City Manager Resignation Highlights Housing Frustration

The city manager of tony Lafayette submitted his resignation this week in a move that reflected the growing frustration many in the Bay Area feel about local resistance to sensible new housing, particularly near transit. City Manager Steve Falk’s resignation letter generated considerable media interest as it struck a chord with so many residents in the Bay Area struggling to find affordable housing.

“All cities—even small ones—have a responsibility to address the most significant challenges of our time: climate change, income inequality, and housing affordability,” Falk wrote. He referred in his letter to the defeat of a recent ballot measure that would have authorized new housing and the opposition by Lafayette Mayor Don Tatzin and other East Bay elected officials to legislation (SB 2923) the Bay Area Council supported that would allow BART to develop new housing near its stations. “I believe that adding multifamily housing at the BART station is the best way for Lafayette to do its part, and it has therefore become increasingly difficult for me to support, advocate for, or implement policies that would thwart transit density. My conscience won’t allow it.”

To engage in the Council’s housing policy work, please contact Senior Vice President Matt Regan.