Micah Posner: my backyard bedroom

[ Photo of Micah Posner on May 13, 2008. Posner, standing at the clock tower, explains the significance, strategy and route for a group bicycle ride promoting safety and awareness along Mission Street/Highway 1 in Santa Cruz. ]


Dear Constituents,

Being an elected official, even in a small town, can be a harrowing experience. I bring this up because it has come to my attention that the Sentinel is likely to run an article on my 'backyard bedroom'. Soon after I told the Sentinel that I would consider running again for reelection, someone filed a complaint with the Planning Department and informed the Sentinel about the fact that I was renting out a room in my backyard to a friend.

Almost 7 years ago, well before I considered running for City Council, I modified a 120 square foot unit with a skylight, insulation, electricity and double paned windows that was 20 feet from our back bathroom. I knew that doing so was a minor infraction of the building code, which does not allow for detached bedrooms. For a normal person, like I was before I got on Council, that would just be a normal way to live under the radar as long as my neighbors didn't mind, and they didn't/ don't. After I was elected, however, I was no longer a 'regular person' but a public person who was making public rules. But my family needed the money and the renter didn't want to leave so I kept on behaving in a private manner. That was a mistake. It was something that was not congruent with my new public profession as a rule maker. There was a real dissonance there, which, to be honest, my partner and I are relieved to be done with.

What is congruent with being a Councilmember is trying to change the rules so that myself and others can provide this kind of housing without outrageous expect[ations] within a permitted framework. I have had some success doing that during my term on Council and will continue to do so. On the personal front, I have met with City building officials who have helped me think about a way to build an additional unit with permits. This is what my partner and I intend to do. Of course, I also worked with the officials to amend the structure to make sure that it complies with the code. And I helped my friend move out of the 'back bedroom' and into a reasonable good housing situation in Live Oak. This was probably the saddest part. No one in my family wanted him to leave.

As your advocate on the City Council, I want to let you know about this situation before you hear it about it anywhere else. I also want to own the fact that I wasn't doing my best job for you in continuing to rent the unit. If you feel disappointed, I am ready to hear about it. If you have suggestions on how to remove more of the restrictions that make it so difficult and expensive to build small housing units in this town I am happy to hear those too.

Your imperfect advocate on the City Council,

Micah Posner

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-------- Original Message --------
Subject: my backyard bedroom
Date: Tue, 23 Feb 2016 6:01 PM
From: Micah Posner