JULY 10TH WHEN THESE NEW RHNAs WILL BECOME
IMPOSSIBLE TO CHANGE! Contact HCD and ABAG to push for more realistic housing numbers for
our City and for a deadline extension to better assess our current situation.
Please add this as an agenda item for the July 7, 2020 Council Meeting. Also please enter this into
the public record. Thank you!!!!!
Sincerely,
Danessa Techmanski
Supporter/Participant of The West Bay Citizens Coalition (WBCC), Better Cupertino, and Livable CA
30-year Cupertino Resident
*ABAG staff announced at their June 18, 2020 Executive Committee meeting that any objections to the
RHND under Code 65584.01 must be within 30 days or by July 10,2020
3
1) https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/06/25/massive-new-home-building-target-set-for-bay-
area/
2) https://www.hcd.ca.gov/community-development/housing-
element/docs/SB35_StatewideDeterminationSummary.pdf
3) AB1487
Text: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billTextClient.xhtml?bill_id=201920200AB1487