Share and Connect
at the 2024 Conference
SEPTEMBER 12 – 13, 2024
THE CENTER FOR HEALTHY COMMUNITIES
IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES
This two-day gathering for all those involved in the community land trust ecosystem in California was meant to nurture collaboration, encourage knowledge-sharing, and inspire change.
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Conference Program: Thursday, September 12, 2024
Welcome Session
Oscar Monge, T.R.U.S.T. SOUTH LA, Interim Executive Director
Hope Williams, San Francisco Community Land Trust, Board President
Lydia Lopez, CA CLT Network, Co Director for Organizing & Partnerships
Leo Goldberg, California Community Land Trust Network, Co-Director for Policy and Capacity Building
Learn about who is in attendance, go over the schedule for the conference, meet the CA CLT Network Board, and get updates on the CLT movement in California.
Cities, Counties and CLTs Collaborating to Create Homes That Last
Devika Goetschius, Housing Land Trust of the North Bay, Executive Director
Rick Jacobus, Street Level Advisors, Principal
Kristin King-Ries, King-Ries, LLC, Sole practice attorney
This presentation provided a “sneak peek” at the trends in municipal support for permanently affordable, owner-occupied housing that the presenters discovered by interviewing and surveying 115 CLTs in the USA.
CLT Strategies for Land Donation, Bargain Sales, and Planned Giving
Francis McIlveen, Land + Liberty, Principal
Mohit Mookim, Sustainable Economies Law Center, Land & Redistribution Legal Fellow
Jordan Perez, THRIVE Santa Ana, Executive Director
Lydia Lopez, CA CLT Network, Co Director for Organizing & Partnerships
Meg Shiffler, Artist Space Trust, Director
Drawing on case studies and an ongoing member-driven CLT Network project, this workshop explored various strategies and programs that CLTs are using to acquire properties from private land owners at below market prices. Panelists shared best practices, key considerations for CLTs, and possible new directions.
Catalyzing Anti-Displacement Acquisitions
Matthew Vu, Beverly-Vermont Community Land Trust, Board President
Matt Gustafson, Bay Area Community Land Trust, Director of Strategic Development
Tamika L’Ecluse she/her, Sacramento Community Land Trust, Executive Director
Paul Yelder, LCLT
Leo Goldberg, California Community Land Trust Network, Co-Director for Policy and Capacity Building
Anti-displacement acquisitions are projects in which a CLT or mission-driven nonprofit works with tenants to acquire their property and avert their displacement by a market-rate landlord. This workshop highlighted the impact of these interventions and the ways that key stakeholders — government, financial, and nonprofit — can reduce obstacles to their implementation. Presenters highlighted case studies, best practices, and policy mechanisms including Opportunity to Purchase Acts.
Central Valley Roundtable
Jacky Rivera, Faith in the Valley & CACLTN, SJV Community Ownership Coordinator
This was a peer learning and troubleshooting session for Central Valley-based organizations. Attendees participated in small group discussions with other Central Valley-based groups to share tips and resources in real time.
Conference Program: Friday, September 13, 2024
Movement Highlights and Resources
Zerita Jones, JEPWA CLT (Jefferson Exposition Park West Adams), Executive Director
Lydia Lopez, CA CLT Network, Co Director for Organizing & Partnerships
Shirley Kawafuchi, California Community Land Trust Network (CACLTN), Program Manager
This session introduced new resources to support the CLT and community ownership ecosystem and highlighted groundbreaking projects across the state.
We in this Thang Breh: Imprinting CLTs into the LA Housing Ecosystem
Matthew Vu, Beverly-Vermont Community Land Trust, Board President
Jonathan Jager, Public Counsel, Staff Attorney
Jessica Melendez, T.R.U.S.T SOUTH LA, Director of Policy
Nazir Abuyounes, LIBRE- Housing for All Long Beach CLT, CLT Director
Join us for a workshop on how CLTs in Los Angeles are laying the groundwork for a transformative housing ecosystem in the region. Like E40 said on his 2012 hit “We in this thang breh”, lately the LA CLT Coalition has been busy forming regional partnerships in order to win transformative legislation like United to House LA (ULA), creating exemplary programs centering Preservation strategies regionally and statewide, and laying down regional Preservation infrastructure through the LA County Affordable Housing Solutions Agency (LACAHSA), ensuring that Angelenos will be able to build, expand, and live in resident-controlled, permanently affordable housing for generations to come.
Community Organizing to Activate Vacant Lots
Kiel Lopez-Schmidt, South Tower Community Land Trust, Executive Director
Germán Quiñonez, South Tower CLT
Yaynicut Franco, Wukchumni Tribe, Director of Culture and Land Stewardahip
Luis Sarmiento, THRIVE Santa Ana CLT, Program Director
Community organizing to activate vacant lots can have a transformative impact on neighborhoods. This informative session showcased the incredible efforts of three grassroots organizations implementing community-driven projects on public land to create Land Stewardship models such as Micro-Farms, Neighborhood Parks and Community Space. We identified vacant parcel strategies that address the following:
Exploring the challenges and strengths of the Surplus Lands Act for community development
Bringing community organizing to city zoning regulations
Keeping the community engaged with persistence is essential for long-term development
Forming Housing Cooperatives on CLT Land
Roberto Garcia-Ceballos, FCTL, Co-Director
Felix Linck Frenz, Oakland Community Land Trust, Stewardship Coordinator
Rebecca Orozco, Bay Area Community Land Trust, Co-op Program Manager
The power of forming Limited and Zero Equity Housing Cooperatives on CLT land is that they create affordable resident controlled housing and they involve a deeper and more holistic investment in residents as participants in a system of direct democracy. Cooperatives can be fertile ground for communities to practice and create radical democratic leadership and participation not only in relation to their homes, but in direct connection to their neighborhoods and communities. But this also can mean that creating cooperatives takes more capacity as organizers and organizations.
This was a peer to peer meet up for people who are in the process of forming cooperatives, are interested in forming cooperatives or have done it in the past. We spent time mapping the movement to form cooperatives on CLT land, identify issues coming up for organizers who are on various points in the path of being interested in or creating cooperatives, and support troubleshooting shared issues. This peer to peer workshop facilitated active participation and sharing.
BIPOC CLT Leaders Space
This BIPOC affinity group was a dedicated space for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) CLT practitioners to connect, share experiences, and foster a sense of community. This space was designed to offer a supportive environment where BIPOC CLT leaders could engage in meaningful conversations, network with peers, and find solidarity in shared identities and experiences within the community land trust movement.
Community Ownership in the San Joaquin Valley
Jacky Rivera, Faith in the Valley & CACLTN, SJV Community Ownership Coordinator
Kim Thompson, Kim Thompson Consulting, Consultant
Raziel Ramil, Little Manila Rising, Community Development Project Manager
Dezaraye Bagalayos, Allensworth Progressive Association, Director of Program Coordination
Nayamin Martinez, Central CA Environmental Justice Network, Executive Director
Mari Peréz-Ruiz, Central Valley Empowerment Alliance, Executive Director/Board Chair
This panel provided an introduction to the San Joaquin Valley (SJV) and the growing and unique community ownership efforts happening in the rural and urban areas of the region: from housing, to cultural preservation, to agro-ecological projects and more. A goal of this session was to foster an understanding of the assets and challenges of SJV community ownership efforts and build opportunities for action, collaboration and integration into the larger statewide CLT movement.
Creating Abundance Not Scarcity: Increasing CLT Capacity & Resources Collectively
Saki Bailey, San Francisco Community Land Trust, Executive Director
Oscar Monge, T.R.U.S.T. SOUTH LA, Interim Executive Director
Aboubacar Ndiaye, NCLT, Executive Director
Annie O’Connor, Bolinas CLT
Brenda Tafoya, El Sereno CLT, Director of Housing Strategies & Co Executive Admin
Vanessa Gonzalez, Fideicomiso Comunitario Tierra Libre, Co-Director
Despite the growth of California’s CLT movement, operating capacity is still a challenge for many CLTs whether they are long established or just getting off the ground. In three regions, CLTs are working together to create joint frameworks for capacity building and financial sustainability. This workshop explored the work of CLT Capacity Collaborative in Northern California, the LA CLT Coalition, and the West Marin Housing Collaborative to develop strategies for collective fundraising and sharing staffing resources.
Thorny Issues Roundtable for Established CLTs
Sandra McNeill, Sandra McNeill Consulting, Principal
For a second year, we offered a confidential convening space for senior staff of established CLTs to meet together, to discuss operational challenges in their organizations and within the field, to share insights and resources with one another, and to offer ideas, inspiration and support across organizations and regions.
CLT Residents Mixer
Facilitator: Jen Collins, Oakland Community Land Trust, Operations & Finance Director
This was an informal space for CLT residents to meet each other. Rather than a structured meeting, there were discussion prompts available and attendees could engage with the prompts and each other.
CLT Project Financing: The Current Landscape and Emerging Needs
Thomas De Simone, Genesis LA, President/CEO
Francis McIlveen, Land + Liberty, Principal
Rachael Strum, National Housing Trust, Loan Officer
Josh Glickenhaus, Local Enterprise Assistance Fund (LEAF), Director, California Programs / Senior Loan Office
Gerrlyn Gacao, Common Counsel Foundation, Program Manager, COCP Fund
In this panel, we heard from several key project lenders in the CLT landscape about available project lending products, how to position your organization to access those loans, and some efforts to expand what’s available. There was also open discussion about specific CLT needs (which are missing from the lending landscape) and how CLTs can advocate with lenders that are willing to push the envelope.
CLTs for a Just Transition
Suzanne Kim, NCLT, Director of Real Estate Development
Richard Kruger Delgado, International Center for CLTs, Education & Outreach Manager
Joanne Cheung, New Economy Workshop
Hosted by the International Center for Community Land Trusts as part of its CLT2030 Just Transition Initiative, this workshop explored how CLTs connect to global movements to build equity and justice into decarbonization. The workshop began with an overview of the CLT2030 Just Transition Initiative, followed by an interactive design session co-facilitated with Joanne Cheung of New Economy Workshop and Suzanne Kim of Northern California Land Trust.
Bringing Residents into the Asset Management Equation
Brenda Tafoya, El Sereno CLT, Director of Housing Strategies & Co Executive Admin.
Sua Hernandez, CA CLT Action, Board Treasurer
Keith Cooley, ex SFCLT / Asset Management Working Group, former Director of Asset Management
Kim Yergan, Liberty CLT, Board Member
Michael Chao, Self-Help Federal Credit Union, Director of Real Estate Development
This panel aimed to bridge the gap between theory and practice in asset management for CLTs by bringing together residents and staff interested in asset management to share tools and resources for effective resident-centered property stewardship. It explored the relevance and challenges of asset management for CLTs in California, with a focus on strategic solutions and best practices.
CLTs for Artists and Artists for CLTs
Sharmi Basu, Vital Arts, Executive Director
Meg Shiffler, Artist Space Trust, Director
Julie Corrales, Tierras Indígenas CLT , Founding Board Member
Kiel Lopez-Schmidt, South Tower Community Land Trust, Executive Director
Germán Quiñonez, South Tower CLT
THIS SESSION IS FOR EVERYONE! We explored how three young CLTs are working with and for artists to build and strengthen communities. Artists and culture-bearers representing diverse cultural communities are struggling to secure stable and affordable housing and creative space due to escalating real estate prices and urban gentrification. CLTs have emerged as a promising solution to preserving cultural ecosystems and addressing artist space needs. We identified artist-centered actionable CLT strategies that address the following:
- What role do or can CLTs play in stabilizing the lives of artists and culture-bearers?
- How can CLTs work hand in hand with resident and community artists to uplift those most in need of social and housing justice?
- Why is it imperative that we consider the wellbeing of artists and culture-bearers as essential members of our diverse communities?
Are We Ready for the Next Crisis? Scenario Planning for the Future of the CLT Movement
Eli Moore, Othering and Belonging Institute, Director of the Community Power and Policy Partner
Janine Nkosi, Radical Possibilities CoLab, CoFounder
Hope Williams, San Francisco Community Land Trust, Board President
Unexpected crises like natural disasters, recessions, and political shifts can cause harm but also create opportunities like dramatic changes in access to land, public support, financing, community urgency, and more. Change is inevitable, and we have to be ready to harness the possibility. Like the saying goes, “If we stay ready, we won’t have to get ready.”
In this facilitated strategy workshop, we will imagine potential future scenarios and the openings they could create for radically expanding community stewardship of housing, so that participants can begin to identify the capacities, plans, and resources that would allow the CLT movement to be ready to act on sudden opportunities. The workshop will offer a framework, discussion, and insights from recent participatory visioning processes with leaders in the field.
CLT Homeownership: The Equity-Building Challenge
Francis McIlveen, Land + Liberty, Principal
RaShawna Fahie, Homes by NPHS, Manufactured Housing Program Manager
Aishah Abdala, T.R.U.S.T. South LA, Project Manager
Stephanie Park, Little Tokyo Service Center, Senior Project Manager
For CLTs seeking to create homeownership opportunities that enable equity-building, the options (such as condo conversions, lot splits etc) have been getting increasingly challenging. This is due to construction defect liability costs, impact fees, increasingly complex subdivision requirements, and triggers for physical upgrades. We looked at some innovative projects navigating these challenges, and heard attendees ideas for solutions.
CLT Board Members Mixer
Facilitators:
Oscar Monge, T.R.U.S.T. SOUTH LA, Interim Executive Director
Zerita Jones, JEPWA CLT (Jefferson Exposition Park West Adams), Executive Director
This was an informal space for CLT board members to meet and exchange experiences, ideas, and best practices. Rather than a structured meeting, there were discussion prompts available and attendees could engage with the prompts and each other.
Closing Session
Lydia Lopez, CA CLT Network, Co Director for Organizing & Partnerships
Leo Goldberg, California Community Land Trust Network, Co-Director for Policy and Capacity Building
Special thanks to the International Center for CLTs for providing the books for the book giveaway raffle!
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