Updates from the chapter
Join Santa Cruz YIMBY this Tuesday at 6:30 pm as we walk through the 14 propositions and the four local measures on the ballot this November. We will be highlighting those with the potential to affect housing. RSVP at linktree in our profile. Hope to see you there!
SIGN THE PETITION! Santa Cruz set a goal to make affordable housing easier to build. It's time to finish the job. We call on the Santa Cruz City Council to adopt the Affordable Housing Ministerial Approval Overlay District, so that 100% affordable housing projects meeting clear, objective standards move forward without needless delay or legal risk. Affordable housing can’t wait. Link in bio.
Santa Cruz has been called the leftmost city, but that phrase is questionable when it comes to our local housing politics. https://t.co/EnC08Zbe9o
Come one, come all, to our annual BBQ! Join us from 11-2 on Sunday, August 16 at Ocean View Park for socializing, celebrating, and delicious food. RSVP at the link in our bio or yimby.cc/scbbq2026. Hope to see you there!
Congratulations to Supervisor-elect Nuñez on winning his race for County Supervisor! We can't wait to work together to address Santa Cruz County's need for more homes. 🎉
Not surprising because SC remains the least affordable small city in the country. We are now multiple decades into a housing shortage, and county-wide, continue to be falling short of our housing production goals.
🏘🚶Our featured Affordable Housing Month event: Downtown Housing Walk on May 9th. Join us for a morning of coffee and conversation as we stroll through the varied neighborhoods of Downtown Santa Cruz. RSVP at link in bio. Full AHM calendar: @housingscc #AffordableHousingMonth #YIMBY #SantaCruz #HousingForAll #housingsantacruzcounty
May is Affordable Housing Month! And ballots come next week - who are YOU voting for? Attend this virtual forum next Monday, May 4th at 6:30 to see where City and County candidates stand on housing. Co hosted by Affordable Housing Now, @housingscc and @santacruzyimby . More info, including Zoom at link in bio. #AffordableHousingMonth #YIMBY #SantaCruzElections #HousingForAll
The results are in for our June Primary endorsements! 🗳️🏠 For Santa Cruz YIMBY to officially endorse a candidate, we require a 60% threshold in our membership vote. Here is where things landed: ✅ County Supervisor, District 4: Tony Nuñez (Endorsed) Tony earned our endorsement with strong member support. We value his pro-housing focus and his commitment to building more homes at all levels of aff…
It’s time for our annual Santa Cruz County housing progress roundup, Here’s a graph of the county-wide housing pace broken down by income level. The green bars are the RHNA targets and the gold is how many units we would build by 2031 if we keep up our current pace of production. https://t.co/5WZZNMTY48
One week from tonight! Our Sip & Mix with June 2026 primary candidates at Pleasure Pizza Downtown - starting 5:30. This is a casual event and everyone is welcome. We hope to have authentic conversations about our housing crisis and how we can best work to solve it. Hope to see you there! RSVP yimby.cc/AprilSipMix or link in bio
Events
Yes! The 2026 YIMBYTown Happy Hour
Who we're endorsing
Resources
Guides and reference from Santa Cruz YIMBY.
About Santa Cruz YIMBY
YIMBY: Yes In My Back Yard
We live and work in Santa Cruz County and want to see our community grow equitably and prosper sustainably, with all our neighbors housed. We promote stronger connections between homes, jobs, schools, and public transit. We advocate for our cities, the county, and the state to build more homes.
Vision
We envision a community where our neighbors of all ages, cultures, abilities, and incomes, can make Santa Cruz County their home. In response to the ever-increasing cost of living, we advocate for more affordable housing to meet the needs of our growing population.
Platform
- Produce abundant housing now. We want homes people of all income levels can afford. We support walkable, bikeable communities by closely connecting where we live with where we work and play and go to school.
- Protect renters and ensure that new developments occur without displacement and gentrification.
- Respond to the climate crisis now by creating housing opportunities for Santa Cruz County's workforce near their jobs and schools.
- Promote sustainable growth by increased density near transit, easier access to robust public transit, bicycle lanes, and protected pedestrian areas.
- Advance policies that reduce permit processing times from months or years to weeks to build affordable homes now.
- Promote equity through building affordable housing in all neighborhoods
How we work
Reform the rules
Back zoning reform and streamlined permitting so more homes are legal to build, especially near transit and jobs.
Educate & engage
Turn out residents to the meetings that matter and make it easy to take a pro-housing position on local projects.
Build partnerships
Work with neighbors, labor, faith groups, and builders toward a shared abundant-housing agenda.
Santa Cruz YIMBY is a chapter of YIMBY Action.
One of the local groups organizing for more homes across the country, backed by the national team.