Simple things like raising the TOT slightly (and not just for the city, but the whole county) and ear marking a percentage to go to a housing fund can work. Also make the housing fund dual purpose, don’t just build, but subsidize, so that money can be given to people to rent and buy market rate housing. If communities want to add a surcharge like San Francisco did for health care for food service workers, do that on restaurant tabs with the explanation printed out that it is for housing. And last stop OKing large hotels county wide. This attracts more low wage workers, needing more housing. Instead try to attract some new, green businesses that will pay a better wage. And many of you need to read more, this is a nationwide economic problem, Sonoma is not the only place this is happening. I would suggest that you subscribe to the Stanford reports on poverty in America to see the real statistics on where the entire US economy is going and how this affects housing.
– Josette Brose-Eichar
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