Housing

Making Housing More Affordable and Accessible

The Bay Area Council has doubled down on our advocacy for increased housing production throughout the Bay Area, addressing the pre-existing housing crisis. We must seize the opportunity to rebuild and revitalize our region with smart growth strategies that address historic racial injustices and our ongoing environmental crisis in a manner that does not derail our fragile economy.

We come into 2023 committed to this fight with fresh ideas, more allies, and the same determination to remove the roadblocks that currently prevent the building of a more diverse, equitable, sustainable, and vibrant Bay Area. No other peer organization can boast our level of engagement on housing or our track record of passing bills that produce actual quantifiable results.

2023 Priorities

  • Sponsor & support state and federal legislation that incentivizes housing development through reducing construction costs, streamlining the entitlement process, and increasing federal funding for housing.
  • Endorse & advocate for housing in the Bay Area through supportingĀ proposed housing developments and advocating for their approval at local public hearings.
  • Work with our network of advocates to ensure compliance with the Regional Housing Needs Assessment (RHNA) through the state oversight mechanisms outlined in SB 288 (Weiner), which the Council sponsored.

Housing Committee Co-Chairs
Ann Silverberg, CEO, Related California Affordable and NW Divisions
Robin Baral, Senior Counsel, Hanson Bridgett LLP

Project Endorsement Subcommittee Co-Chairs:
Catarina Kidd, Senior Manager, FivePoint
Linda Klein, Partner, Cox, Castle & Nicholson

Strategic Partnerships
Casita Coalition
Home Building Alliance
Up for Growth

Get Involved
The Housing Committee and Project Endorsement Subcommittee are open to Bay Area Council members. In addition, we invite members and non-members alike to submit projects to the Project Endorsement Committee for review. Upcoming committee meetings can be found on the Council’s calendar of events.

To engage in our legislative advocacy efforts or receive our We Need Housing Wednesday newsletter contact Vice President Louis Mirante (lmirante@bayareacouncil.org).

If you would like to submit a project for consideration by our Project Endorsement Committee, please fill out this form.

Policy Leads


Matt Regan image
Matt Regan

Senior Vice President, Public Policy

(415) 946-8710

Louis Mirante image
Louis Mirante

Vice President of Public Policy, Housing

(510) 908-0537

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