City of San José
Interim Appointment
Mayor Reed and Mayor-elect Liccardo have jointly issued a memo to the Rules and Open Government Committee seeking an interim appointment for Council District 4 until a new council member can be elected in the upcoming special election.
While on the surface the call for an appointment is grounded in fair representation for the residents of District 4 during the budget process, the underpinnings are purely political. It’s widely rumored that Liccardo is seeking to appoint Lan Diep, his ally and preferred candidate for the special election to help give him a leg up over the throngs of other candidates.
Where: San José Rules and Open Government Committee
When: Wednesday, December 10
Agenda: link
Santa Clara County
Living Wage
We’ve written in this space about the proposed living wage for the County. While the vote was delayed the last time this item was up, the proposal is poised for passage.
Anyone interested in combating income inequality in a sustainable, innovative way should check into the details of the proposal beyond just the increase in pay.
Where: Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors
When: Tuesday, December 9
Agenda: link
Office of Immigrant Relations and Integration Services
Supervisor Chavez is looking to expand the current Immigration Relations and Integration Services (IRIS) program into a free standing County office to help immigrants in Santa Clara. This move is in response to the shifts in immigration policy both at the state level and the federal level where recent actions have expanded immigrants’ rights and increased the eligible participants in Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.
The County is looking to coordinate the various service providers, collect the relevant facts about ongoing and proposed legislation and executive action and provide the community a better source of information and assistance than the often fraud-plagued service providers operating in the private market. With over 50% of the County residents speaking a language other than English at home and 37% of its residents being foreign-born, the County is the perfect place to coordinate immigrant services and help residents affected by legislation take advantage of changes in the law and enforcement practices.
Where: Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors
When: Tuesday, December 9
Agenda: link
City of Mountain View
Increasing Housing Impact Fees
The City of Mountain View is considering an increase in fees on new housing to continue to fund affordable housing projects and programs that serve lower-income households. The fee adjustments include increasing the Below-Market-Rate In-Lieu fee from the current 3% to 4%; increasing the Rental Housing Impact Fee on new apartments to $15 from $10.26, and increasing the Housing Impact Fee on commercial developments (office, high-tech, and industrial) from $10.26 to between $20 and $25 on for buildings more than 10,000 square feet and half for developments less than 10,000 feet.
On the heels of San José’s recently passed Housing Impact Fee, the Council in Mountain View is exploring an increase in the funding sources for affordable housing. While the fees wouldn’t go into effect until the beginning of February, the potential increases could result in an additional $7.4 million in BMR In-Lieu fees and up to $5.8 million in Housing Impact Fees.
Where: Mountain View City Council
When: Tuesday, December 9
Agenda: link
City of Sunnyvale
Increasing the Housing Mitigation Fee
The City of Sunnyvale is looking to expand the Housing Mitigation Fee to all net new square footage for commercial development (office/R&D/industrial/retail and lodging development) with an initial fee of $12 per square foot for office/R&D/industrial projects ($6 for the first 25,000 square feet) and $6 per square foot for retail and lodging projects. Both fees will be adjusted annually for inflation.
Originally adopted in 1983 and last updated in 2003, the Housing Mitigation Fee currently brings in around $410,000 dollars annually. The fee will help offset the cost of building affordable housing. Currently, Sunnyvale has a median home sale price of $875,000 and average rent of $2,223.
Where: Sunnyvale City Council
When: Tuesday, December 9
Agenda: link
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