The NIMBY group in Alameda trying to put our housing element at risk.
Channel: YIMBY Zac Bowling
Date: 2022-10-29

You may have seen the full-page NIMBY ad from ACT and AAPS in the Alameda Sun. This might be surprising, but the housing advocate part of me is somewhat hoping that ACT succeeds with the petition or lawsuit they are threatening. But as a local home-owning taxpayer and a person who respects competent governance by our local elected, I hope they fail. 

That’s because the changes they are asking for (or rather demanding with their lawsuit threat) would result in our certified housing element becoming decertified. Meaning their plan to demand less housing would backfire and result in drastically more housing in Alameda. The consequences of not having a housing element that is certified are pretty severe. 

Just ask Santa Monica who had to allow 5000 more units on top of their already 8000+ unit RHNA under the builder's remedy for playing with fire and dragging their feet to certify. They will probably have a 15-story building pop up in an odd spot when their own zoning code tries to limit the whole city to 8 stories, but without a valid housing element, their zoning limits are moot. 

Just think of Harbor Bay Club getting to build a 10-story apartment by right with no community input because ACT “succeeds.” I’m not kidding. That is a real possibility. That would be a great outcome for housing. I wouldn’t be mad about it. 

ACT is under the misguided belief that the city can do less in our housing element when in fact the housing element is at the bare minimum of what is required to have a valid and certified housing element under state law. Their asks would absolutely put us out of compliance and bring on the reconning from both the state and developers wanting to build here.

Basically, ACT is putting out a lot of scare tactic misinformation, threatening lawsuits against the city, and using that misinformation to back candidates that support their mission. They also seem to be bankrolled by a few very deep-pocketed people. 

ACT, through their PAC arm ABA, is backing Trish Spencer, Tony Daysog, and Paul Beusterien who they would hope would put us in this reckless position, and given campaign forum statements from each I believe they would try to take us there.

I know that candidates Marilyn Ezzy Ashcraft, Jim Oddie, and Hannah Groce fully understand our state housing requirements and would be more responsible to not get us in legal trouble with the state.