Large crowd shares concerns at housing forum

(By Anna Pier) Over 100 people, Anglos and Latinos together, attended Wednesday night’s Fair Housing Forum. They came to El Verano School with their stories and concerns, their despair and their hopes, and they shared them in Spanish and English.

In welcoming remarks, Davin Cárdenas of North Bay Organizing and Mario Castillo of the Family Resource Center at El Verano school summarized the housing crisis for an audience that is living these statistics: 1% – 1.5% vacancy rate in rental housing; 30% increase in average rent; evictions without cause; and inordinate raises of rent for existing tenants.

In short, there is nowhere to go for the workforce of our Valley.

The elected officials who came to listen were Supervisor Susan Gorin, and Sonoma City Councilmembers Madolyn Agrimonti and Laurie Gallian. In opening remarks by Castillo, they were reminded that the county and city’s financial support of tourism is a major cause of the housing crisis felt in the Valley.

These three elected representatives, together with Kathleen Kane and John Haig of the County Housing Authority, participated in the small breakout groups, where they listened as their constituents freely discussed the housing difficulties they and their friends and neighbors are facing.   They also heard the people who are living this crisis propose actions to bring attention to their situation, and some possible solutions.

A recurring theme of the evening was that people wanted to be able to stay here in the Valley, where they have been living and working and sending their children to school. People also noted that this housing crisis was bringing together the Valley’s two population groups, uniting them in a common cause.

Among the actions suggested were a “tent-out” in the Plaza, participation in a march, a human chain holding hands from the SDC south through the Valley, and a rent strike.

The solutions brought up include: build more housing for the working class; put a percentage limit on the amount rent can be raised; give priority to Sonoma Valley residents for the affordable housing projects; and stop conversion of homes to vacation rentals.

Supervisor Susan Gorin spoke briefly at the beginning of the forum, affirming that “housing and roads” are top priorities for the Board of Supervisors. However, in a press release this week regarding the two-year county budget passed by the supervisors, Chairman Gorin identified the three top priorities as “roads, public safety and fiscal health.”

Interviewed this morning on that discrepancy, the supervisor stated: “Both roads and housing are suffering because of the success of our visitor-serving economy.  … We should broaden our discussion regarding what TOT funds currently, and … how these funds should be used to fund road improvements and workforce housing construction next year.”

Kathleen Kane of the Housing Authority said this: ‘I was particularly impressed with the very positive energy and productive discussions amongst all attendees.  It felt like a great call to action.”

Organizer Davin Cárdenas told The Sun, “The forum was a powerful statement by Sonoma Valley residents of what they feel are the issues and what they feel are the solutions. Their voices are not the voices usually heard discussing the housing crisis.

The event was sponsored by El Verano School, North Bay Organizing Project, La Luz and Sonoma United Methodist Church.