Historically marginalized communities lack adequate access to the resources needed to thrive. Access to high-quality jobs, schools, fresh food, clean air and water, open space and more are often severely limited in communities with low incomes, in predominantly Black and Latinx neighborhoods, and where older adults and people with different abilities can afford to live. In order to make the Bay Area a place that works for all residents, we need to close the racial wealth gap through policies that support the ability of people to thrive in their communities.

Everyone deserves to have equal access to high-quality public services and opportunities. Investing in our shared resources, such as libraries, parks and transit, will help remove burdens and meet needs, laying a path to greater economic security across the board. We can build a system of public goods that reaches all people, regardless of their income or neighborhood, and allows people to share in the vast wealth of our region.

Traditional social welfare programs don’t help people fix a broken car, pay an electric bill or buy clothes for a job interview. Programs that give individuals or households money with no specific requirements on how it is spent can help fill these gaps. At the same time, California’s public benefits systems do not reach every eligible person, with some programs missing over a million people who qualify. Ensuring that existing programs are easier to access is an important first step.

Fines and fees are often high-pain, low-gain tools that don’t meet their intended goals and can strip wealth from low-income and working families and communities. California has some of the most costly fines and fees in the nation, but they do little to change behavior like speeding or littering. Low-income people and people of color are more likely to be fined and more likely to struggle to pay fines,creating one of the biggest barriers to economic security and mobility. The Bay Area should look to alternative systems that can promote safety and social good without creating impediments to economic stability.

California’s complex and outdated property tax system fails to encourage new housing, benefits those who were able to achieve homeownership decades ago and does not generate enough funding for things we need the government to provide. Because property taxes in California remain artificially low, cities and counties look to sales taxes to pay for public goods. But sales taxes also play a role in reinforcing structural inequality. Every consumer pays the same tax rate at the register, but low-income households pay a higher percentage of their income because they have fewer resources to begin with. In order to create a fair tax system, California’s tax structure needs an overhaul.