Have enough low cost housing in your town?

Today’s LA Times California Section yielded a wonder
and revelation for those of us not paying too much
attention to Government intervention in our lives.

The article: “Irvine is told it must add 35,600 homes”
by Tony Barboza relates the “Quotas assigned to various
cities throughout the State of California.” It seems
that every 5 to 7 years the State Dept. of Housing and
Community Development establishes what is the the Regional
Housing Needs Assessment. First off, who are these people
and how did they get into our rec room? What they are
saying is that of the 700,000 new slated homes for California
40 percent need to be designated for low-income or very
low income families. What might those families make a
year? $25,000 to $40,000 dollars for a family of five?

Demanding another 35,600 homes means another 100,000 people
and all that goes with it. Probably should be a local
decision rather than mandated by the State! Check with
SCAG and see what your municipality will have to come with.
The Five Year State Plan…..hmmm..didn’t they have that
in the USSR back in the 60’s?

Irvine responded to this demand by saying that they will
need an additional 1100 acres of land to implement this
plan. What is hilarious is the tremendous demand it will
create on the environment. Traffic, pollution and quality
of life infrastructure requirements. Who are these idiots
from the State? They use their power to empower the SCAG
people. The SCAG group is part of 187 Cities in California
packed with Developer types..that have never seen “a growth
curve” that they didn’t just love.

The Southern California Association of Governments used to
be this very parochial group that basically got together to
ask various cities if they wanted to Annex this or that and
tried to settle local border disputes about infrastructure
and utility issues. What happened? Seems there is a new
Sheriff in town….and they are carrying a double barrel
shotgun and holding to the head of various cities they might
want to challenge their basic assumptions.

Luckily for Irvine, they have a Great Park! So, is the concept
to put those 35,600 new homes right there by 2014? Hey, it’s
oh so very convenient. What about Santa Ana, Mission Viejo,
Lake Forest, Costa Mesa and Newport Beach? Hmmmm, better get
ready for a little redevelopment exercise…ya think? Hey,
the State has needs!!

What has us flummoxed is the fact that the State has no qualms
about demanding population impacts to our local communities….
(What happened to Home Rule?) … yet refuses to give us our
equitable and fair share of what we deliver to the State in
annual Transportation Funds! Who made them God is another
visceral reaction? We didn’t realize that the Soviet model of
State planning had been implemented in the State of California.
Well, until these State Agencies return to “making suggestions”
rather than demanding and implementing punitive responses to
the local NIMBY’s…..it might be wise to contact your local
Assembly and State Senator person…with your comments!