Shelter is among the most basic of human rights. Butte County Democrats are committed to safeguarding this right by strongly supporting public services designed to eliminate poverty, foster affordable housing, and eliminate homelessness. All Butte County residents have a right to live comfortably and safely in reasonable proximity to where they work, study, and hold community ties. We recognize that recent emergencies—notably the Camp Fire, the North Complex Fire, and the COVID-19 pandemic—have increased housing insecurity throughout the county.

The Butte County Democratic Party…

● Calls for the state to allocate more resources to address the obstacles confronting people struggling most with unaffordable housing: underpaid workers, people with disabilities, veterans, and seniors.

● Advocates for local governments to support affordable housing projects, both rehabilitation and construction, which will, in turn, create good-paying jobs.

● Encourages infill housing, ADU (Accessory Dwelling Units) construction, and oppose urban sprawl of single family homes on large lots.

● Recognizes low barrier shelters often are necessary before some people are able to turn their lives toward self-sufficiency.

● Opposes predatory lending practices that have destroyed homeownership for too many.  

● Opposes laws that criminalize homelessness and contribute to homelessness (e.g., a cash bail system that effectively creates debtors’ prisons).

● Calls for development of local and state-level grant/benefit programs that secure both food and shelter for indigent residents.

● Supports increased funding for drug and alcohol treatment and diversion, including adequate funding for drug court, which lowers incarceration costs and increases the subject’s chances of securing and retaining housing.

● Encourages tax and zoning policies that promote local ownership of homes, owner-occupancy, and affordable rents.

● Calls for and support distinct municipal policies that regulate existing rentals and new developments in order to provide eviction protections and supportive services for the already unhoused.

● Supports agricultural policies that enable family farms to be economically viable, such as tax relief for protecting farmland (e.g., the Williamson Act), and to provide living wages and humane working conditions for farm workers.

● Encourages governmental agency planning policies and practices that support the resiliency of communities in the event of and in response to natural and human-caused disasters.