Don Falk

former CEO of @TNDC, an affordable housing nonprofit in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood. Pronouns: he/him

[Don Falk @DonaldFalk]

The six-month S.F. photography class that’s still going, 35 years later https://t.co/GDKU8ssEO3 via @MLNow

[Don Falk @DonaldFalk]

https://t.co/maF4lPiHuN #simplesharebuttons

[Randy Shaw @beyondchron]

San Francisco's best strategy for reducing homelessness, https://t.co/7oIJgtpsVS @SF_HSH @DanielLurie @michaeldlane

[Kim-Mai Cutler @kimmaicutler]

It will always get priced into the value of land.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

[TNDC @TNDC]

Splash from the Past 💦 — Last year’s Pool Toss was a blast, and this year’s will be even bigger! Join us October 9 at the iconic Phoenix Hotel to support kids, families, and community in the Tenderloin. Let’s make it one to remember!
Tickets and info at https://t.co/8jjWHKLsLn

[TNDC @TNDC]

Affordable Rental Opportunity in Hayes Valley

Join the waitlist to rent one affordable three-bedroom unit with space to operate a family child care unit at 78 Haight St.

[Don Falk @DonaldFalk]

Is ‘Walk Score’ Really Just a ‘White Score’? https://t.co/lgriL2yV4N

[Lyman Stone 石來民 🦬🦬🦬 @lymanstoneky]

There's not even any relationship between property taxes and housing costs: the burden of property taxes is COMPLETELY OFFSET by changes in other types of housing costs. COMPLETE CAPITALIZATION.

[Don Falk @DonaldFalk]

"Dennis Culhane, an expert in homelessness and housing policy, calls outsize reliance on shelters and other short-term services “the big failure” in California."

[CalMatters @CalMatters]

Shelters are supposed to be safe havens. But records show they’re more deadly than jails – and the vast majority of residents remain homeless.

1/6

[Common Wealth 🍁 @CommonWealth_ca]

If we tax income, some work less.
If we tax sales, some buy less.
If we tax homes, some build less.

If we tax land, the amount of land stays the same but it's put to better use. That can encourage more housing, fund transit, and replace harmful taxes.

[Andrew Jeffery @credealjunkie]

California's Prop 13 is an overlooked driver of CA's housing production crisis.

Why?

Because long-time owners of prime development parcels can sit on them forever thanks to a super low property tax basis.

Here's a great example from Menlo Park, a wealthy suburb south of San Francisco.

545 Middlefield is a collection of 3 low rise office buildings totally around 80,000sqft sitting on 6-acres of land.

Based on recent sales which peg land value here at around $20 million per acre, let's call today's market value of 545 Middlefield ~$120 million.

Which equates to almost $1,500,000 in annual property taxes for a new owner.

The current owner pays $200,000 per year, according to public records, because Prop 13 limits reassessments to a change in ownership.

Hard to know if the current owner would sell if they were forced to pay market property taxes, but a 700% increase in tax bills would shake loose some interesting sites.

Together with neighboring parcels along Middlefield Rd, there are almost 50 acres of low density, lightly used office and medical buildings smashed between some of the wealthiest suburbs in the country.

These 50 acres front a main artery with good access to freeways, and building here would have limited impact on nearby residential neighborhoods (some additional traffic for example).

But given how many years it took to redevelop the shuttered car dealerships a mile west on El Camino - which faced stiff local opposition - don't expect this stretch of Middlefield to change any time soon.

I pick on Menlo Park because I grew up there and know the streets, but this story is repeated in wealthy suburbs around the state.

Menlo Park and its kind struggle to even create a plan that's compliant with the state's housing goals, let alone implement it.

In neighboring Atherton for example, city officials are pushing to comply by mostly building ADUs.

Which is laughable - the median home sells for just under $16 million, according to RedFin.

How many working class families will become tenants at an ADU inside a $20 million Atherton mansion?

Locals often cite limited building sites as a reason they can't build more housing.

Boloney.

There's plenty of land and plenty of money, but thanks (in part) to Prop 13, we'll go on under-building housing and wondering why it’s so freaking expensive.

[Dr. Angela Rasmussen @angie_rasmussen]

Giving infectious disease research a break, as promised by the MAHA agenda.

Let's break down what exactly this Executive Order is *really* saying. Fortunately, I speak fluent anti-vax grifterese & can translate.

https://t.co/3TjI4SZID2

[Armand Domalewski @ArmandDoma]

@GovRonDeSantis Land Value Taxes are literally the most efficient form of taxation. Read Henry George

[Peggy Bailey @PeggyBaileyDC]

HUD staffers reporting “pauses” on grant funding. These funds help #unhoused people , cities rebuild communities, and support increasing housing supply. All pieces needed for strong communities.

This is the exact OPPOSITE of what gov’t should be doing.

https://t.co/D91FHeUVKT

[Gary Winslett 🌐🇺🇸 @GaryWinslett]

Jews are the canary in the coal mine re: the weakening of mainstream politics. The vicious antisemitism we’ve seen arise among the lefty Gaza protesters as well as right-wing nationalist is terrifying on its own and a warning of the hell to be unleashed if the center can’t hold.

[Mercury News @mercnews]

Developers making millions from ‘affordable housing’ program lobbied lawmakers to shut down regulation https://t.co/PS2lqZwDZx

[TNDC @TNDC]

In 2024, TNDC achieved significant milestones by opening doors to new homes and laying foundations for future affordable housing in San Francisco. We are committed to uplifting residents and empowering communities. Our 2024 Impact Report is now live on our homepage. #TNDC

[BaseballHistoryNut @nut_history]

With the passing of Rickey Henderson, we will dedicate our account to Rickey for the remainder of the day.

[Liam Dillon @dillonliam]

After years of fighting affordable housing, one of America's wealthiest towns is on the verge of insolvency.

“There are no neighborhoods where there’s not a billionaire who might sue you,” the former mayor of Portola Valley told me. https://t.co/4lWmAzEl5f

[Kate Talerico @k_talerico]

Yesterday, a story I've been working on for a while published. It's about a group of investors who have found a creative way to finance "affordable housing" using public finance + reap millions for themselves https://t.co/H52cYtwhv3