Past Events


EXPLORING THE POWER OF PHILANTHROPY IN EQUITABLE HOUSING

March 28, 2024

One of the highlights of the Partnership of the Bay’s Future’s 5-year anniversary was this panel discussion that highlighted the role philanthropy plays in addressing housing issues. Explore how strategic collaborations and investments in community-centered projects can significantly impact local housing landscapes and foster sustainable community development.

  • Priscilla Chan, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative
  • Fred Blackwell, San Franicisco Foundation
  • Chris Iglesias, The Unity Council
  • Moderator: Nicole Taylor, Silicon Valley Community Foundation


LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE FIRST 5 YEARS OF PARTNERSHIP FOR THE BAY’S FUTURE

March 28, 2024

This discussion at the PBF 5-year anniversary event highlighted the effectiveness of PBF’s multifaceted approach to housing solutions. Learn how collaborative efforts between the government, non-profit, and private sectors, facilitated by strategic funding and partnerships, have been crucial in addressing community needs and enhancing housing accessibility. The insights shared demonstrated a commitment to not only reflect on past achievements but also to leverage these lessons to inform future strategies and broaden the impact.

  • Cindy Wu, LISC Bay Area
  • Sam Licardo, Former San Jose Mayor
  • Nikki Beasley, Richmond Neighborhood Housing Services
  • Moderator: Aysha Pamukcu, San Francisco Foundation

THE IMPERATIVE FOR RACE-CONSCIOUS POLICIES TO ADDRESS THE HOUSING CRISIS

January 22, 2024

In today’s rapidly evolving and increasingly unaffordable housing market, finding a stable and safe place to call home has become a monumental challenge for many. For communities of color, these challenges are exacerbated by a long history of systemic racism, discriminatory policies, and unequal access to resources. Learn how a race-conscious approach to policymaking can potentially solve the current housing crisis, by addressing the root causes of racial disparities in housing access, affordability, and quality. The discussion also focused on tangible solutions and strategies to advocate for meaningful and equitable change.

  • Mathew Reed, SV@Home
  • Wilhelmenia Wilson, Healthy Black Families
  • Mayor James Coleman, South San Francisco
  • Moderator: Geeta Rao, Enterprise Community Partners

MAKE A BIG IMPACT WITH “LITTLE p” HOUSING POLICIES

November 30, 2023

Explore innovative approaches to mitigating the housing crisis by leveraging “little p” policies. While traditional governmental policy — often referred to as “Big P” policy — can face noteworthy hurdles, including the need for city council approval or complex bureaucratic procedures, “little p” policies represent a more nimble and often localized strategy. These policies encompass administrative adjustments and policy implementations in city government, and often make change on a smaller scale and with greater flexibility than their “Big P” counterparts. Learn how “little p” policies are being innovatively applied to address urgent housing challenges when our panel shares valuable insights, experiences from the field, and actionable advice for those interested in adopting “little p” policy solutions to create equitable change in their communities.

  • Wayne Chen, Housing Director, City of Mountain View
  • Eric Shaw, Director, San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development
  • Joseph Villarreal, Executive Director, Housing Authority of Contra Costa
  • Moderator: Melissa Jones, Executive Director, Bay Area Regional Health Inequities Initiative

CREATING EQUITABLE HOUSING SOLUTIONS THROUGH COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

October 18, 2023

Explore the critical role that community involvement plays in the creation and implementation of policies for equitable housing solutions. Too often, decisions about housing are made without sufficient input from the communities they will impact, exacerbating existing inequalities and failing to meet the needs of the intended beneficiaries. Collaborating with the community will provide insights from lived experience, develop trust between the community and government, and is a step towards redressing historical and ongoing inequities in housing. The panel will examine the best practices for engaging the community and identify obstacles communities and policy makers face.

  • Kiana Simmons, Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo
  • Leo Esclamado, My Eden Voice
  • Jocelyn Vera, Hope Solutions
  • Moderator: Aysha Pamukcu, San Francisco Foundation

TRANSFORMATIVE COMMUNITY-GOVERNMENT PARTNERSHIPS IN HOUSING POLICY

June 6, 2023

Embark on a transformative journey into local housing policy change that explores an innovative model that facilitates community and government collaboration and develops trusting, effective partnerships for creating and implementing equitable housing policies. Community leaders have a seat at the table and can better understand the inner workings of government, ensuring those usually excluded from government and policymaking are at the center of efforts for change. It also establishes greater community engagement and helps local government leaders integrate racial and economic equity into housing policy.

  • Benjamin Toney, Partnership for the Bay’s Future
  • Chris Norman, Oakland Department of Housing and Community Development
  • Ellen Wu, Urban Habitat
  • Moderator: Aysha Pamukcu, San Francisco Foundation

PRESERVING HOUSING & CENTERING TENANTS WITH OPPORTUNITIES TO PURCHASE

A Playbook for TOPA/COPA Policies

May 18, 2023

One critical solution to strengthen our communities and protect tenants from losing their homes is the Tenant or Community Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA/COPA), which is being proposed by cities and counties across California. Explore how to combat opposition and misinformation, how government and philanthropy can creatively support TOPA/COPA implementation, and how the lessons learned can assist other jurisdictions looking to adopt a similar act. 

  • Maria Guerrero, SOMOS Mayfair 
  • Martha Escudero, TOPA4LA
  • Peter Ortiz, San Jose Councilmember
  • Moderator: Lydia Lopez, California Community Land Trust Network

AN EQUITABLE PATH FOR BLACK DEVELOPERS

April 18, 2023

Black Developers have historically been kept out of the real estate development ecosystem through exclusionary employment practices in the real estate sector, and discriminatory patterns in the banking sector that place barriers to capital access and economic mobility for people of color. Leaders from the Black Developers Forum will discuss efforts to address redevelopment, acquisition, and rehabilitation challenges and to support Black leaders who are serving the housing needs of Black communities.

  • Nikki Beasley, Richmond Neighborhood Housing Services
  • Kenneth Jones, Local Alliance for Neighborhood Development and Integrated Services 
  • Donald Gilmore, Community Housing Development Corporation
  • Moderator: Melissa Jones, BARHII

THE FUTURE OF SB 9: BUILDING SMALL SCALE HOUSING IN CALIFORNIA

April 5, 2023

In an effort to respond to California’s growing housing crisis, legislators in Sacramento passed Senate Bill 9, a bill aimed at streamlining permitting and increasing housing density across the state. The impact of Senate Bill 9 could be enormous in expanding the supply of “missing middle” housing – a residential building or lot that contains multiple housing units. Until SB 9, small-scale housing had largely been illegal due to local zoning restrictions. Building off the success of recent ADU laws, we’ll discuss how SB 9 can be improved and implemented so that small-scale housing can be more easily constructed.

  • Muhammad Alameldin, Terner Center for Housing Innovation
  • James Pappas, San Francisco Planning Department
  • Alejandro Martinez, Coalition for Responsible Community Development 
  • Moderator: Anu Natarajan, Housing Initiative Lead, Meta

HOLDING CITIES ACCOUNTABLE FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING NEEDS

Housing Elements Compliance

March 7, 2023

As we move into a new cycle of housing production goals set by the state – known as the Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) – we need to make sure that local governments are quickly approving housing to meet their communities’ needs. With all the housing laws passed in California over the past few years, and technical assistance offered through the California Housing California Department of Housing and Community Development as well as the Association of Bay Area Governments, we have more tools than ever to support cities to develop and implement their housing plans and meet their RHNA goals.

  • David Zisser, California Department of Housing and Community Development
  • Daniel Saver, Metropolitan Transportation Commission/Association of Bay Area Government
  • Kristy Wang, Community Planning Collaborative
  • Moderator: Khanh Russo, San Francisco Foundation

ACCELERATING TRANSFORMATIVE & EQUITABLE HOUSING SOLUTIONS

March 3, 2022

Join us for a robust discussion on the interconnected challenges of the Bay Area’s affordable housing crisis and the strategies and tactics that are advancing equitable pro-housing agendas across the region. The event focused on lessons learned and how to build momentum from the last three years on the creation and implementation of tenant protection and housing policies by local jurisdictions as well as the investments to preserve and produce affordable housing across the region.

  • Lourdes Castro Ramirez, Secretary of California Business, Consumer Services & Housing Agency
  • Khanh Russo, VP of Policy and Innovation, San Francisco Foundation
  • Cindy Wu, Executive Director, Local Initiatives Support Corporation