Economist Richard McGahey, who has held federal, state and local leadership roles and is regarded as a national expert on urban and regional economic development, is against March ballot Measure M. The part-time Santa Cruz resident says Measure M will mean less affordable housing for Santa Cruz and less housing justice for the community. Research, he says, proves his point. It shows that voters who show up for votes outside of regular election cycles are “whiter — and wealthier — than their communities as a whole. And they tend to oppose housing development, perhaps in part to protect their existing house values.”
Richard McGahey
Economist Richard McGahey studies cities and inequality at The New School in New York City. His 2023 book, “Unequal Cities” (Columbia University Press), was nominated for the National Book Award. He was executive director of the Congressional Joint Economic Committee, assistant secretary for policy at the U.S. Department of Labor, and economic advisor to Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Massachusetts). McGahey also was director of impact assessment at the Ford Foundation. He blogs regularly for Forbes, and divides his time between New York and Santa Cruz.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Anti-density stances are bad for Santa Cruz — so are ballot initiatives on building heights
Economist Richard McGahey responds to Housing for People activist Susan Monheit’s Sept. 15 Lookout piece. The two have been engaged in a lively public debate about changes to downtown Santa Cruz and the usefulness of a ballot initiative on tall buildings Housing for People is trying to get on the March ballot. McGahey, whose 2023 book on inequitable cities was nominated for a National Book Award, is against the initiative. “Not only do we voters not know enough, but such voting actually is anti-democratic, favoring wealthier people and homeowners,” he says.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Santa Cruz needs more housing density; misguided advocates are making our housing problems worse
Economist Richard McGahey, who has held federal, state and local leadership roles and is regarded as a national expert on urban and regional economic development, has a message for Santa Cruz: Stop supporting misguided housing petitions and policies aimed at curtailing growth. The only way to move Santa Cruz off the list of the nation’s most expensive cities, he says, is to build. He lives part-time in Santa Cruz and points to the petition by the group Housing for People as an example of ill-considered advocacy.