Policy #3: State + Federal Policy Platform

Description

The State + Federal Policy Platform lays a framework for how the Mountain Housing Council (MHC) will direct its advocacy efforts for state and federal policies that impact achievable local housing in the North Tahoe-Truckee region. The Platform was developed by a policy action team with support from Sierra Business Council’s Government Affairs program.

MHC supports policies that address all income levels defined as achievable local housing, including traditional affordable housing (up to 80% AMI) and “missing middle” housing (80% AMI-245% AMI). The latter rarely receives financial assistance from the government but represents a significant need in the North Tahoe-Truckee region. MHC’s advocacy goals are to create and broaden relationships with state and federal decision makers and organizations outside the region in an effort to build influence, change policy, attract funding and ultimately create more achievable local housing in the area.

Mountain Housing Council’s 2023 Advocacy Priorities

The Mountain Housing Council reviews its specific policy priorities annually for each new legislative session while keeping in alignment with the Policy Platform.

The policy platform is based on a set of core principles or understandings, including the need to:

1. We seek to support policy that will increase the supply of affordable and achievable housing and advance housing equity
2. We seek to increase access to housing for local workers and residents as established by the MHC definition of achievable local housing that includes the range of unmet housing needs in the region from those who are unhoused up to middle-income salary earners.
3. We seek to increase access to a wide range of housing types–from Accessory Dwelling Units to Single Family Residential, to small scale multifamily 2-4 units, to Multi-family housing
4. We seek to reduce homelessness by supporting housing and services to serve the unhoused community
5. We seek to retain existing affordable and achievable housing, including existing affordable housing and affordable by design housing such as secondary units and mobile home parks, and the development of a wide range of tools including deed restrictions to retain that housing
6. We seek to advance and encourage a planning, zoning and permitting environment that is clear and predictable to the applicant and can enjoy broad based support from local jurisdictions implementing those policies

Past Advocacy Priorities

The Mountain Housing Council also submitted eight advocacy letters in support of the 2019 Advocacy Priorities:

SB 252 (Leyva): MHC submitted two support letters for this bill, which would preserve the affordability of mobile home parks by incentivizing owners to sell to qualified purchasers. This policy intervention supports preservation of existing affordable housing. This bill did not pass in 2019.

AB 1010 (Garcia): MHC submitted one support letter for this bill, which would expand California Tribal access (including tribes in Placer and Nevada County) to State funded affordable housing and community development programs. Supporting this bill indicates our region’s support for addressing key statewide housing challenges, such as equity and tribal accessibility issues, and supports the work of key partners. This bill was signed into law by Governor Newsom on October 9, 2019.

SB 5 (Beall): MHC submitted three letters with a “support if amended” request for this bill, which would establish a new statewide program to help local governments implement low- and moderate-income housing, transit oriented development and sustainable communities. The amendment request focused on expanding the rural funding set aside amount and modifying the definition of rural communities to more accurately reflect the characteristics of Placer County’s rural populations.

CalHOME Grant Program: MHC submitted suggestions for modifying the eligibility requirements of this program to be more inclusive of rural communities and the region’s definition of achievable local housing.

Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Grant Program: MHC submitted suggestions for expanding the rural set-aside of this program from 10% to 20%, and to modify a technical requirement of the program related to how greenhouse gas emissions in rural communities are calculated and scored as part of the application process.

In 2018, the MHC advocacy team supported the passage of Propositions 1 and 2 that appeared on the November 2018 statewide ballot, approving over $6 billion in funding for affordable housing programs throughout the state. In 2019, MHC worked with Sierra Business Council to track the implementation of the 2017 housing package signed into law by Governor Brown and Propositions 1 & 2.

Relationship Building

The MHC has built relationships with key housing groups like Housing California, California Stewardship Network, and the California Coalition for Rural Housing. These organizations can help amplify MHC’s advocacy priorities in future years and are key for building political identity and influence outside of the region.

Mountain Housing Council Policy Platform Partners

Contractors Association of Truckee Tahoe
Olympic Valley Public Service District
Placer County
Sierra Business Council
Tahoe Regional Planning Agency
Tahoe Sierra Board of Realtors
Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation
Town of Truckee