Why You Should Vote NO on Prop. 10

Voting Season is Right Around the Corner; Let’s Take a Minute to Learn About Prop. 10

Right now, the state of California is in the midst of a housing crisis. This is causing current housing units to become less affordable and less available everyday. With this problem getting worse, one may ask how California citizens can help steer California away from this crisis. The answer? By voting NO on Proposition 10 on the November ballot.

What is Prop 10?

According to the California Attorney General and BallotPedia, Proposition 10 is an initiated state statute that would repeal the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, an act that limits the use of rent control in California, thus allowing local governments to adopt their own, possibly more extreme rent control ordinances—regulations that govern how much landlords can charge tenants for renting apartments and houses.

Why Is This Bad?

Proposition 10 will cause the amount of available housing to decrease, further plunging California into its existing housing crisis. This is a huge threat to low-income families. They will struggle to find housing that they can easily afford. This will cause California’s rate of homeless occupants to grow.

Let’s take a step back. You may be wondering at this point, “How will Prop. 10 do all of these things?” If the government repeals Costa-Hawkins, then each jurisdiction in California will be allowed to set their own rules and regulations regarding rent control. This will make it acceptable for government officials in each area to set what they believe is the best solution for the housing crisis, but just because one group of people believe that they have the best solution, that doesn’t mean that it is the best solution, and this could cause tension between citizens and officials in each area of California.

By leaving these decisions up to the state government, it is assuring that each jurisdiction is held to the same standards, thus maintaining equality for renters all over the state. By keeping Costa-Hawkins in tact, it maintains an equal playing field for everyone involved, including renters, building owners, and government officials. Keeping Costa-Hawkins means that there will be one statewide jurisdiction regarding rent control. Individual counties will not be able to take advantage of the rent control system and create unfair housing situations for others.

How Can You Help?

Voting “no” on Prop. 10 would be a great place to start. By voting “no” on Prop. 10, you are telling the government that you do not support Costa-Hawkins repealed. To put it in simpler terms, you are telling the government that you don’t want each jurisdiction to set their own laws regarding rent control. You are saying that you want there to be one, statewide law. This way, no one area can put it’s citizens in an unfavorable financial situation. By doing so, you’re assuring that California remains equal for all, and that no one will be taken advantage of.

For more information about Proposition 10, and all of the other propositions on this year’s ballot, we encourage you to read the Official Voter Information Guide. Remember to stay informed, and get out there and vote!

Renting Below Market Rate (BMR) Units In San Francisco

What steps need to be taken by developers to lease their San Francisco Below Market Rate Housing? It critical that these units be given priority as they can impact the grand opening of the market rate units in the same building. This posting gives a high level overview of the general steps and timeline.

If you are building in San Francisco be aware that the San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development Below Market Rate (“BMR”) Inclusionary Housing Program requires some developers to sell or rent 12% of units in new developments at a “below market rate” price that is affordable to lower or middle income households. The program is governed by Planning Code Section 415 and by the City and County of San Francisco Inclusionary Affordable Housing Program. The program is administered by the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development (“MOHCD”) and as of this writing, includes over 600 affordable rental units all around San Francisco. In most cases, BMR rental units are mixed into a larger market rate building. In a few cases, an entire building is made up of BMR units.

For a project to avoid delays in launching its market rate units, its critical that the process to rent the BMR units start at least six (6) months ahead of Final Inspection/ Certificate of Occupancy.There are three major components to launching and renting BMR units: Preparation, Marketing/Application Collection, and Selection.

Preparation: The Mayors Office oversees and approves the pricing and marketing of the BMR units. Part of this approval process is to ensure the project is creating an equal playing field and set of requirements between the BMR and Market Rate Units. What is asked or required from the BMR applicants, must also be required of the Market Rate applicants.

Marketing/ Application Collection: This is a 28 day process which includes advertising in a predefined number of print publications, including the San Francisco Chronicle or San Francisco Examiner, showing the property and accepting applications. The number of applications accepted and processed during this time can run into the thousands. This period culminates with a public “Lottery” in which names are selected from the pool of applications.

Selection: From the pool of names which were selected from the Lottery, applications are run and background information checked. If qualified, they are offered the unit to rent.

Each of these sections as outlined above is a very high level review of the requirements. Before beginning the process, its highly recommended that you spend a good deal of time with the Mayors office, or you seek professional assistance to ensure compliance with the rules and regulations.

For assistance in leasing your BMR units. Contact Eric Baird at eric@relisto.com or call 415-236-6116 x 101

ReLISTO is a San Francisco and Bay Area Residential Leasing Agency which provides services to landlords and developers to maximize their financial return on their furnished and unfurnished properties and secure qualified tenants. As a full service leasing agency we provide professional services and staffing to Housing Developers to properly submit and comply with the San Francisco’s requirements to rent and lease Below Market Rate Housing Units (BMR), Airbnb Support Services to maximize landlord bookings, roommate finding services and professional relocation services and placement.

Continue reading “Renting Below Market Rate (BMR) Units In San Francisco”

Van Ness Ave Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)

About 25 individuals attended November 30th 2011 Van Ness Avenue Bus Rapid Transit public hearing appropriately held on Van Ness Ave at the Holiday Inn. Numerous posters were displayed, highlighting some of the projects key features, with a staff member attending each to answer questions. In addition a presentation was given along with a slide show

Depending on the version adopted, individuals traveling along the Van Ness Ave corridor will see travel times change. The most aggressive design, Alternative 3 Variation B would result in more parking, and a quicker commute for cars and buses. Figure 3.2.8 from the San Francisco Transportation Authority EIS/EIR report shows in detail what projected efficiencies would be achieved with each alternative compared to 2007 baseline measures.

ReLISTO as a leader in San Francisco real estate leasing and rental market for commercial properties, apartments, lofts and homes, appreciates the benefits BRT will bring to San Francisco Landlords and Tenant with regards to both value and affordability. We frequently encounter situations that a prospective tenant will avoid certain areas of the city due to a long commute time over a mere one or two miles. Traffic improvements will increase ones ability to zip across the city and make hard to reach districts of the city such as the Richmond , Sea Cliff, Presideo and the Marina much more accessible.

Public comments are now being accepted for the proposed Bus Rapid Transit project on Van Ness Avenue. Below you can find the links to key reports on the project and the address to contact via email the Transit Authority to leave your public comment..

Van Ness Bus Rapid Transit Home: http://www.sfcta.org/content/view/306/152
To leave your official public comment with the Transit Authority: http://www.sfcta.org/mos/Contact_Us/task,view/contact_id,22 If you would like to comment on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report, please put “Draft EIS/EIR Comment” in the message subject box, then enter your comments in the space provided
The complete EIS/EIR report for Van Ness BRT http://www.sfcta.org/images/stories/Planning/VanNess_BRT_EIR/Van%20Ness%20BRT%20Public%20Draft%20EIS-EIRBOOKMARKED.pdf
Link to EIS/EIR report segmented into smaller sections: See Download the EIS/EIR http://www.sfcta.org/content/view/808/409/#PRE