Local elections affect your daily life. Be heard – Close to home

Are you worried about the presidential election? Balance of Congress? Perhaps the very fate of the country? I know I feel especially helpless right now living in a state without swing sets.

I applaud everyone who is doing everything they can to participate in the democratic process, whether you donate, write cards, make calls, travel across county lines to participate in close and critical congressional races, or even to a nearby swing state to roll up your sleeves. in the presidential competition. And for those of you who didn’t participate because you’re paralyzed by the enormity of it, or too busy raising kids and making ends meet, or maybe you’re just tired of the nastiness – I get it, too.

The Generation Housing team is stressed over the election. And it seems like everyone we know is like that. But whatever happens on Tuesday, I ask you to remember and take comfort in this: Local leaders and political decisions have a profound impact on our lives and on the prosperity and resilience of our communities.

Your voice is valuable and powerful here. The elected officials you vote for (or not) listen to you. They really do. They see your names on petitions. They read your emails. They listen especially carefully when you take the time to appear in person at board and board meetings to speak on issues that are important to you.

So, when you mark your ballot, make sure you vote all the way, checking off state proposals, local measures and local leadership races.

The local elected officials you vote for will make important decisions regarding education at K-12 schools, Santa Rosa Junior College and Napa Valley College. The officials you elect govern your hometown, making decisions about how to prioritize parks, roads, housing, small businesses and economic development in our cities and towns. You see the results of their decisions every day. And they are the ones who will make important decisions in the event of a natural disaster, be it an extreme weather event, an earthquake or an economic crisis.

And it’s what happens at the end of the vote, when you’re already nervous about casting it, that determines the size of your property tax bill, where and how much workforce housing can be built, how we invest in infrastructure and fire safety. , what programs are available to help solve the problem of homelessness and mitigate its effects, and much more. It’s something that impacts our daily lives here in North Bay.

Now, if you’re worried about housing – the lack of it, the outrageous cost of housing, the quality of housing, whether it’s housing for you, your children or grandchildren, their teachers, your dog walker or dental hygienist, or just the housing crisis in general. Generation H has plenty of opportunities to flex its political muscles.

Regarding state and local measures, Generation Housing approved Sentence 5 (increases local government to fund critical affordable housing and local infrastructure), Healdsburg Measure O (prioritizes multifamily and workforce housing over hotels, where Healdsburg needs it most), Petaluma’s Measure Y (priority is given to protecting open space and development rather than beyond) and Sonoma County Measure I (just like investing in housing, investing in our little ones is key to the future of our community).

At its meeting on November 12The Santa Rosa City Council will vote on powerful incentives to accelerate construction of the affordable and workforce housing we need most.

On Tuesday, November 12th and throughout the year, your elected leaders want to hear from you. They need to hear your experience of the housing crisis and understand why it is important to you that they take action as bold as the bad housing crisis. To stay on top of all things housing in the future, you can sign up for the Gen H Housing Pulse and Action Alerts at the Gen H Housing Pulse and Action Alerts website. GenerationHousing.org.

Jen Close is the chief executive of Generation Housing.

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