Are you worried about the presidential election? The balance of Congress? Perhaps the fate of the country? I know I feel especially helpless right now living in an unstable state.

Whether you donate, write a postcard, make a call, drive across district lines in close and critical congressional races, or even drive to a neighboring state to roll up your sleeves, I appreciate everyone who does what they can to get involved in the democratic process. in the presidential contest. And for those of you who aren’t engaged because you’re paralyzed by the seriousness of it, or because you’re too busy parenting, making ends meet, or perhaps just exhausted by the abomination—I understand that, too.

The Generation Housing team is stressed about the choice. And it seems like everyone we know is. But no matter what happens on Tuesday, I ask you to remember and take solace in this: Local leaders and political decisions have a tremendous impact on our lives and the well-being and resilience of our communities.

Your voice is valuable and powerful here. The elected officials you vote for or don’t listen to are listening to you. It really is. They see your names on the petitions. They read your emails. They listen especially closely when you take the time to attend council and board meetings in person to talk about issues that are important to you.

So when you check off your ballot, be sure to vote all the way to the bottom, checking the boxes for state proposals, local measures, and local leadership races.

The local elected officials you vote for will make critical decisions regarding education at K-12 schools, Santa Rosa Junior College, and Napa Valley College. The officials you elect govern your hometown by deciding how to prioritize parks, roads, housing, small businesses, and economic development in our cities and towns. You see the consequences of their decisions every day. And they are the ones who will make the critical decisions in the event of a disaster, whether it’s an extreme weather event, an earthquake, or an economic crisis.

And what determines the size of your property tax bill, where and how much workforce housing can be built, how we invest in infrastructure and fire prevention, are the things that happen at the end of the vote, when you’re dying to finish voting. , what types of programs are available to help solve homelessness and alleviate its effects, and more. These are things that impact our daily lives in the North Bay.

Now, if you are concerned about housing – the lack of housing, the exorbitant costs, its quality, is the housing for you, your children or grandchildren, their teachers, your dog walker, your dental hygienist, or just you? housing crisis in general – Generation H has many opportunities to show off your political power.

Generation Housing endorses state and local measures Recommendation 5 (increases local power to fund critical affordable housing and local infrastructure), Healdsburg’s measure O (Prioritizing multifamily and workforce housing, not hotels, where Healdsburg needs it most), Petaluma measure y (prioritizes open space preservation and building, not the outdoors) and Sonoma County’s Measure I (Just like investing in housing production, investing in our youngest is key to the future of our society).

At its meeting on November 12The Santa Rosa City Council will vote on strong incentives to accelerate the development of the affordable and workforce housing we need most.

Your elected leaders want to hear from you on Tuesday, November 12, and throughout the year. They need to hear about your experience with the housing crisis and why it is important for you to take bold action as bad as the housing crisis is. To stay on top of all housing-related topics in the future, you can sign up for the Gen H Housing Pulse and Action Alerts at: generationhousing.org.

Jen Klose is the managing director of Generation Housing.

You can send a letter to the editor. [email protected].