Don’t put your housing by the freeway
I can’t believe this I have to say
Don’t put your housing by the freeway
Unless you like to breathe smog every day

The rich have fresh air on the mountain (for now)
The poor breathe exhaust and brake dust
If the rich live longer and the poor die younger
Then your town’s zoning is most unjust

Don’t put your housing by the freeway
I can’t believe this we have to say
Don’t put your housing by the freeway
Unless you like to breathe smog every day

The fight for fair housing isn’t over
Not when towns can price out everyone
Our housing strike force has you in our sights
Until real rezonings are really done

Don’t put your housing by the freeway
I can’t believe this we have to say
Don’t put your housing by the freeway
Unless you like to breathe smog every day

All we’re asking is for some duplexes
And ending the apartment bans
Give more people a chance to have a home
Without having to buy acres of land

Don’t put your housing by the freeway
I can’t believe this we have to say
Don’t put your housing by the freeway
Unless you like to breathe smog every day

--------------------
Learn more about AFFH at https://www.hcd.ca.gov/planning-and-community-development/affirmatively-furthering-fair-housing

ASR Recordings

Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing

Senate Bill, 8-2-8
Senate Bill, 8-2-8

Make the rules
Based on science
Get the towns 
All in line
Up the goals
Build the homes
Force exclusionary cities to rezone

Senate Bill, 8-2-8
Senate Bill, 8-2-8

Balance jobs
And housing
More new homes
Less crowding
Room for all
Lower rents
House the workers on which our state depends

Senate Bill, 8-2-8
Senate Bill, 8-2-8

Refer to https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180SB828 for more information

Senate Bill 828

You’ve got to rescale those ADU assumptions
You can’t fool H.C.D. no more
Rescale those ADU assumptions
Unless you change your laws to open some more doors

Don’t worry you’re not the first place that I’ve had to bring the bad news
You all thinks you’re special but I’ve seen it all on how you play
You claim you’re housing friendly but your actions say otherwise
Stopping new construction with high fees and long delays

You’ve got to rescale those ADU assumptions
You can’t fool H.C.D. no more
Rescale those ADU assumptions
Unless you change your laws to open some more doors

And don’t try to meet your very low income housing quota
By claiming ADUs will do a quarter of the job
These homes are cheap but still they are built privately for profit
And unless you’re funding vouchers, for the poor these homes are not

You’ve got to rescale those ADU assumptions
You can’t fool H.C.D. no more
Rescale those ADU assumptions
Unless you change your laws to open some more doors

Re-scale, rescale, rescale, rescale
Don’t pass off  2 plus 2 as 5 like your are doing here
Re-scale, rescale, rescale, rescale
And make up the numbers elsewhere in your housing plan

You’ve got to rescale those ADU assumptions
You can’t fool H.C.D. no more
Rescale those ADU assumptions
Unless you change your laws to open some more doors

ADU = Accessory Dwelling Unit, a backyard cottage or in-law apartment built on a lot by a homeowner.
HCD = California Department of Housing and Community Development, which reviews cities housing elements to see if they have realistic plans to build enough new homes to meet demand

Rescale Those ADU Assumptions

Unsuitable Nonvacant Site 
Unsuitable nonvacant site
Unsuitable nonvacant site
Parcel number 241-200-040
Is an Unsuitable nonvacant site

Unsuitable nonvacant site
Unsuitable nonvacant site
Parcel number 233-110-004
Is an Unsuitable nonvacant site

Have you talked to the owner at all?
Do they have plans to close up shop?
Are they thinking of building new apartments?
Or is it an unsuitable nonvacant site?

Unsuitable nonvacant site
Unsuitable nonvacant site
Parcel number 233-021-014
Is an Unsuitable nonvacant site

Unsuitable nonvacant site
Unsuitable nonvacant site
Parcel number 243-050-013
Is an Unsuitable nonvacant site

Seriously guys. You labeled this one as a Utility facility on your housing element site inventory.  What are we even doing here?

Unsuitable nonvacant site
Unsuitable nonvacant site
Parcel number 233-031-027
Is an Unsuitable nonvacant site

(Parcel numbers are from the Lafayette CA 6th Cycle Housing Element site inventory, in Contra Costa County)

Unsuitable Nonvacant Site

(sad trombone noises)
Looks like the state has found your housing element out of compliance
Looks like you’ve got some revising now to do
Looks like your city needs to try a little harder
To build enough housing for people like me and you 

Looks like it’s time to make those tough decisions
That you were elected to be the one to do
Looks like it’s time for a revised zoning ordinance
That affirmatively furthers fair housing for me and you

For the freeways are backed up from the Caldecott Tunnel
To Antioch and Brentwood, and Discovery Bay
Ten thousand commuters driving for cheap housing
That should have been built closer to where they work

Looks like it’s time to rezone Lafayette
With homes in walking distance of the BART station
Looks like this RHNA cycle, we’re finally going to make up
For the mistakes and bad planning of past decisions

And one day, we’ll ride off into the new abundance
Of a town where teachers and bakers can call home
The road, and rails, and bike lanes to a brighter future
Open up when your housing element meets California law

Out Of Compliance

A few months ago, a couple of West Bay NIMBY politicians came up with a clever idea that if the state wouldn’t certify their housing element as compliant, they would just certify it themselves.  Sounds like a load of shit, doesn’t it?  Yeah.

You Can’t Self Certify 
You Can’t Self Certify 
That’s not how it works, that’s not how any of it works
You Can’t Self Certify 

Maybe you think you can print out “I can do what i want” and slap a city seal on it and not have to do your part in meeting the region’s housing needs, but while there’s a saying “you can’t fight city hall” that saying does not apply to the state government.  

You Can’t Self Certify 
You Can’t Self Certify 
That’s not how it works, that’s not how any of it works
You Can’t Self Certify 

I mean if you really want to f*ck around and find out have at it, maybe someone will use the builders remedy and plop a skyscraper next to your house just because you thought that duplexes were too much.  But I’ll say it again…

You Can’t Self Certify 
You Can’t Self Certify 
That’s not how it works, that’s not how any of it works
You Can’t Self Certify

You Can't Self Certify

You Can’t Self Certify 
You Can’t Self Certify 
Really how many times do I got to say this?
You Can’t Self Certify 

Do you want to get sued
Do you want to look bad
No? Then don’t self certify

There we go.  See?  All you had to do was amend your housing element to allow bungalow courts and townhomes in a few neighborhoods, and now you not only can get a real certification, but maybe even a cool Pro-Housing Designation and some extra money.  That was easy, wasn’t it?  Just remember, tell your friends at the league of cal cities

You Can’t Self Certify 
You Can’t Self Certify 
You Can’t Self Certify 
You Can’t Self Certify

You Can't Self Certify, Trust Me On This

Here comes the housing justice team
Fighting for us all
Telling everybody
“Follow State Housing Laws”

The assistant attorney generals
Protect us from the banks
Protect us from the landlords
Leads the housing strike force

To NIMBY city councils
That want to build a wall
Housing justice team will tell you
“Follow State Housing Laws”

To the greedy slumlords
Raising rent too high
Housing justice team will tell you
“Follow State Housing Laws”

To racist mortgage lenders
Who still think they can redline
Housing justice team will tell you
“Follow State Housing Laws”

To all every Californian
The AG’s got your back
With the housing justice team
And our state housing laws

----------------
Learn more about California's Housing Justice Team at https://oag.ca.gov/housing

Housing Justice Team

This is a song about Chinese American and Taiwanese American history.

Vocals: Alfred Twu    Background music: Digital, made with MuseScore
--------------------
Sheet music
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1GzQNbAHe845HeI-S8CrXcK5vkpI8lvBh/view?usp=sharing
--------------------
The story behind the song
https://alfredtwu.medium.com/music-gold-mountain-silicon-valley-%E9%87%91%E5%B1%B1%E7%9F%BD%E8%B0%B7-917734b60f3d
--------------------
Instrumental version https://soundcloud.com/user-359188368/gold-mountain-silicon-valley-instrumental
--------------------
Lyrics
--------------------
Old gold mountain, silicon valley
Blood sweat and tears
Milk and honey

金山矽谷,美國華裔
Gam1 saan1 xì gǔ mei5 gwok3 huá yi
血汗淚水
Xiě hàn lèi shuǐ
快樂甜蜜
Kuài lè tián mì

On a weekday late night train,
Boards an auntie dressed in white
Rolling past Santa Clara,
I'm you from a past life.

Bamboo ceiling in valley
It can grind your spirit down
Come join me for a milk tea
Back home here in Chinatown.

Old gold mountain, silicon valley
Blood sweat and tears
Milk and honey

Old gold mountain, silicon valley
Pork chive dumplings
Red bean congee

Here I built a new railroad
Since we chased off from the mines
Ran restaurants and laundry
And ate bitter all the time.

Old gold mountain, silicon valley
Start new life as
An old lady

Old gold mountain, silicon valley
Raised paper son
He serve our country

Stuck gold with a gambling house
Washed it through a grocery store
Fought the law and found loopholes
To give kids a chance at more

Old gold mountain, silicon valley
Blood sweat and tears
Milk and honey

Old gold mountain, silicon valley
In our hometown
Building history

After long fights we won rights
To buy land and to stay
They could not burn us no more
So they built a new freeway

Old gold mountain, silicon valley
Railroad tunnels
Dam and levees

Old gold mountain, silicon valley
Built by migrants
For those with money

Uncle ran to be mayor
Didn't win but paved the way
Today's political power
Grows from seeds of yesterday.

Old gold mountain, silicon valley
Serve the people
In the Assembly

Old gold mountain, silicon valley
No one is free
Till we are all free

Civil rights got a big win
In year nineteen sixty-five
Country's gate slightly open
Lucky few could build new life

But the wealth still uneven
Some are rich but many poor
Behind the office buildings
Live five families to a door.

Old gold mountain, silicon valley
Freeway traffic
On 680

Monterey Park, the S.G.V.
Fremont, Irvine, and Convoy Street

Outside California
New land laws in many states
We must all work together
To stop anti-Asian hate

Old gold mountain, silicon valley
Blood sweat and tears
Milk and honey

金山矽谷,美國華裔
Gam1 saan1 xì gǔ mei5 gwok3 huá yi
血汗淚水
Xiě hàn lèi shuǐ
快樂甜蜜
Kuài lè tián mì

金山矽谷,春回大地
Gam1 saan1 xì gǔ Chūn huí dà dì
社會進步
shè huì jìnbù
要靠一起
yào kào yī qǐ

Gold Mountain Silicon Valley 金山矽谷



A song about Chinese American and Taiwanese American history.  This version has just the instrumental music so you can sing along!

Music: Digital, made with MuseScore

--------------------
For the version with vocals: https://soundcloud.com/user-359188368/gold-mountain-silicon-valley
--------------------
Sheet music
drive.google.com/file/d/1GzQNbAHe…view?usp=sharing
--------------------
The story behind the song
alfredtwu.medium.com/music-gold-mou…7-917734b60f3d
--------------------
Lyrics
--------------------
Old gold mountain, silicon valley
Blood sweat and tears
Milk and honey

fo,美國華裔
Gam1 saan1 xì gǔ mei5 gwok3 huá yi
血汗淚水
Xiě hàn lèi shuǐ
快樂甜蜜
Kuài lè tián mì

On a weekday late night train,
Boards an auntie dressed in white
Rolling past Santa Clara,
I'm you from a past life.

Bamboo ceiling in valley
It can grind your spirit down
Come join me for a milk tea
Back home here in Chinatown.

Old gold mountain, silicon valley
Blood sweat and tears
Milk and honey

Old gold mountain, silicon valley
Pork chive dumplings
Red bean congee

Here I built a new railroad
Since we chased off from the mines
Ran restaurants and laundry
And ate bitter all the time.

Old gold mountain, silicon valley
Start new life as
An old lady

Old gold mountain, silicon valley
Raised paper son
He serve our country

Stuck gold with a gambling house
Washed it through a grocery store
Fought the law and found loopholes
To give kids a chance at more

Old gold mountain, silicon valley
Blood sweat and tears
Milk and honey

Old gold mountain, silicon valley
In our hometown
Building history

After long fights we won rights
To buy land and to stay
They could not burn us no more
So they built a new freeway

Old gold mountain, silicon valley
Railroad tunnels
Dam and levees

Old gold mountain, silicon valley
Built by migrants
For those with money

Uncle ran to be mayor
Didn't win but paved the way
Today's political power
Grows from seeds of yesterday.

Old gold mountain, silicon valley
Serve the people
In the Assembly

Old gold mountain, silicon valley
No one is free
Till we are all free

Civil rights got a big win
In year nineteen sixty-five
Country's gate slightly open
Lucky few could build new life

But the wealth still uneven
Some are rich but many poor
Behind the office buildings
Live five families to a door.

Old gold mountain, silicon valley
Freeway traffic
On 680

Monterey Park, the S.G.V.
Fremont, Irvine, and Convoy Street

Outside California
New land laws in many states
We must all work together
To stop anti-Asian hate

Old gold mountain, silicon valley
Blood sweat and tears
Milk and honey

金山矽谷,美國華裔
Gam1 saan1 xì gǔ mei5 gwok3 huá yi
血汗淚水
Xiě hàn lèi shuǐ
快樂甜蜜
Kuài lè tián mì

金山矽谷,春回大地
Gam1 saan1 xì gǔ Chūn huí dà dì
社會進步
shè huì jìnbù
要靠一起
yào kào yī qǐ


You Can't Self Certify, Trust Me On This

Public Comment