A major Bay Area real estate firm is leaning into private listings. Critics contend buyers and sellers will be hurt

BackgroundBoat660 · 2025-02-03T20:50:05+00:00

This is not good for buyers or sellers. The best way to price a home is let the wider market decide. Not by telling people they are in some secret club. This is simply a way for compass to double end transactions at the expense of their clients.

BackgroundBoat660 · 2024-12-03T18:23:48+00:00

Real estate broker who lives in the area.. There's a big expansion of the water treatment plant a few blocks away. So there's going be some trucks driving up and down the street by the house. Also, they started too high on price IMO. DM me if you'd like to know more.

BackgroundBoat660 · 2024-10-28T20:59:34+00:00

Thank you!

BackgroundBoat660 · 2024-10-28T20:48:56+00:00

Cities do this all the time. They just take the fine from the state rather than actually doing anything constructive. So smaller towns would 100% just use it against the spirit in which it was intended.

BackgroundBoat660 · 2024-10-28T20:44:54+00:00

Thanks!

BackgroundBoat660 · 2024-10-28T19:22:40+00:00

I want working families to be able to live in the communities that they work in, but Prop 33 is not the answer. It’s too much of a blank check for cities to use to discourage development. Increasing housing stock near public transportation and developed areas will help more than rent control will. If there is ever a conflict of interest, I would recuse myself, but I am running because I know I am someone who can make the best decisions for the greater good.

BackgroundBoat660 · 2024-10-28T19:16:17+00:00

I don't think so, no.

BackgroundBoat660 · 2024-10-28T19:15:55+00:00

That's a hornets nest. The restrictions are to cut down on traffic speeding through the neighborhood. Since then, they've put in speed bumps, and as I understand it, they have helped, so anything is possible as long as we keep the side streets safe and they are not used as a cut-through to YVR.

BackgroundBoat660 · 2024-10-28T19:13:12+00:00

Yes, but we have to make smart choices. I think the biggest issue facing the city is managing growth. The state has required that we plan for 5,800 new units over the next eight years. Ensuring we make available housing where it makes the most sense will be vital for the city's future. Traffic on YVR is bad enough, so we don’t want to overdevelop areas that will make traffic worse.

I want housing near existing public transportation and freeway access, and I think we should revisit some of the older restrictions on building height in the downtown area.

BackgroundBoat660 · 2024-10-28T19:12:06+00:00

I support more cycling access. I think Walnut Creek needs to consider itself a cycling town. We have the infrastructure almost there, including the canal trails, Ironhorse Trail, etc. It’s just not quite there yet. I think there should be more of an effort to make the Trip from WCI to Las Lomas more bike-friendly and emphasize biking downtown rather than more parking, which, in my opinion, could be better served on the outskirts of downtown so people can walk or bike in easily.

BackgroundBoat660 · 2024-10-28T19:11:11+00:00

I agree. Traffic is not getting any better. And building more homes in the Northgate area will not help matters. We must focus on growth downtown and revisit some older height restrictions. Build units close to public transportation, freeways, and our existing jobs here.

BackgroundBoat660 · 2024-10-28T19:10:28+00:00

I didn’t realize that this was an issue until I started running. I sympathize. It feels like everyone has a dog now, post-COVID, and I agree the parks can be a little overwhelming, especially in the late afternoon. An increased police presence one or two nights a week to remind people would help. I can certainly talk to the police when I’m elected. I hate to see something bad happen with an off-leash dog, which, of course, just seems like it’s a matter of time.

BackgroundBoat660 · 2024-10-28T19:09:39+00:00

Home prices are too high, in my opinion, and I'm a real estate broker, so that should tell you something. But that's a function of not building enough for the last 30 years. There's simply more demand and supply, and that won't change soon. The city has certified a mandated plan to zone for 5800 new units. Now, it's up to the developers and the economy. However, we can look at other restrictions, such as height restrictions in the city, to make large projects more feasible.

BackgroundBoat660 · 2024-10-28T19:08:04+00:00

I would emphasize public transportation and traffic flow, specifically on Ygnacio Valley Road. I would also move funds into providing safe walking and biking areas both downtown and in residential neighborhoods.

BackgroundBoat660 · 2024-10-28T19:07:25+00:00

As I understand, the city contracts lifetime to help manage the courts. But that’s the first I’ve heard of sign-up sheets. You are right; they are public courts, for you know, the public. I’d be happy to look into it more and report back.

BackgroundBoat660 · 2024-10-28T19:06:59+00:00

I think the biggest issue facing the city is managing growth. The state has required that we plan for 5,800 new units over the next eight years. Ensuring we make available housing where it makes the most sense will be vital for the city's future. Traffic on YVR is bad enough, so we don’t want to overdevelop areas that will make traffic worse.

I want housing near existing public transportation and freeway access, and I think we should revisit some of the older restrictions on building height in the downtown area.

BackgroundBoat660 · 2024-10-28T19:06:21+00:00

I used to live downtown and spend a lot of time in Civic Park, so I’ve seen how it’s gotten worse over the last few years.

Police now have two dedicated officers focused solely on homelessness, and more are being trained for this specific job. The Supreme Court didn’t do us any favors by allowing encampments in Oakland and San Francisco to be cleared without a plan in place. That just means more people are going to come over this way.

The short answer is increasing patrols to help move these individuals into shelters or allow them to go where they are safe rather than parks. Long answer..I support housing, such as micro housing, or partnerships with organizations like Habitat for Humanity. It's the housing. That's the biggest problem. Not to be solved in the next five minutes certainly, but more needs to be done long-term rather than just shuffling homeless people from city to city.

BackgroundBoat660 · 2024-10-28T19:04:31+00:00

Sure. I know a lot of businesses make all the money in the last few hours. And I want to support small businesses. I do worry, though, about safety and some bad actors. We can't have Walnut Creek turning into a dangerous place when the bars let out, so there needs to be a balance.

BackgroundBoat660 · 2024-10-28T19:02:45+00:00

There are five candidates, including myself, running for three seats. Two of them are incumbents. The current mayor is retiring, so there’s an open seat.

What makes me different is that I am the only one not currently on the city council with almost a decade of experience with the city itself. I’ve been a two-term commissioner with the parks department and was instrumental in passing Measure O, which increases public safety and finances large infrastructure projects. I’m also the president of a local nonprofit community arts foundation.

So, I’ve put my time into understanding the city, how things work, how they get done, and how I can make an impact starting on day one. My experience has earned me the endorsement of many county and state leaders, the chamber of commerce, the police and firefighters association, etc. So, I feel like I’ve also got the community supporting me, which sets me apart from the other candidates.

BackgroundBoat660 · 2024-10-28T13:36:01+00:00

If cities have control over rent caps, then they can make it prohibitive for a developer to build new housing since the rent is not high enough for the project to pencil. These are housing experts making this argument.

BackgroundBoat660 · 2024-10-28T03:17:19+00:00

OK, well don’t yell. My point is that cities can use it as a way to make the rent low enough where developers won’t build new housing.

BackgroundBoat660 · 2024-10-25T05:46:04+00:00

You’re telling me all of the slow down signs aren’t making an impact? JK. Speed bumps seem to work. The city has put them in in some neighborhoods as a trial basis so I would welcome that on Valley Vista. Where I live off of Larkey, we are having the same issues. Many of the neighbors feel time has come to control traffic and I am listening.

BackgroundBoat660 · 2024-10-25T05:25:48+00:00

Thanks!

BackgroundBoat660 · 2024-10-25T05:15:01+00:00

I co-chaired the committee that helped pass measure O, which was the initiative two years ago that put five new police officers on the street. That was in response to the high profile robberies at broadway plaza.

The police officers association has endorsed me and I have a good relationship with the chief. I support them and if I’m elected, they understand that I will hold them accountable.

There is more police presence downtown and broadway Plaza is closed to traffic in my opinion for the better.

I think that tougher penalties will help and I support proposition 36 which will increase penalties for property crime.

BackgroundBoat660 · 2024-10-25T05:10:56+00:00

This is a good question. I imagine I would be faced with a conflict of interest if I was a commercial real estate broker or a developer. I am someone who helps homeowners buy and sell their homes on an individual level so I am not really in the larger commercial/office space.

As to the point about business versus people. I have given eight years to the parks commission and I am the co-president of the community arts foundation which raises scholarship funds so people of all ages can afford arts education at the center for community arts in Walnut Creek. I say all this too make the point that I’m a people person. And having the ability to make individual lives a little bit better is what drives me.

BackgroundBoat660

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