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Dear Mayor and Council members –
Good Morning! Hope you are all well and anticipating Spring – once it finally is here!
Let me start by thanking you for your service to the citizens of Arcata. I know it is a demanding job.
I’m writing today to present information that (seems to me) gets overlooked in the housing
development discussion.
Following is a chart of 50 years (1970-2020) of census Arcata population data, FTE enrollment at
CPH (HSU), and housing units built each decade. As you will notice in 1970 there were 8,985 people
living in Arcata and the university FTE was 5,200 students. At that time there were ~ 4,000 housing
units in town (~2.3 people per household).
Year Town Population CPH (HSU)
Enrollment
(FTE’s)
Housing Units built
by decade end
1970 8,985 5,200 Base of ~ 4,000
1980 12,850 6,700 1,500
1990 15,604 7,160 1,200
2000 16,651 6,838 700
2010 17,231 7,669 666
2021 19,114 5,739 350-900(slightly unclear)
Current Housing Units in Arcata is ~ 8,423 units.
Moving forward to 1990 – population of 15,604; FTE was 7,160 students, and housing units
developed was ~6,700.(~2.3 people per household)
The FTE’s at the university reached 7,500 in mid 1990’s, and peaked at 8,500 students in 2015.
Today the population in Arcata is ~19,114; CPH has a FTE of 5,739 students; and there are ~8,423
housing units (~2.3 people per household).
The student population dropped by 32%. I know it is the goal of CPH to grow the student population,
and I agree with that plan, but to say we have a student housing crisis seems incorrect.
2
The general population has grown over 200% in the last 50 years. The median age in Arcata is 27.5
years. When I talk with people I know in their 30’s and 40’s, they tell me they wish they could buy a
house. They want to build financial equity.
I attached a sheet with the above Census Data (in case it is scrambled in the email), and information
about CA Senate Bill 9. Senate Bill 9 is written to assist CA communities in being able to develop
more housing options, to provide opportunity for medium to lower income people to build generational
equity. We know when people own a home in a town, they are more likely to volunteer for City
boards, school boards, PTA’s, as sports coaches for their kids, etc. Home ownership helps to create
the kind of town we all want to live in!
I plan to address this subject at public comment at the next City Council meeting, but want to give you
a heads up first. My thought is maybe we could have an ad hoc Senate Bill 9 committee in Arcata, to
see if citizens can find ways to incorporate the states idea to open up housing and help young people
have an opportunity for home ownership.
May I request this letter and email be included in the next agenda packet under public comments?
Thank you.
Susan Ornelas

Arcata Population and Housing
Year Town Population CPH (HSU)
Enrollment
(FTE’s)
Housing Units built by
decade end
1970 8,985 5,200 Base of ~ 4,000
1980 12,850 6,700 1,500
1990 15,604 7,160 1,200
2000 16,651 6,838 700
2010 17,231 7,669 666
2021 19,114 5,739 350-900(slightly unclear)
Currently have ~ 8,423 housing units (2020 census)
CA Senate Bill 9 – Took effect in Jan 2022
Senate Bill 9 – the California Housing Opportunity and More Efficiency (HOME) Act streamlines the process
for a homeowner to create a duplex or subdivide an existing lot. Any new housing created as a result of this bill
must meet a specific list of qualifications that protects historic districts, preserves environmental quality and
the look of communities, and prevents tenants from being displaced. This legislation will enable homeowners
to create intergenerational wealth, and provides access to more rental and ownership options for working
families who would otherwise be priced out of neighborhoods.
• Provides options for homeowners to build intergenerational wealth. SB 9 provides more
options for families to maintain and build intergenerational wealth a currency we know is crucial to
combatting inequity and creating social mobility. The families who own these properties could provide
affordable rental opportunities for other working families who may be struggling to find a rental home
in their price range, or who may be looking for their own path to home ownership.
• Benefits homeowners NOT institutional investors. Recent amendments require a local agency
to impose an owner occupancy requirement as a condition of a homeowner receiving a ministerial lot
split. This bill also prohibits the development of small subdivisions and prohibits ministerial lot splits
on adjacent parcels by the same individual to prevent investor speculation. In fact, allowing for more
neighborhood scale housing in California’s communities actually curbs the market power of
institutional investors. SB 9 prevents profiteers from evicting or displacing tenants by excluding
properties where a tenant has resided in the past three years.
• Establishes a maximum number of units. Recent amendments clarify that this bill would allow
no more than four units on what is currently a single-family parcel.
• Preserves historic neighborhoods. SB 9 excludes historic and landmark districts.
• Respects local control. Homeowners must comply with local zoning requirements when developing
a duplex (height, floor area ratios, lot coverage etc.) as long as they do not physically preclude a lot split
or duplex. This bill also allows locals to require a percolation test for any duplex proposed to be on
septic tanks.
• Promotes strategic infill growth. Under this bill, the parcel must be located in a jurisdiction that is
part of an urbanized area or urban cluster, as designated by the US Census. This means that it applies
only to areas that meet certain population and density thresholds. It excludes the provisions of the bill
being used in very high fire hazard severity zones, prime agriculture land, hazardous waste sites,
earthquake zones, floodplains that do not have adequate mitigation, and others. At the end of the day, if
local governments do not allow people to build homes in an area, then the bill does not apply.
https://focus.senate.ca.gov/sb9