As opposing thoughts on building affordable housing continue to ricochet across the community, Mayor Meghan Sahli-Wells, a heavyweight voice for building, said the City Council would not have had to narrowly approve borrowing from a reserve fund if it had embraced her recommendation.
During the last City Council meeting, Ms. Sahli-Wells suggested that “if we used the onetime revenues from selling the Pacific Theatres ($13 million), which was funded through Redevelopment, to pay the costs for the affordable housing program for more than 20 years. We are committing to something that should have been done back in the day.”
Holidaying in Nebraska this week with her family, the mayor remains “tuned in as she and former City Councilman Steve Rose exchange historical jabs on why the present Council is in a building crisis.
“I have mentioned before that past Councils decided to put all of their money into economic development,” Ms. Sahli-Wells said, instead of putting up mandated affordable housing. “The very reason affordable housing was made part of Redevelopment in the state of California is because people realized when you do economic development, it displaces people. It makes things more expensive.
“This is exactly what happened in Culver City,” the mayor said.
“Except,” she quickly added, “since past Councils refused to build affordable housing as they were mandated to do, the people who have been displaced are dependent on us to help them out. So if the Chamber of Commerce is saying that people who are permanently disabled should be left out in the cold by the city, quite frankly I believe that is wrong.”
Ms. Sahli-Wells said the headline that the Chamber of Commerce affixed to the essay (Culver City Turns Its Back on Real Affordable Housing Solutions) “is disingenuous. Affordable housing was a major component of our discussion. We directed staff to pursue further means of creating affordable housing.”
