Guest Opinion | Rick Cole: Mayor’s Affordable Housing Task Force Has Its Work Cut Out For It

Mayor Victor Gordo has recognized the gravity and urgency of Pasadena’s housing and homelessness crisis by announcing the formation of an Affordable Housing Task Force. He has indicated the group will work to hammer out a comprehensive approach that can be incorporated into a revised housing element of our general plan. State law requires the updated housing element to be submitted for state review by October of this year.

This is an important and encouraging step forward. So too is the recent appointment of Jess Rivas to fill the District 5 City Council seat that Gordo vacated on his election as mayor. Rivas told the council during her interview that, beyond the current pandemic, “the big challenge that we face is affordable housing and homelessness.” She spoke forcefully about adding to the city’s stock of affordable housing and permanent supportive housing in the years ahead.

Pasadena has appointed housing panels before, going back to 1989 when a task force recommended the creation of the City’s Housing Department. Whether the mayor’s task force is effective boils down to three things: who gets appointed; how the group works; and whether there is long-term accountability for implementing its recommendations.

Often when citizens are appointed to city commissions or committees, “the usual suspects” get the nod. That’s natural – elected officials look to established “leaders” that they know. There is clearly value in that – influential people are important to the credibility and acceptance of the results. Yet in a city as diverse as Pasadena, it’s vital to also look beyond familiar faces, especially on issues like affordable housing and homelessness.

For example, homeowners dominate the council and city commissions. Hardly surprising. Those who own their own home have an investment in their community and typically are more stable residents. Yet 57% of Pasadena are renters – and they too have a direct stake in the outcome of city decisions, especially regarding housing. They also tend to be younger and more reflective of the changing demographics of Pasadena where more than 65% of the population is non-white.

But there are other overlooked factors in who gets appointed that can have decisive impact on the effort. One is simply personality. Some very smart, very knowledgeable people simply don’t work well on committees. Having served on (as well as worked for) city councils and commissions, I’ve seen over and over again the vital importance of listening and collaborating. None of us have all the answers. Those who insist on pushing their personal point of view can paralyze a group’s work.
It’s also important to have a mix of members, some with deep expertise and some who come with an open mind and fresh approach. Issues as complex as affordable housing and homelessness need both. It makes no sense to start from scratch, but if we just do what we’ve always done, we won’t seize new opportunities.

Once the group is appointed and sits down to work, there are other crucial factors for success, starting with staff support. Data, reports, minutes and meeting logistics are key to framing the work of volunteers – and for this group, it will be important to have multi-faceted assistance. An issue of this magnitude and significance will need involvement by both the Housing and Community Development Departments, as well as both the City Manager and City Attorney’s Offices.

Even the hardest working and most prepared group of task force members also need to listen to the broader public. The task force’s work should be coordinated with the community outreach the city plans on the housing element update. Ideally, the task force will ensure that all voices are heard, especially those likely to be left out – the rent-burdened, the unhoused, those who don’t speak English and even those who’ve been displaced in recent years, including a significant portion of Pasadena’s historic African-American community.

Finally, we all know that in government it is not unusual for excellent, substantive reports to get submitted – and shelved. No matter how much time the task force puts in, no matter how sensitive they are to fiscal and political realities, no matter how hard they strive to reach consensus on bold, but achievable goals – it will be up to the council, staff and larger community to decide whether the recommendations are implemented – or ignored.

These concerns should not daunt us. If the mayor selects a diverse and productive membership, if the task force listens to each other and the diverse voices in our community and if the recommendations are embraced and adopted into binding law in the housing element, Pasadena will have done what it does best: find common ground. The general plan itself embodies a commitment that “citizen participation will be a permanent part of achieving a greater city. Citizens will be provided with timely and understandable information on planning issues and projects; citizens will directly participate in shaping plans and policies for Pasadena’s future.”

With the housing element needing to be finished in just seven months, the Mayor’s Affordable Housing Task Force will have its work cut out for it!

Rick Cole is a former mayor of Pasadena.