The COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying recession have made economic justice advocacy more urgent than ever before. As the Bay Area looks to rebuild and reimagine its economy, federal, state and local governments are hungry for policy interventions that will help people become economically secure. SPUR is committed to helping shape the conversation. We are pleased to announce the adoption of SPUR’s Economic Justice Platform for Advocacy.

Incoming San José Director Fred Buzo shares his goals and vision for SPUR’s work in the South Bay. Fred strongly believes that San José can achieve social equity as it continues to develop its downtown core and other areas. For this to happen, we must be willing to admit our past failings, struggle through our differences and work together to better our community.

SPUR is advocating for a number of pro-housing bills and regulatory reforms in Sacramento that would increase housing supply and reduce the time and cost to produce housing. A number of key SPUR-sponsored and supported bills continue to move through the legislative process. When the Legislature returns from summer recess a number of bills will face critical votes in the State Senate and Assembly.

Making sure everyone can afford clean water has long been an issue, but the economic hardships of COVID-19 have exacerbated the problem. SPUR addressed water bill debt in the wake of the pandemic in our January 2021 policy brief Keeping the Water On. Since the publication of the brief, state and local policy on water affordability and sustainability has made progress, which we discussed in a recent SPUR Digital Discourse.