Merced mayor meets at White House to talk about affordable housing barriers
Merced Mayor Mike Murphy on Wednesday met with Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson as part of a group of elected officials from across the county who gathered at the White House in Washington D.C. to discuss the housing crisis.
Murphy said the bipartisan round-table discussion served as a fact-finding meeting for Carson and leaders of other federal agencies.
“I shared with Secretary Carson and the broader group the challenges we have in terms of the housing market,” Murphy said. That included talking about the misuse of well-meaning environmental laws to stop good development and his concerns that building affordable housing can be much more expensive than other housing options.
The council was tasked with finding ways to overcome barriers such as restrictive zoning and growth management controls, rent controls, building and rehabilitation codes, excessive energy and water mandates, burdensome wetland or environmental regulations and tax policies.
“When I ran for office, one of the things I told people was I’d like Merced to have a more prominent voice in the state and nation’s capital,” Murphy said. “It’s just one meeting. But I think it’s an important step.”