(#1) Unhinged housing nonprofits try to stifle debate—and fail
Continuing our annual tradition of listing our most popular stories of the year, here’s #1 (first posted 6.13): Local progressive nonprofits added a new item to their ever-lengthening resume of ridiculous protest stunts on June 7, when for almost an hour they occupied the offices of the Santa Clara County Association of Realtors and threatened staff. SCCAOR's sin? Actually supporting an initiative—not approved by local housing nonprofits—that would provide quick, high-quality housing for our homeless neighbors. Opp Now co-founder Christopher Escher broke it down with SCCOAR's Gov't Affairs chief Gina Zari in this Opp Now exclusive.
Opportunity Now: The occupation of your offices by nonprofit housing extremists struck a lot of people as—well, let's put it generously—unhinged. I gather that they're mad at your group's advocacy for more—and more immediate—housing for the homeless. What's got their goat?
Gina Zari: What was alarming about what happened last Wednesday was that many of those who invaded our office and terrorized our staff were the leadership of some of our local housing nonprofits, not just their members. They told us they are mad at us for our support of Mahan's Measure E plan and also about our opposition to COPA a couple of months ago. But what really raised their temperature was their belief—and they actually yelled this at us—that they don't think we have a right to Freedom of Speech, and that we shouldn't be allowed to advocate for positions they oppose.
ON: Why on Earth are they opposed to spending money to provide immediate relief to the homeless?
GZ: They see only one solution to all housing issues: Permanent Subsidized Housing—the kind that many of these nonprofits receive funding to build and to service. They don't want their revenue source redirected to other types of housing that are cheaper and faster. Ironically, they call these quick-build units—that often have pets, thermostats/AC, Wi-fi, mini-fridges in rooms, 24/7 in-out, adjoining units for couples, ADA access, and the ability to cook and prepare meals individually—"inhumane." And they say this with a straight face as the homeless are living in truly inhumane conditions on the streets, interchanges, and creeks because those nonprofits spend hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to create new apartments that only a very few of the homeless will be lucky enough to get into—five or more years from now.
ON: It's hard not to see these groups as fanatical: To them, there is zero nuance. There is only one mantra, only a single one-size-fits-all-answer to everything, whether it's homelessness, affordability, mental health, substance abuse, climate change, traffic, racial equity—the list could go on. The answer is always: widely subsidized, super expensive new housing.
GZ: That they, of course, get paid to provide.
ON: We've noticed that they've gotten more desperate, more panicked in their Alinskyite schemes over the past few years. They throw accusations of racism around like carnival beads at a Mardi Gras parade. They lie and mislead with abandon. And as we see with their invasion of your office: They will break laws and try to intimidate into silence people who disagree with them. From someone in their crosshairs, what do you think is going on?
GZ: The real test of an individual or an organization is how they handle pressure, failure, loss. Some of these local housing nonprofits are revealing exactly what they are, and it's not flattering. When you have both the President and the Vice President of the South Bay Community Land Trust invade our office last week, break the law, terrorize our staff, and threaten us repeatedly, that definitely brings into question whether it is a legitimate organization. It makes the taxpayers question whether they want their tax dollars to be given to that group.
ON: A board member of a local housing nonprofit—Jackey Morales-Ferrand—is actually the SJ Housing Director.
GZ: Yes, that is interesting, isn't it? It would appear that there is a conflict. Initially, it didn't make sense why the Housing Department staff fought so hard for certain policies. It seemed personal. Then, I learned that the City's Director of Housing is actually an officer on one of these local housing nonprofit organizations, Destination: Home.
ON: A lot of these groups receive city funds. A lot of them are 501(c)(3)s—which means they're supposed to be educational, not advocacy or lobbying groups. Where is it written that nonprofits get a privileged position in city government?
GZ: Many cities struggle with this problem—how to make nonprofits who work with city staff more accountable. San Jose needs to take a closer look at the relationships between City staff and the nonprofits. The City also needs to take a good look at how these nonprofits are spending taxpayer money. If they are using City money to hire people who break laws, attempt to bully opposition, silence those who disagree, and who play fast-and-loose with their nonprofit status—something's very much amiss.
ON: Sounds like you might want to change the locks on your office doors.
GZ: One of the leaders of the protest told me personally that we at SCCAOR are his "new target." That every time there's a policy we support that he doesn't like, they are going to come back. He should know that since the protest, we have been inundated with messages of support, both emotional and financial. If he thinks their intimidation is going to dissuade us from speaking out and getting involved, he's deeply, deeply misguided. He just made us stronger.
SCCAOR's (at SJ City Council) response to the nonprofit protest in their offices can be viewed here (starts 51:40).
Watch local news coverage of the protest here.
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