Refocusing Basic Needs (Part 2): Can Policy Fix the Higher Ed Housing Crisis?

About This Episode:

According to the Census Bureau, California’s population grew three times more in the last ten years than available housing units. As enrollment at the University of California and California State University systems increased, the statewide housing shortage has made it challenging for campuses to address the situation. State policies around housing have also made it difficult to fix the widening gap between affordability and student housing. 

In this episode, as a case study, we take a closer look at the housing situation in Santa Cruz and the policies that have perpetuated the crisis. We will speak with a team of researchers and professors at UC Santa Cruz, a local attorney, and a current California Senator about future policy changes that can bring more affordable housing to students. 

Featured on This Episode:

Gary Patton is a law professor at UC Santa Cruz and practicing environmental law as a sole practitioner in Santa Cruz. He served on the Santa Cruz Board of Supervisors from 1975 to 1995 as Third District Supervisor. Patton earned a JD at Stanford Law school and a B.A in History at Stanford University. 

Steven McKay is an associate professor of Sociology and Director of the UCSC Center for Labor Studies. He earned aPh.D. in Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, an M.A. in Southeast Asian Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and a B.A. in Political Economy of Industrial Societies at the University of California-Berkeley. Runs the project No Place Like Home together with Miriam Greenberg.

Miriam Greenberg is a Professor of Sociology at the University of California Santa Cruz. She holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from the City University of New York Graduate Center. Together with Steve McKay, she runs the project No Place Like Home, on the experience of the affordable housing crisis in Santa Cruz County.

Senator Nancy Skinner was first elected to the state Senate in 2016 after completing three terms in the state Assembly. Senator Skinner currently serves as chair of the Senate’s Budget and Fiscal Review Committee and vice-chair of the Legislative Women’s Caucus. She is a graduate of UC Berkeley, earning both a B.S and an M.A.

 

Resources for This Episode:

• UC Santa Cruz
• CEQA: The California Environmental Quality Act
• No Place Like Home
• AB 1930