Affordable, Quality Housing

By Steve P. Mozena

I will work to ensure that everyone in Carson has access to affordable housing. But we should not sacrifice quality for quantity.

There is a lack of affordable housing in Southern California, and Carson's urban planning is atrocious. We have business parks and factories next to residential areas. Residents must put up with semi-trucks rumbling by, belching out exhaust fumes, not to mention the pollution that emanates from the industrial plants. We also have homes on busy major streets.

As a city, we set the zoning. We set the rules. And the rules should favor the residents of the city. On our major busy streets, there should only be strip malls and office blocks.

I would halt any new housing and business development while the city redraws an urban plan, instead of merely falling prey to the whims of developers.

Housing developers make large profits while we get shoved closer and closer together like rush-hour subway travelers. I won't let housing developers run roughshod over us. We want homes with big lots. We want to take advantage of the California climate and grow fruit trees and have vegetable gardens. We want our kids to have backyards with BBQ's and swing sets.

Recently, the city of Carson has seen two small housing developments on Figueroa Avenue. The houses are beautiful but they are too close together. This maximizes the bottom line for the developer, at the expense of the new homeowners. No home should be on a lot less than 100 ft x 100 ft.

It is easy to be a first time-home buyer now. As a city, we should facilitate that for people wanting to purchase their first home in Carson.

No one should have to live in a condo, townhouse, mobile home or even an apartment simply because these are "affordable" housing options. Of course, there may be families who prefer such living arrangements. For seniors and perhaps single parent families, these may be ideal living situations. But for those who want to buy houses, we must make it as easy for them as possible.

We also need to foster a sense of community in our town.

At the moment, we have tons of cinder-block walls in Carson that turn homes into fortresses. These fortresses line our streets both on busy roads and residential roads, and we hide behind them as if we feared attack from Los Angeles gangs or even Rottweilers and Pit Bulls.

We should have neighborhoods where people know one another. We should create homeowners' associations throughout Carson, with designated representatives who can act as liaisons between the homeowners and the Mayor and Council.

We need friendly neighborhoods where people have block parties and block watches, and bring housewarming gifts to people who purchase new homes in the neighborhood. Let's not wait until an earthquake or terrorist attack brings us together as neighbors. Let's do it now.

We also need to encourage our two large ethnic groups, African Americans and Filipinos, as well as everyone else, to mix together more. It seems like the city is divided in the way that the old Berlin Wall divided that city. The majority of African Americans are East of 405, while the Filipinos are West of the 405. Let's come together more often as one group. Let's be color blind.

All streets should be wide enough to accommodate parked cars, so that family and friends can visit their relatives without inconvenience.

Our streets should also be well lit at night so our grandmothers, mothers, daughters, and nieces will feel safe walking the streets.

We should optimize the use of cul de sacs and speed bumps, to reduce the risks associated with large traffic flow and promote safety for the residents and their children.

Sincerely,

Steve Mozena Candidate for Carson Council