[{"_1":2,"_99":-5,"_100":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6468669,"mediaKeyId","5781888-a762a3f60cf3cb9166ac584876e67e6a","parentId",5781888,"title","Community land trusts, cooperative ownership and Mountain View pilot discussed as preservation tools","audioSeconds",3736,"startMs",6034000,"endMs",9770000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5781888-a762a3f60cf3cb9166ac584876e67e6a&start=6034&end=9770","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5781888-a762a3f60cf3cb9166ac584876e67e6a/thumbnail_6034000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6468669/Palo-Alto/Santa-Clara-County/California/Community-land-trusts-cooperative-ownership-and-Mountain-View-pilot-discussed-as-preservation-tools","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6468669-aaf78f54b49819a43ed098aa26692314/orig.mp4?Expires=1771136737&Signature=nr2LA6cfwj5k5XGPYWTdW9xXuAMxTngSjpBFfHgpRQZP9VFrhZRx3CGD3jCZqGnL9PPyiN8-wy2y75zVCuXbSsFYHMhMiFKNH8GUslv4EIYY5BsMeogJJEJ9AubX6L~ZZjwmqjdX1vvwJXlEC2AUeNv6kgnzbXI5UFTt-RzUFFW1rFG3AQoiekww6HL~tRAGUVO8EFqAlIof1lS45tdqCAabxBmhHAkgCkgX4JtS2OjjgMJNzVx3JxWEbLAuLII6rxqd51I8Sr1a8lFdriiEFd0oPlPMkZhau1~FwegcZ6pC9PwJmI8B8ShO~27YXvmoxqx~vFu2p-51Kx0FhedRXA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Palo Alto","date","2025-09-13T00:31:53.65Z","article","Representatives from South Bay Community Land Trust, the City of Mountain View and Silicon Valley at Home briefed the Human Relations Commission on Sept. 11 about models for community ownership, preservation and alternative approaches to affordable homeownership.

Juan Aquelucano of the South Bay Community Land Trust described CLT structure and acquisition activity. He said the trust was formed in 2019 to combat displacement and land speculation and to expand housing opportunities for low- and moderate-income residents. Aquelucano reviewed two acquisitions: a downtown San Jose property (Reed Street), acquired in February 2023 with grassroots fundraising (roughly $500,000 raised for an initial down payment, according to the presentation), and the Virginian Avenue property in East San Jose, an 18-unit complex for which the land trust is pursuing rehabilitation funding. For Virginian Avenue, the presentation said the project is pursuing $5,000,000 in Measure E funds from the City of San Jose and $4,500,000 from another local financing source; rehabilitation was expected in late 2025.

Matthew Reed, Mountain View’s housing officer for policy and programs, described that city’s Community Ownership Program (COPE) framework. Reed said Mountain View designated $4 million in seed funds in March 2024 to support flexible finance and technical assistance for community-ownership projects. The city’s advisory committee identified core goals — decommodification, shared governance, long-term stewardship, capacity building and accountability — and recommended flexible funding products (for example, zero-interest or forgivable loans and technical-assistance grants) to respond to diverse project needs. Reed said the city considered but did not adopt at this time a formal Opportunity to Purchase Act because local funding and organizational capacity were insufficient to ensure tenant- or nonprofit-led purchases under that model.

Josh Ishimatsu of Silicon Valley at Home summarized alternative ownership models including limited-equity cooperatives, social housing (public or nonprofit ownership with mixed-income occupancy, as exemplified by Vienna-style models), acquisition/rehab preservation strategies and tenant- or community-opportunity-to-purchase policies. Ishimatsu said limited-equity cooperatives can combine affordable entry prices with democratic governance, community ownership can be structured to preserve affordability in perpetuity, and TOPA/COPA-type laws create additional time and notice for tenants or nonprofits to make offers when a property is sold; he noted such policies require funding and capacity to be effective.

Commissioners asked about neighborhood outreach and building standards for renovated properties. Speakers emphasized tenant organizing and door-to-door outreach as a first step, and noted that rehabilitation projects must address building-safety and accessibility needs. Reed and Aquelucano described community leadership development and tenant organizing as core parts of preservation-based acquisitions.

Commissioners also asked about regional coordination and financing; Reed said Mountain View is developing technical assistance grants and a flexible product set and will return with program details in early 2025. Aquelucano urged Palo Alto to continue conversations about preservation and community ownership and offered to assist with questions. The commission received no public comment on this topic but noted emailed public interest.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Human Relations Commission Meeting - September 11, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Speakers from a community land trust, the City of Mountain View and a regional housing advocacy group presented alternatives to market-rate housing — including community land trusts, limited-equity cooperatives, acquisition-and-rehab preservation and a flexible funding pilot in Mountain View — during the Human Relations Commission meeting on Sept. 11.","taxTitle","Palo Alto, Santa Clara County, California","taxId",3867,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6468674,"Palo Alto librarians describe expanded programs, outreach and services for underserved residents",2416,2505000,4921000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5781888-a762a3f60cf3cb9166ac584876e67e6a&start=2505&end=4921","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5781888-a762a3f60cf3cb9166ac584876e67e6a/thumbnail_2505000.jpg","/articles/6468674/Palo-Alto/Santa-Clara-County/California/Palo-Alto-librarians-describe-expanded-programs-outreach-and-services-for-underserved-residents","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6468674-3424387cd7c3069fe7949b0b7d036033/orig.mp4?Expires=1771136737&Signature=Gje4RfeWzdU~Ba1wihvoHQrXB7IhG8lVF~uA77rCOCmF7mrNAAxzWotpk~cjLPA7pwKAAw1JANdCgTeFAAGexDLGIJKcl6xVO0GrqwvphlJAo-6DSXk6ouxZlfHAWHCzDV6gj59w6CjSXchPDhKQT2kiNZipSwSuc7eIg3eMm0LlD1pmXk8TTgFPmDFpDKl3i3xcOi59adaJ6J-ZEctcpybY7OPeLOXZvSXJQwxA-2fyR0Fge3xNOg5s3xPsK12N-Hk2MUZ3bVTkLxnwoC0B8qyz8nmWU9hHpoKyge1~k2DlxJ-Z3dqF1ffGfxnd8HK95~3uthESpz1CAi1zI-p52A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Gayatri Kontin, director of Library Services, and library staff presented the Palo Alto libraries’ program and outreach work and answered commissioners’ questions during the Sept. 11 Human Relations Commission meeting.

Kontin said the libraries have expanded beyond traditional collections to serve as “community connectors,” providing public programs, technology access, and wellness services. She quoted a New York Times line during the presentation to describe the modern library’s role: “As local safety nets shriveled, the library roof magically expanded from umbrella to tarp to circus tent to airplane hangar,” which she used to emphasize the library’s expanded public-services role. Division head Julie Finkling reviewed cultural celebration programming and world-language collections; operations manager Alex Perez summarized operations and outreach to underserved patrons.

The presentation listed the libraries’ nontraditional “Library of Things” items (for example, Chromebooks, memory-care kits and park passes), the Vintage Media Lab for digitizing home media, robotics and virtual-reality programs, and an active AI education program. The libraries said they provide more than 15 world-language collections; Finkling gave item counts for the most-used languages in the presentation (Chinese, Spanish, Russian, Korean and French were listed as the largest collections). Recent community events included Diwali (about 350 attendees), Lunar New Year (about 650 attendees) and Nowruz in March (about 780 attendees), the presentation said.

Staff described services targeted at residents who face barriers: an ESL program (rebranded as Learn English) that includes weekly conversation groups and an 8-week “Beyond the Basics” course; Know Your Rights workshops for immigrant communities (events co-presented with community partners and county organizations); restarted homebound delivery (nine volunteers delivering to 27 homebound customers as of the presentation); and partnerships for mental-health first aid, tax-aid clinics, tenant-rights workshops and voter information. Staff said the Mitchell Park Library hosts many of the citizenship and immigrant-focused events, and that library staff collaborate with city departments and community nonprofits to refer people to services.

Commissioners praised the libraries’ outreach and suggested coordination between the Human Relations Commission and library cultural events. Commissioners also asked about challenges; Kontin and staff said state-level funding cuts and the broadening scope of services (including AI and technology education) are ongoing pressures and that volunteer recruitment is one strategy to expand capacity.

Staff encouraged commissioners to promote library programs and to raise specific collaboration requests; there were no public comments on the presentation.","Library staff described post-pandemic recovery, community programs, multilingual collections, technology services, cultural celebrations and outreach to homebound and immigrant residents at the Sept. 11 Human Relations Commission meeting.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6468679,"Human Relations Commission reviews FY24–25 CDBG accomplishments, opens CAPER public hearing",1653,841000,2494000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5781888-a762a3f60cf3cb9166ac584876e67e6a&start=841&end=2494","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5781888-a762a3f60cf3cb9166ac584876e67e6a/thumbnail_841000.jpg","/articles/6468679/Palo-Alto/Santa-Clara-County/California/Human-Relations-Commission-reviews-FY2425-CDBG-accomplishments-opens-CAPER-public-hearing","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6468679-d803cc8abcce0170f95c8dfa9afebf4d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771136737&Signature=aWrIh3D5SKyfp8UULcaZfV8o9uS2PmPt2b04DEVy-UIPE~yJz40qFE9yAW1E24gYzUoy-ZQEGueiyLAMCsdBCShIeFAow6nqD7tqbzFFffhaPBUiRWbG1DQBS8AxR~ze19hhr3orJTcaMl110iC8rQ5IZ6BDyPD~OmYywPvC8OS81rLfdKdu6Z~q1v6Y51UfwZy67ZiRqir6IvKsP0783SAEN~dPlxyGFQyPl5R-3pz65Ud2MH0CF2stWMyydQX47Ouk47so0ZKV5m2n6SzuXNi17hKD8kcJQ1OWR-VlUohbBK3EkRezNi1G4WzqEIEubk5VbQl92RGyDbD0Jj3tTg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Palo Alto Human Relations Commission reviewed the city’s fiscal year 2024–25 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) accomplishments and opened a public hearing on the draft Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) at its Sept. 11 meeting.

Consultant Austin Knutson of Michael Baker International and Coleman Frick, the city’s long-range planning manager, summarized the year’s activity and eligibility for HUD’s reporting requirements. Knutson said the city made available $1,107,757 for the 2024–25 program year, including $513,653 in entitlement funds, $464,154 in prior-year allocations and $129,950 in program income. Knutson listed subrecipient outcomes for the year: Alta Housing provided counseling and case management to 516 residents; Catholic Charities delivered advocacy and complaint investigation services to 37 residents; LifeMoves provided case management to 47 residents; SDI LC assisted 24 adults with disabilities; Project Sentinel provided fair-housing services to seven residents; Moved Mountain View assisted six people through a safe-parking program; WeCare assisted 15 microenterprises with training; Rebuilding Together Peninsula assisted two households with single-family rehabilitation; and the city completed 43 ADA curb ramps as part of a 2023–24 curb-ramp project that the presentation said benefited an estimated 6,681 people with disabilities. The Alma Garden rehabilitation project’s exterior work is complete and interior work is underway, the presentation said.

Commissioners asked follow-up questions about subrecipient eligibility and outcomes. Commissioner Barr asked whether Downtown Streets Team received recent CDBG support; Knutson said he was not aware of Downtown Streets Team receiving CDBG in the past several years but offered to research further. Assistant to the city manager Melissa McDonough told the commission that Downtown Streets Team stopped applying for CDBG funding roughly three years ago and that there were program-eligibility complications. McDonough added that Downtown Streets Team had previously received other federal CARES-era (ESSA/CARES) funds.

Commissioners and staff also discussed reasons some subrecipients significantly exceeded their stated goals and why others underperformed. Knutson and Frick said that reported beneficiary estimates can reflect census-tract-derived estimates for populations (for example, estimated disabled populations), and that some providers (for example, LifeMoves) reported improved case-management numbers year over year after staffing and pandemic-related disruptions. Move Mountain View’s safe-parking case-management numbers remained low, staff said, because the organization has had difficulty filling case-management positions. Rebuilding Together Peninsula reported difficulty identifying qualified low-income homeowners for rehabilitation and therefore served fewer households than planned.

The commission asked about unspent funds and contract periods. Frick explained that the city’s contract terms generally align with the CDBG program year and federal guidance; HUD allows multi-year activities but has deadlines for expending funds. He said the city was not at immediate risk of HUD recapture for standard CDBG funds and that CARES Act (CV/ESSA) funds have specific expiration timelines that the city is tracking. Commissioners requested more detailed expenditure charts for awardees; staff said they would provide additional breakdowns.

Knutson recommended that the commission open a public hearing to review and accept public comment on the 2024–25 draft CAPER. The commission opened the public hearing; no members of the public submitted comments before the hearing closed. Staff said written comments would be accepted through Sept. 24 and that the city must submit the CAPER to HUD by Sept. 30. Knutson provided an email contact for comments: Austin.Knutson@mbaker.intl.com.

The meeting also recorded a formal motion to approve the meeting minutes (moved by Vice Chair Krause; seconded by Commissioner Kazi); the commission voted unanimously as recorded to approve the minutes.","City staff and consultants presented the fiscal year 2024–25 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) accomplishments and opened a public hearing on the draft Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER); no public comments were received.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Community land trusts, cooperative ownership and Mountain View pilot discussed as preservation tools

Palo Alto librarians describe expanded programs, outreach and services for underserved residents

Human Relations Commission reviews FY24–25 CDBG accomplishments, opens CAPER public hearing