HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-17-2023_Open Session_General Comment_Something Better forSan Bernardino CoalitionDear San Bernardino Mayor, City Council Members, and City Manager,
As you know, on March 16th, the City received a Notice of Violation letter (NOV)
from the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) for
committing multiple violations of the Surplus Land Act (the Act) related to the Carousel
Mall. The Something Better For San Bernardino Coalition (SB4SB) writes to urge the
City and its leaders to take the violation seriously and to take corrective action that
leads to a meaningful commitment to affordable housing and community benefits at the
Carousel Mall site.
As HCD’s notice makes clear, these were serious violations and not just clerical
errors. The City committed multiple violations of state law by issuing a request for
proposals for the redevelopment of the site prior to notifying affordable housing
developers that the property was available, by failing to negotiate in good faith with
affordable housing developers who expressed interest in the property, by failing to
prioritize proposals to make at least 25 percent of the housing units affordable to
lower-income households, and by withholding key information that it was required to
provide to HCD as part of the disposition process. Any discussion by City staff of a
Surplus Land Act exemption is irrelevant at best - it has been clear for years that the
City would not qualify for any time-based exemptions to the requirements imposed by
state law that require prioritizing affordable housing on publicly owned land by notifying
affordable housing developers that land is available prior to entering into negotiations to
dispose of the land.
For more than a year, we at SB4SB have repeatedly flagged these violations of
state law for city officials in the hope that they would take action to cure the violation
before HCD moved to take punitive action. In spite of this advanced notice, the City
ignored our warnings and forged ahead with negotiations that HCD found to violate
state law, not only furthering its frustration of state affordable housing laws, but also
wasting vast amounts of city staff time and community energy in a process that it knew
was unlawful.
Now that the NOV has been issued, the City must take action to cure the
violation of state law.By issuing a new Request for Proposals that requires at least
25% affordable housing on the property and community benefits that must be
provided during and after construction, the City can both cure its violation of
state law and ensure that the resulting development supports an inclusive
redevelopment of downtown San Bernardino with a community benefits
agreement that prioritizes good-paying jobs, sustainability, and equity.
SB4SB’s goal has always been to engage and work with city leaders to help
revitalize our downtown. We see this moment as an opportunity to address urgent
housing and economic needs, and so, it appears, does the state. This is also an
Wednesday May 17th 2023,
opportunity for the City of San Bernardino to rewrite the narrative and start prioritizing
the needs of its constituents.
We ask this new administration and our council members to learn from the
mistakes of past leadership and use this opportunity to pursue a pathway to resolve this
Surplus Land Act violation by meeting the needs and desires of our community. SB4SB
has engaged community members and city leaders in the Carousel Mall
Redevelopment project for over two years. We urge the City Council and Mayor to
create an inclusive and transparent process in the drafting of a new Request for
Proposals (RFP) for the Carousel Mall. We request that SB4SB be involved and partake
in the City’s drafting process of a new RFP. Moving forward, we ask that the City
publicly deliberate in the next City Council meeting a timeline for the redevelopment of
the Carousel Mall property. As always, SB4SB remains ready and willing to meet with
the City to discuss the path forward, and remains prepared to meet with any developer
who is willing to commit to substantial affordable housing and community benefits on
the Carousel Mall site. We want to believe City leaders when they say they want to
support accountability and transparency in seeking a resolution to the City’s unlawful
actions, and we look forward to being a part of the process of accountability and
resolution.
Sincerely,
Alicia Aguayo,
Communications Manager
People’s Collective for
Environmental Justice
Yassi Kavezade,
Senior Campaign Representative
Sierra Club
Samuel J. Casey,
Executive Director
Congregations Organized
for Prophetic Engagement
Celene Perez,
Chief of Staff
Inland Empire Labor Council
Carolina Sanchez,
Co-Director
Just San Bernardino
Beverly M. Arias,
SEIU Local 100
Latin@ Committee
Martha Romero,
Trustee
Teamsters Local 1932
Tom Dolan,
Executive Director
Inland Congregations
United for Change
Sheheryar Kaoosji,
Executive Director
Warehouse Worker
Resource Center
Jordan Chechitelli,
Marketing Representative
Sheet Metal Workers’ Local Union 105
on behalf of the Something Better for San Bernardino Coalition.
Angela Williams
Delegate AD 50, Alt.
DBUR Local 1000
IELC DELEGATE
Frankie Jimenez,
President/Business Agent
lronworkers Local 416
Tony DeTrinidad,
Business Development Representative
IUPAT DC 36
Slaughter S. Bradley,
Executive Secretary / Business Manager
San Bernardino – Riverside Building Trades Council