Get the facts on the California candidates running for election to the District 13 — California State Senate
Find out their top 3 priorities, their experience, and who supports them.
A candidates' forum for candidates for the 13th State Senate District. Park by the children's playground below the clubhouse.
a candidates' forum with the candidates for State Senate District 13
I support a massive investment in affordable housing. Many of our communities are losing their middle class, teachers, nurses, support workers due to the market disruption caused by the infusion of highly paid tech workers. I want to lead the process of creating a mandate requiring that our largest employers (who are also some of the world's largest and most profitable companies) fund a unit of housing for every job they create. Additionally I support reestablishing redvelopment, a revised version of SB5 and a regional housing bond. Finally, I think it's critical that the state step into backfill impact fees on affordable housing, which can run as high as $175,000/door.
I have been advocate for water conservation including helping incubate and seed fund the nation’s largest water conservation organization, the public benefit Watersmart Software and the founders are supporters of my campaign We need to be sure disadvantages communities members have safe, clean and affordable, as water prices are rises at twice the price of electricity. I support the Governor Water Resilience Portfolio
I would fight to clean up polluted waterways and aquifers, go after the polluters who have bespoiled these sources of drinking water, ensure these water sources are tapped sustainably, and fight for the resources that underserved communities need to clean up their water systems. Particulate Organic carbon and nitrate runoff are major water hazards, and I would advocate for a workforce of SV engineers and hydrologists throughout the state to repair their leaky infrastructure. I think we need to reform some agricultural practices, relatively simple things like buying back unproductive or inefficient land, mandating that irrigation be done at night, and leaving some land permanently fallow could have profoundly positive effects on our supply of clean water, ensuring that all communities throughout the state have access to it.
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Several weeks ago I released a comprehensive plan to combat climate change, which was the product of a months long collaborative process between my campaign and 75 local and national climate leaders, from Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey to legendary San Mateo County environment activist Lennie Roberts. The plan calls for: achieving carbon neutrality in state agencies by 2030, a feebate to enable the greening of our transportation system, a green civilian conservation corp, aggressive energy targets for new buildings and, a $5 million prize for exceptional innovations in carbon negative building materials.
It wasn't too long ago that the budgets for prisons was 1/3 of the UC budget, today it is more than UC, CSU and community colleges combined it's untenable and horribly inhumane. We have seen a substantial drop in crime over this generation along with a huge rise in the prison population. We have to move away from criminalizing poverty, and addiction and put more of an emphasis on social services. I also think the best thing we can do to build a future with less crime is to invest in services for new mothers and children aged 0-3, followed by universal pre k.
From my days in law school I’ve been interested in finding new ways for data to inform to inform the legal process. I worked as CEO of a company called Lex Machina from 2012 to 2018. Lex was and is a leader in legal analytics and has helped make our justice system more data driven and transparent. We (rightly) focus on the incredible, brave work being done by progressive prosecutors like Chesa Boudin, and Larry Krasner, I believe improved legal analytics can play a critical as a tool for justice in the hands of prosecutors like them.
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The paper lays out a comprehensive agenda to combat climate change. It was a collabortative process with local and national environmental leaders, 75 of which endorsed me.
Prioritze Climate Now!
Government Operations: The state of California has the power to be a tremendous force for good in the worldwide fight against climate change, both as a purchaser with vast market power and as proof that the world’s cleanest economy can also be its most dynamic. For decades California’s emission regulations have set the standard for our nation, and today the government of California must again answer the call and lead the way on carbon neutrality. As your State Senator, I will sponsor legislation requiring state agencies to achieve net carbon neutrality by 2030, with legitimate offsets. While the state leads the way, I will work with municipalities and county stakeholders to achieve neutrality at the county and city levels. Our state must also utilize our singular power as a consumer to bring about the change we want to see in the climate fight. To accomplish this, we must build on AB 262 (Bonta) Buy CA Clean Act to ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent on “clean” purchases (e.g., renewable energy and fuels, carbon neutral cement, zero emission vehicles). In some cases (e.g., cement) this will send a market signal to create a product that does not exist--or is not widely used yet--which can help drive greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions in the industrial sector (the second largest source of emissions in CA).
Transportation: Thanks to the actions already taken by the Legislature, and more than a dozen Community Choice Aggregators, the electricity grid is on a cleaner path. We must plug our transportation system (our largest source of emissions) into that cleaner grid. I will work to implement a revenue neutral feebate measure to make polluting cars and trucks more expensive and provide an added rebate (in addition to the existing ones) to the cleanest cars and trucks. I believe that the revenue-neutral model may attract more traditionally moderate Democrats, adding a layer of political feasibility to my proposal.
A feebate which focuses on the cleanest 15 percent and dirtiest 15 percent, imposing no fees on the middle 70 percent, there will be very little impact on low-income residents. This feebate should also be applied to used vehicle sales and coupled with an enhanced “cash for clunkers” program to speed up the removal of gas hogs from the roads of the state. To support transportation electrification, I will work to reform our electricity markets to incentivize vehicle electrification and the build-out of a robust fast-charging network around the state; with a focus in disadvantaged communities. I will also lead efforts to transition California’s buses, trucks, heavy duty equipment, trains and ports to become fossil free.
I will support legislation to accelerate the building of protected bikeway infrastructure. AAA (appropriate for all abilities, 8 to 80 years) protected lane infrastructure will make micro
mobility an attractive and safe alternative to single occupancy vehicles. A combination of bus-rapid transit, transit-oriented development, and sustainable micro mobility are visionary yet feasible concepts which will drastically mitigate congestion and lower air pollution.
Buildings: Building stock turns slowly; therefore, we need to move aggressively to set standards for new buildings. In particular, a recent study from E3 confirms that moving to electric-only buildings in CA will (i) slash GHG emissions from homes by 90 percent over three decades; (ii) save consumers money; and (iii) result in health benefits for residents from avoided gas combustion in buildings. I intend to look at how quickly we can electrify all new CA buildings through the State Building Code, and review incentives for electric equipment (e.g. heat pumps, cook tops, dryers.) or the possibility of a “feebate” model for electric equipment, further reducing the cost of electrical equipment while increasing the cost of gas alternatives. In addition, I will look at whether residents should receive notice prior to new construction or substantial renovation letting them know of the cost savings and health benefits of going fully electric. As it is, the cost savings for a 100 percent electric building (no gas) can be substantial since the resident does not need to pay for a gas line to their house. Ultimately, residential standards, especially appliance standards, should aim to phase out the use of fossil fuel gas in homes. I would sponsor legislation requiring that the utility company (i.e., PG&E) must act quickly (within days or weeks not months) to perform required upgrades to the electrical service for any home or business owner that commits to a 100% electric building. This “rapid upgrade” requirement will remove a major obstacle that exists today for building owners who want to upgrade to electric buildings but who are reluctant because “it takes too long” for the utility to get around to performing trenching or other required service or facility upgrades.
Clean Air: Freight transportation is the single largest contributor to diesel particulate matter and nitrogen oxide emissions in California, and it disproportionately impacts low-income communities and communities of color. As your Senator, I will fight for incentives for cleaner technologies in the freight sector, the adoption of sustainable freight strategies at the local, regional and state levels, the adoption of clean truck programs, and strong policies to mitigate the impacts of dirty freight on local communities. I will seek effective and integrated policies that could deliver on the full-scale infrastructure and deployment of a zero emission or near-zero emission freight transportation system in California. In 2017, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) issued a warning that by 2020, gas-powered leaf blowers, lawn mowers, and similar equipment in the state could produce more ozone pollution than all the
millions of cars in California combined. It is past time to start tackling this problem. I propose a two step solution: (i) set a date (2022) by which gas powered leaf blowers and other equipment powered by two-stroke engines may no longer be sold in the State; and (ii) set a date (2025) by which gas powered leaf blowers and other equipment powered by two-stroke engines may no longer be used in the State. In addition, other tools discussed above (state carbon neutrality, feebates applied in the immediate term) can speed this transition. There are already many reasonably priced electric leaf blowers that are available. Lawn mowers and similar equipment that CARB recommends be looked at should be reviewed as well. The health benefits (particularly for the gardeners using these) and reduced smog benefits make this area ripe for action.
Most cities in our district measure their community wide GHG emissions every 10 years or less. This is something that only the state can remedy in time for the solution to make a difference. I will advocate for the state to begin publishing an annual report of GHG emissions for every community of more than 75,000 people as soon as 2022 and for every community of 25,000 or more by 2024. Further, the state should also publish the “service population” of those cities so that GHG per capita can be computed and compared across jurisdictions.
Farming Practices and “Ag Tech”: The recent U.S. Farm Bill contained a soil health provision (written by NRDC and other coalition partners) which pays farmers to farm in a manner that sequesters carbon. While these are initial demonstration projects, they have the innovative potential to be a significant future negative emissions source. California can help develop and refine the metrics for measuring carbon sequestration--- allowing Central Valley farmers to benefit from cap and trade funds for adopting carbon negative soil and nutrient management practices, carbon negative plant selection, and sustainable water use and reuse. I will also support policies to hold Big Ag accountable by taking proportional responsibility for reducing the air pollution caused by their unsustainable farming practices.
Fostering Clean Technology Innovation: California represents approximately one percent of worldwide GHG emissions. The biggest global impact we can have is to turn the focus of our world-leading innovation economy towards solving climate change. While some of the proposals above will help accomplish this, the state should focus more energy directly in this area. This includes setting “reach standards” with enough lead time that new technologies can be developed to meet them. This can also be accomplished directly by using some portion of
CA cap and trade funds (or other procurement funds) for one or more “prizes” to support specific solutions to seemingly intractable problems. For example, $5 million would be a small price to pay to the inventor of a scalable, durable, reasonably priced, low-carbon concrete replacement or a scalable technology to capture extra carbon emissions from smokestacks, or to economically convert captured carbon into useful products.
Environmental Justice: Every new environmental law should be looked at through the lens of economic justice and social equity. This includes the proposals I have made above. While some of my proposals would help communities most impacted by pollution, I recognize that they also impose costs on some communities. As such, I would look at ways to overcome barriers for low-income and disadvantaged communities; for instance, reviewing proposals for further private investment and long-term funding for zero-emissions vehicles. I will also review the possibility of allocating cap-and-trade or other funds to help reduce the transition costs on lower income communities. Equity advocates should be given an equal voice in discussions as these new rules are developed so that their concerns can be raised and addressed early in the process.
Grid Sustainability: California has become a leader in fighting the causes of climate change and has significantly reduced the carbon footprint of its electric supply. Its use of solar and wind power to reduce the carbon footprint of power is commendable. Now we need to implement policies to address the consequences of climate change and protect its people and property from climate-related disasters. The unprecedented extended power outages to millions of people necessitated by the lack of resiliency in the power architecture is a mistake that should not be repeated. The current practice of using local, combustion-based, back-up generators that are typically located in low-income neighborhoods and emit pollutants that cause cancer and respiratory illnesses is problematic from health, environmental, and social justice perspectives. We can address this with micro grids and distributed energy resources which provide reliable, clean backup power in the case of emergencies.
The need to deal with the resiliency of the grid becomes even more critical as we deal with the consequences of climate change. The science indicates that natural disasters will be more intense, frequent and ubiquitous with time. Wildfires, hurricanes, flooding, tornadoes, extreme heat and cold that we are experiencing globally are a harbinger of what is to come.
Green Civilian Conservation Corp: I believe in the intent and principles of the “Green New Deal”, and as State Senator, I will look to implement those intents and principles into California laws and regulations. That said, to me a Green New Deal is not complete without a green civilian conservation corp. I would financially encourage cities and state agencies to create public private partnerships and provide paid internship opportunities in green economy companies, public works, renewable energy, and similar sectors, for youth, with a focus on students from disadvantaged communities.
Protecting Community Choice: In order to ensure that innovative approaches to clean energy can be adopted at the local level we must protect Community Choice Aggregators from regulatory and legislative attacks from investor owned utilities. I will vigorously oppose efforts by monopolistic utilities to limit the authority of CCAs or to make them less viable.
This video details th recognition with a Jefferson award of my activism on education, climate and income inequality.
Much of the housing problems cost is caused by the lack of transportation infrastructure in the Bay Area. With an expanded range in which to build extending in all directions, there is the opportunity to reduce congestion and increase the quality of life for all, while reducing the cost for entry-level housing. We need better transportation so that people can live where affordable housing can be built. That means we need "lanes and trains." We need mass transit so that people can commute 30-50 miles quickly and live in single-family homes as 80% of the country prefers and 70% of the country does. We need speedy medium-haul trains that only stop every 5-10 miles, coupled with light rail and/or busses to connect in between the trains stops. We need three more trains or light rails across the SF Bay: Golden Gate, and two on the Peninsula. We need another bridge in the South Bay. Ironically, we need more highways and expressways to make the commutes easy. We have the second-worst commute in the USA due to a lack of investment in infrastructure. The Bay Area is the fourth largest metropolitan area in the USA, and we need a transportation system to match it.
Having served for four years as a Design Review Commission, and as a licensed engineer, I am well aware of the red tape, delays, bureaucracy, and costs that exist when one is trying to build housing. We need to streamline the permitting process, while still maintaining local zoning control. SB 50 is not the solution. Simply requiring cities to respond to all permit actions within 15 business days, or something along those lines would be a start. We need to hold the cities and planning departments to a standard of responsiveness that is commensurate with the housing situation in which we now find ourselves.
We need to create water storage. We have not created a new dam in 40 years. In 2014 SBI1 set aside $7.5B for water storage that CA has not yet implemented. We also need clean hydroelectric energy that comes along with water storage. We need to enable and encourage drip irrigation in farming and other water saving techniques, while not harming the agricultural community that is so vital to CA and feeds fruits and vegetables to one half of our nation. We need to have water plans in place to accommodate regional growth while not robbing the farmers.
Also, we need to reevaluate the "save the smelt" program and other programs that have not been shown to be effective. As a scientist, if the data does not support the hypothesis, then it is wrong. As a business person, if something does not work, I stop spending money on it. The CA government should not persist in water follies.
I don't have an axe to grind and will listen to anything that works. Generally, I support the positions of the Citizens Climate Lobby, with a dividend paid to the people on energy usage fees. Energy production is monolithic and can be addressed uniformly. Specifically, we need to increase renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, geothermal and hydro-electric. In the meantime, until we have more renewable energy we need to increase less burdensome forms such as nuclear and natural gas while eliminating coal and reducing petroleum. We must work constructively with the energy providers to do this in an efficient and manner. With regards to transportation, all private cars should be offered in hybrid and electric versions, and made from aluminum. Commercial vehicles must move to at least a hybrid status. Mass transit must be expanded. Ironically, we need more highways and roads to reduce congestion and increase the efficiency of cars, trucks, buses and other forms of transport on the roads. Also, we need to address the "last mile" aspect of mass transit by making areas near transit dropoff points friendly to pedestrians, bicycles, electric scooters and whatever people want to use.
There are numerous causes for incarceration and recidivism. There are a few areas where there is an opportunity for ameliorating the problem. Those with mental illness or chemical dependencies need to be treated and housed separately. Those who commit crimes that harm others while being fully aware that it is wrong must be rehabilitated. I would suggest lengthy work and social programs to transition them slowly back into society and make sure they have the opportunity and capability to succeed. They should not be eligible for parole until they are reintegrated into civilized society with a job, a residence, and membership in at least one social or religious organization so that they have a sense of community. They need an opportunity for a job and social context for living a "good life." We can partner with the many non-profit organizations, religious organizations, employers and others that will take convicts back into society. 12% of the people living in the streets of SF are ex-convicts. The cost of not rehabilitating drug addicts and criminals is great and affects many aspects of their families, neighborhoods, and society as a whole.
Property crimes less than $949 should be returned to felony status and we need a bail system. We do not want to create a class of career criminals. Whereas the "3 strikes law" was draconian, the current dismantling of the criminal justice system is too permissive.
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I have served successfully at the local level as a City Councilwoman, Mayor, County Commissioner, and at the state level as a three-term State Assemblywoman and Speaker Pro Tempore.
At the local level, I led on tobacco control, affordable housing, socially responsible investment policies, environmental protection, access to reproductive rights and services, and reform of juvenile justice and dependency care.
In the State Assembly, I led on action on the climate crisis, affordable and supportive housing, gun control, an increased minimum wage and earned income tax credit, mortage protections, relief from abusive landlords, restrictions on toxic chemicals, air quality, environmental justice, human trafficking protections, labor trafficking protections, courtroom protections for people with disabilities, marriage equality, access to abortion and contraception, consumer rights, prison reform, and access to education.
Many of my bills have been “first in the nation” and I have a 100% rating from labor, Sierra Club, Planned Parenthood, Equality California, NAACP, and other social justice organizations.
I am running for the State Senate to be a prizefighter for progressive values and to make real change for the people who need it the most.
We need housing for all income levels in California, but the most severe needs that we must focus on are extremely-low-income housing, supportive housing, and low-income housing. To uphold environmental values we must ensure that housing is linked to affordable transit and small businesses.
Key objectives:
A sustainable future for California requires that we reduce energy and water use. To meet future needs we must:
The accelerating rate of climate damage demands that we become carbon-free by 2030. To do so, we must make clean, renewable energy available at an affordable price for consumers and increase energy storage capacity.
The current electrical grid was built for a small number of points of generation of constant, not variable, energy. For our future, we need power that is renewable, locally generated and stored, and publicly owned. We must also pursue all promising technologies for carbon sequestration.
Some objectives that we must meet:
The vast majority of prisoners in California cycle in and out of the county jails and (less frequently under realignment), the state prisons. To keep more people out of the system longer, we need supportive housing, community mental health and substance abuse treatment, more affordable housing, and services and housing for former foster youth.
We must also:
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There’s a saying: if you want to know where someone will lead you, look at where they’ve been. So I thought I’d tell you a bit about where I’ve been and where I want us to go – together.
I’ve been an organizer. I started with women’s health and reproductive rights, protecting women’s health clinics from attacks, in LA and then in NY. I met my husband during the 1992 Democratic convention, when women’s health clinics were under attack and we were both working to keep them open. This experience and spirit led me to grad school for public health, and spurred me on when I saw the need to fight for my children’s schools.
I’ve been a school board member, a mom, a non-profit leader, and a city councilmember. Because of my experience, I’ve developed an appreciation for what it takes to make things work for in my community. I understand how to fight for what’s right, and how to stand up and make change.
And that’s what it’s going to take to be your next senator.
As the Vice-Mayor of Redwood City, I am proud to have helped lead our community’s aggressive efforts to address California’s housing crisis. As a State Senator, I will continue to fight for affordable housing. I am the only candidate in this race who has supported SB 50, and I would champion similar legislative efforts in the future.
Additionally, I would work to increase state funding to build more affordable housing, provide property tax exemptions for non-profit developers acquiring buildings to offer low-income housing, and incentivize housing built near transit, walkable areas, and parks.
I would also examine the various sources of funding for moderate income housing provided through California Housing and Community Development (HCD), and what needs to be expanded or revised based on current costs, regional needs and available funding.
I would further advocate for reforming the property tax structure for non-profits converting naturally affordable buildings to deed-restricted affordable housing to remove a perverse tax incentive to evict current residents, rather than work through natural attrition to preserve affordable housing.
I believe we need to be investing in diversifying our water supply and that we can meet our water needs through strategic conservation and smart water portfolio management.
As a public health professional, I know that water recycling and reuse can help us safely meet our needs and support legislation to prevent the unnecessary discharge of water what could augement supply.
I support groundwater supply and well monitoring, and wet-weather groundwater recharge and storage.
While I believe we have no time to waste in phasing out fossil fuels, I particularly oppose fracking which immediately jeopardizes critical groundwater supplies.
I believe we need to continue focusing on reducing carbon emissiions as quickly as possible. To do that, we must speed up the timeline to try to reach zero carbon electricity by 2030 rather than 2045. Not only do we need to explore options to limit carbon emissions, we must capture carbon and methane to reduce the impacts we are already seeing.
We must ensure both new construction and existing buildings are as energy efficient as possible with strong green building standards - I also support requiring new homes to include solar. Cities and developers need incentives to ensure new development is pedestrian-friendly and transit-oriented to reduce transportation impacts.
In addition to land use policy that gets peopple out of their cars, we must also invest in transportation in a manner that aligns with our climate goals. The Governor's recent executive order tying transportation funding to achieve the objectives of the Air Resources Board's 2017 Scoping Plan is a major achievement on that front. California also needs additional resources to address our lack of public transit infrastructure.
I am a supporter of the Green New Deal that is currently proposed in Congress that provides comprehensive solutions for becoming fossil fuel free, and believe California can transition to 100% renewable energy sources while addressing income inequality and supporting impacted workers. Energy storage will be an essential component of ensuring a reliable renewable grid and both large-scale and in-home solutions must be explored further.
We should also continue to explore options to remove greenhouse gases from our atmosphere like carbon sequestration and methane capture.
I support proven strategies to reduce incarceration. As a former school board member and an education advocate I believe that adequately funding a supportive learning environment can help reduce future incarceration costs. Community structures and supports that address socio-economic issues are also vital prevention strategies.
San Mateo County has an excellent track record of diversion, and I support a renewed focus on proven community strategies to reduce recidivism - like additional rehabilitation services, mental healthcare, and transitional support.
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California is the place that’s holding the line against the Trump administration. And our legislature and our governor are the people who are building the wall of resistance every day with their leadership. So as your next senator, I’ll jump right in and fortify that wall by:
Fighting for High Quality Education
Protecting Women’s Rights and Health
Creating Affordable Communities
Building a Sustainable Future
We know that California is the beacon and a leader in meeting our challenges head on. Living here, in the heart of innovation and the birthplace of technology, I know we can do it. And I want you to know, that’s what I’ll do as your next senator. Organizing and representing all our community members to tackle the tough challenges with innovation and a willingness to work hard.
I’ve got the experience, I’ve got the passion, and I’ve got you. And together we’ll take where we’ve been, and use it to guide us along the path to where we want to go.
Take a look at where I’ve been, and that will show you where I want to lead: To the California we all want – for ourselves and for our children and for our future.
I am a small businesswoman, housing advocate, Millbrae City Councilwoman and mother of three. I’m running to unite the community around common-sense solutions to our greatest challenges — housing, homelessness and traffic gridlock.
I don’t think you should need an IPO to afford a home. I don’t think it should take hours and hours stuck in traffic to get to work. And as the mother of a son who was temporarily driven to homelessness by addiction, I know we need a comprehensive approach to treat drug addiction and mental health issues if we are truly serious about ending homelessness.
As a Realtor, I bring a unique experience to this issue and will work to make sure our children and grandchildren can stay and raise families of their own here. I have served on the Millbrae City Council since 2013, including as Mayor. I have championed improving public safety, enhancing economic development, and building more housing near transit so we don’t make traffic gridlock worse.
I have spent my whole life in this community. I was born and raised on the Peninsula, and my three children were born and raised here too. Me and Jose, my husband of 36 years, currently live in Millbrae.
I am running for State Senate to speak for us and make sure Sacramento is really listening. You can join my campaign at www.AnnieOliva.com.
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It’s time to break through the partisan gridlock and bring common sense to Sacramento.
I will stand up to the special interests who control our state government so we can make real progress on homelessness, traffic gridlock and affordable housing.
As your independent voice, I will:
Declare a state of emergency on homelessness so we can coordinate action, address untreated mental health conditions, create safe shelters and require those shelters be used;
Demand accountability in government, starting with comprehensive and regular audits of all major programs;
Create housing near existing transit, so we can make the Peninsula more affordable without making traffic worse;
Require absolute transparency in government so average citizens can start to break the power of the special interests;
Make raising taxes the last resort, not the first answer. California should collect unpaid taxes, close tax loopholes and grow our economy before asking residents to pay more in taxes.
I am a housing advocate who has fought to keep seniors and veterans in their homes. I am a local city council member who worked successfully to put housing near transit.
And I am the mother of a son who slipped into addiction and was temporarily homeless before our family could intervene – so I will approach the homeless crisis from a point of compassion, determination and the “tough love” that requires those most in need to seek treatment.
Have questions? Email me at annie@annieoliva.com.
Want to make sure your voice is heard? Join us at AnnieOliva.com.
As a longtime housing advocate — and as the mother of a child who faced a period of homelessness — I know we must do more to put families into homes and to help our homeless neighbors off the streets and into shelters, treatment facilities, and stable housing.
The Peninsula is a prosperous place. There is no reason any person should be forced to live on the street. Yet, homelessness is the reality for thousands of residents, and the crisis is personal for my family as well — one of our sons who was struggling with addiction, was temporarily homeless before we could intervene. The shocking truth is that there has been a dramatic increase in the number of people dying on our streets from exposure, lack of medical care, alcohol abuse and drug overdose.
This tells us that the crisis is multi-faceted and requires a supported comprehensive approach that is not just reacting to the crisis but demanding preventative measures to keep more families and individuals from becoming homeless. We must solve this together as Californians — not one city or town or region at a time. We must provide treatment for those in mental health crisis, and require it in certain circumstances. We must create shelter for everyone, and require everyone to use this shelter when it is available so we can transition homeless people out of our streets, parks, creeks and sidewalks. We must recognize the dignity of everyone and remember the dignity of work — so homeless individuals can work their way off the streets. And we must dramatically increase the supply of housing. The following is my plan to address homelessness, mental health and substance abuse issues affecting the Bay Area and our state.
1. Declare a State of Emergency on Homelessness.
2. Support and expand a system of conservatorship.
3. Support and expand medication-assisted treatment (MAT).
4. Create a broadly coordinated approach.
5. Reform the laws that make housing more expensive, incentivize building more housing and embrace innovation in housing.
6. Harness economic growth to fund new services.
7. Hold ourselves accountable.
Read more at www.AnnieOliva.com/Homelessness-Plan/
We need to do three things aggressively: first, we need to produce more housing in our communities. I am proud of my record in this regard; our city has just broken ground on 132 units of affordable housing in a 5 story building in the heart of our downtown, 54 for seniors, 78 for working famiies, and 82 of the units will be reserved for people making just 50% of Area Median Income (very low income). We ALSO have rezoned a formerly commercial/industrial area near BART for housing, and have over 600 units in the pipeline already. We are going to create a whole new neighborhood in our city. If you think either of these were easy to accomplish, then you don't know Burlingame. In fact, in the last 2 years our city has either built, approved or has in process over 2000 units, equivalent to a 15% uplift in housing units; that would be like San Francisco adding 60,000 units (they added 3000 last year). We are getting it done, and so are other cities on the Peninsula. We don't need SB50 to tell us how to do this. Second, we need a big state-funded plan to preserve existing de facto affordable housing, so that units which today are de facto affordable can be kept that way. I have a detailed plan for that. Finally, we need to invest heavily in transit so that the housing envelopes can be expanded around job centers and give people a reasonable quality of life/commute even if they live farther away.
I have a substantial plan to address water shortages and aquifer collapse in the central valley through simple, proven, highly effective agriculture tech investments. By my calculations, we could restore over 150 billion gallons of water annually to our rivers and aquifers at ZERO long term cost to the tax payer if we used structured finance and worked with our ag community. That is equivalent to about 450,000 acre-feet, or 10X the amount of water San Francisco uses each year. This is a huge opportuinity to restore our environment, rebuild (or at least stop destroying) our aquifers, AND keep our family farms in operation. BEYOND THAT, I call for moving quickly to 100% clean water to ALL commuities in California. This is a matter of investing capital in our infrastructure, and it is also a moral commitment to our residents.
I do not agree with the target: as I have said repeatedly on the trail, this is much too late. We need to be carbon neutral (actually, carbon-free) by 2030. Here is the problem: if the richest, greenest government in the world -- namely the State of California -- cannot achieve carbon-free energy until 2045, then the rest of the country won't get there til 2075, and the developing world, where most of the emissions will come from, won't get there til 2100, and that is game over. We CANNOT let that happen. So I call for a three pronged approach: we must change demand (with a tax and dividend approach on fossil fuel energy), we must rapidly increase the supply of carbon-free energy and storage; and we must begin an aggressive plan of smart agriculture to begin sequestering carbon that is in the atmosphere. How would I get to carbon-free energy production by 2030? I would not just set the date and hope for the best; I would empanel a task force of environmentalist, financiers, energy experts and builders and give them the following task: in one year, detail for us how the State should provide 10 Gigawatts of carbon-free energy AND/OR storage by 2025 (this addresses the problem of not having solar power at night). And then we execute on that plan, whatever path they deem best. That would produce clean energy (or stroage) for about 50% of California's daily energy needs, which coincidentally is what natural gas currently produces in California. We will need to expand the scale over time as more transportation and buildings go "all electric", but this would put us on a firm and deliverable path to achieve Zero Carbon Energy by 2030. I get it....and I will get it done.
I am very familiar with these numbers, having researched and argued for the high social AND financial "Return on Investment" our society gets from anti-recidivism programs in my private sector job. Indeed, I believe the quoted cost number is for male inmates; I nelieve the cost for incarcerating women is even higher, and for youth it is astronomical. I propose two major investments -- I propose investing significantly more capital in training for inmates and THEN supportive housing and jobs post-release. Expecting someone to get his or her life together without help is just expecting to see them again in the justice system. There are a number of VERY good programs for both youth and older individuals. We should invest in scaling them up. SECOND, I want to double the number of public defenders in our system. It is appalling how huge their caseloads are, and therefore individuals who need a defense lawyer but cannot afford one often get short shrift. This has to lead to worse outcomes for individuals, not to mention being terribly stressful to the attorneys. FINALLY, I am a big fan of restorative justice approaches, whereby those who are caught stealing or engaged in other non-violent crimes can work with the victims as a means to healing and learning. There need to be consequences to bad actions, but they do NOT need to involve jail necessarily.
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