2016 Bay Area Council Poll Reinforce Council’s Priorities
The results of the 2016 Bay Area Council Poll this week (May 2) reinforced the work we’re leading to grow the region’s housing supply, boost investment in transportation, strengthen connections between employers and higher education, and build greater resilience against an economic downturn. They also highlighted the urgency for state, local and regional elected leaders and policy makers to focus on meaningful and immediate actions.
Residents overwhelmingly rated housing, traffic and cost of living as the region’s top issues. They expressed concern about the overall direction the region is heading and the likelihood of a significant economic downturn in the new few years. See complete Bay Area Council Poll results>>
Under the leadership of Housing Committee Co-Chairs Denise Pinkston of TMG Partners and Kofi Bonner of Lennar Urban, the Council is sponsoring legislation by State Senator Bob Wieckowski to make it easier and less costly for homeowners to add second units, also known as accessory dwelling units (sign the change.org petition in support of SB1069). The Council is also leading discussions with the mayors of San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose and regional planning leaders on developing a bold new regional initiative focused on expanding housing.
To address the Bay Area’s growing demand for transportation, the Council is preparing to lead a likely November 2016 campaign in support of an estimated $3.5 billion bond measure to modernize BART. We’re continuing our work to expand water transit service (see item below), secure funding to modernize Caltrain (see item below), improve coordination among transportation agencies and leverage new technologies like ridesharing apps and intelligent traffic management tools.
