Joint County-City Housing Summit Happening Oct. 3 at Request of Chair Nathan Fletcher & Council President Sean Elo-rivera

Partner Release

View the San Diego Foundation Presentation >

September 28, 2022 – San Diego, CA – San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chair Nathan Fletcher and San Diego City Council President Sean Elo-Rivera want their jurisdictions to work collectively on increasing the supply of affordable housing in the region. To jump-start this new working relationship, October 3 at 9 a.m. the Board of Supervisors and City Council will host a Joint County-City Housing Summit at Montezuma Hall on the campus of San Diego State University.

“In most cases, the cities have their responsibilities and the county has its responsibilities. But when we look at the affordable housing situation in our region, it is time for us to start thinking about these problems together, in a way that makes the most efficient use of our resources,” said Chair Fletcher. “Both entities want the same outcomes, so we must take a holistic approach and determine how we can support each other’s efforts to increase the region’s housing supply.”

The last time the two bodies met together was April 25, 2000, at the start of the new millennium. The County and City are in much different places than they were 22 years ago, and the new leadership at both are eager to work on solutions to bring more affordable housing to the region.

“San Diegans deserve government that owns our responsibilities and collaborates to solve problems. This meeting is a first step in addressing our shared issues and striving for our shared goals,” said Council President Elo-Rivera. “Our collaboration has the potential to unlock great opportunities to make housing more affordable for San Diegans.”

Housing is the only item on the agenda. After presentations by a local affordable housing expert, a philanthropic organization and the San Diego Housing Commission, the two entities will vote on a resolution that commits the County and City to:

• Support efforts to strengthen, streamline, and address permitting and other barriers to accelerating housing production;
• Support efforts to build 10,000 affordable homes on government-owned land and maximize the community benefits on these properties, including alignment with transit lines, Climate Action Plan goals, and ensuring that construction creates good-paying jobs;
• Support efforts to leverage public, private, and other funds to accelerate affordable housing with the urgency it deserves; and
• Support the exploration of the densification of properties owned by the San Diego Housing Commission or its nonprofit affiliate and further expand housing services in our

Click here to see a copy of the resolution and policy.

Presenters & Topics

View the San Diego Foundation Presentation >

Jennifer LeSar, CEO of LeSar Development Consultants and Founder of the Global Policy Leadership Academy

• Topic: Overview of the impact of the lack of affordable housing in our region and what it has meant for economic growth, working families, and the homelessness crisis. She will also talk about the role of local governments in increasing the affordable housing

Mark Stuart, President & CEO, San Diego Foundation

• Topic: Presentation on GIS Mapping of Open Parcels to Develop for the County of San Diego and the San Diego Foundation’s Housing Impact Fund. The inventory incorporates public lands under control and within the jurisdiction of the City of San Diego, the City of Chula Vista, and the County of San Diego, as well as excess state The presentation will include details about the San Diego Foundation’s Housing Impact Fund and mechanics around its $10 million commitment and effort to raise an additional $90 million to address housing needs.

Jeff Davis, Interim and President and CEO of the San Diego Housing Commission (SDHC); Emily S. Jacobs, SDHC’s Executive Vice President of Real Estate; and Josh Hoffman, SDHC’s Vice President of Real Estate Development

• Topic: Presentation on exploring densification of SDHC’s portfolio of affordable rental housing properties with the goal of preparing a third-party report to study SDHC’s portfolio and determine possible unit yields, as well as opportunities and challenges for the

Public Participation

This Special Meeting will be held at San Diego State University, Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union, Montezuma Hall, 6075 Aztec Circle Drive, San Diego, CA 92182. Members of the public can attend and make comments in person. Please refer to San Diego State University’s parking information for additional details about parking. Individuals attending in person are strongly encouraged to utilize public transportation, such as the Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) bus or trolley.

Watch on Cable TV: For this Special Meeting, you may watch the meeting on these TV channels: City TV Channel 24 for Cox Communications and Spectrum or Channel 99 for AT&T U-Verse (within the City of San Diego only), or County New Center on Cox Channel 19 (North), Spectrum Channel 85, or AT&T U-Verse Channel 99.

• Live Video Feed (To view the video feed with the agenda, please click on the “In Progress,” link below when the meeting is in Please note that Internet Explorer is not a supported browser.)
• Vimeo Livestream
• YouTube (Closed Captioning available through YouTube)
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Or listen to the live meeting by dialing (619) 531-4716 while business is being conducted. This is a live, listen-only.

To learn how to participate in the meeting, visit the County of San Diego website or the City of San Diego website.

Contacts

• James Canning, 619-372-7988, James.Canning@sdcounty.ca.gov
• Chris Chan, 619-221-3288, Chancn@sandiego.gov
• Lorena Nava Ruggero, 619-814-1365, lruggero@sdfoundation.org