Jeremy Levine, Policy Manager

Housing Story:

I grew up in Lafayette, California, a medium-sized town with the 14th-highest median income in America as of 2023. The people I grew up with, myself included, considered ourselves liberal progressives, yet we lived in a segregated community: The town is 70% white, with some of the most exclusionary zoning in the Bay Area. In June 2020, I started a volunteer group, Inclusive Lafayette, to help my neighbors understand the relationship between housing policy and inclusion. Volunteering in Lafayette inspired me to work on increasing affordability–and inclusive housing policies–in San Mateo County, the highest-wealth county in our country.

Bio:

As Policy Manager for HLC, Jeremy is the go-to person on planning processes including housing elements, zoning, entitlements, decisions around public funding allocations, historic preservation, encampment policies, and displacement prevention plans. Additionally, Jeremy is HLC’s liason to all statewide housing organizations, working with the policy committee and board to determine our statewide priorities. 

In his role, Jeremy: 

  • Reviewed and commented upon every housing element released in San Mateo County. 
  • Leads efforts to track and implement housing element policies, with commitments such as
    • Converting city-owned parking lots into affordable homes 
    • Implementing stronger just cause for eviction protections to keep tenants housed
    • Rezoning for tens of thousands of new homes countywide
  • Supports HLC organizers by providing in-house policy expertise on all relevant campaigns
  • Educates partners about housing policy with workshops and trainings
  • Organizes around county-level policy issues, including allocation of Measure K sales tax dollars, regulation of homeless encampments, and housing development along San Mateo County’s coast

Contact: jlevine@hlcsmc.org