After an emotional public debate, the Livermore City Council decided against removing Planning Commissioner John Stein, who caused an uproar after saying that affordable housing would create a “ghetto” in the downtown area.
“I really don’t want to see the downtown become a ghetto of affordable housing, and I support inclusionary housing both on a macro and micro scale,” Stein said at an April 20 city council meeting. “I think it should be distributed throughout the city and if we see high-density housing downtown, it should be market rate with maybe 20% affordable rather than entire affordable.”
After a 4-1 vote in favor of not firing Stein on Monday, Vice Mayor Trish Munro defended Stein and the decision of the city council.
“Everyone makes mistakes,” she said. “Those with integrity want a chance to fix those mistakes.”
Instead of firing Stein, the city council of the Bay Area city, home to nearly 90,000 people, decided to send him to training and require him to meet with the city’s Human Services staff.
Following the vote, Stein was accepting of the punishment levied against him and issued a formal written apology.
“In no way did I mean to insult, offend or denigrate any member or group in our community. I continue to support the efforts of Eden Housing to provide affordable housing both in Livermore and throughout the bay area,” Stein wrote. “I believe that it is Livermore’s responsibility to provide a broad range of housing types for all segments of the population. I support inclusionary affordable housing throughout the City, rather than it being concentrated in and around the downtown. The choice of the word ghetto, with its negative connotation, was extremely unfortunate and I should not have used it.”
Many opposed Stein’s initial comments, as it appeared to them as if Stein was blaming them for not being able to pay for rent in Livermore which is over $2,000 per month.
“John Stein made racist and classist remarks,” Livermore resident Emily Wilson, co-founder of Tri-Valley for Black Lives said to the San Francisco Chronicle. “This behavior from someone in a position of power perpetuates systematic racism.”
The comments Stein made were opposing a new housing project that would allow for the construction of 130 new and affordable homes to be built in the Livermore downtown area. Despite Stein’s effort at resisting the plan, the city council voted to go forward with the project with only Stein dissenting.
