Just an “average Joe’s viewpoint”……Unlike those who make wonderful sounding pronouncements tailored to entice your vote, here are a few public information websites describing the Newland Sierra issue, home affordability, and published salaries for some of those good folks which the proponents of this development claim to be able to build affordable homes for. When you read these items, you may then understand by employing your own INDEPENDENT DEDUCTIVE REASONING (a common example of which goes thusly…..If A = B and B = C, that actually means that A = C). One may thus come to understand that the deliberately generic/general style of information currently being put out in favor of this project does not clearly present the entire picture. Why? Because you need to add all the parts together by yourself to get the real picture, the many sound bites we see are incomplete explanations, deliberately designed to cloud the real truth of the matter.
Do not believe incomplete “generic” messages to vote in favor of Measure B and against Measure A. Think, and put all the parts together yourself to get the whole picture. Below are some opportunities.
Please read these public information materials below and then make an informed vote, read your voter pamphlets, but do not believe everything you see. Be critical. Be aware. Be careful with your vote, I beg you; do not get ripped off by bad planning and bad developments which are being pushed upon us by greedy “Power Players” vying for money and position in SD County!
Read these factual unbiased materials and decide for yourself if the Newland Sierra project will have “affordable” housing. Be an “independent thinker”. Be PEOPLE… not SHEEPLE…don’t get “FLEECED”!
Newland Sierra is a bad deal for San Diego County. Expensive “designer communities” like this will do nothing to alleviate a housing shortage for the “Average Joe“, our professional teachers, police, etc.; BUT THEY WILL MAKE A TON OF MONEY FOR THE DEVELOPERS, AND GENERATE MORE TAX DOLLARS INTO GOVERNMENT COFFERS!
San Diego Government Veterans Resources page – Copyrighted © 2002-2020
City of San Diego. All rights reserved.
https://www.sandiego.gov/housing/resources/whatis

What is Affordable Housing?

Affordable housing means different things to different people. In San Diego, the median price of a home is more than $500,000, a product of supply and demand and location. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) defines “affordable” as housing that costs no more than 30 percent of a household’s monthly income. That means rent and utilities in an apartment or the monthly mortgage payment and housing expenses for a homeowner should be less than 30 percent of a household’s monthly income to be considered affordable.
Currently, the median income for a family of four in San Diego is $63,400. Utilizing HUD’s definition, affordable housing for a low-income family (household earning up to 80 percent of San Diego area median income) (AMI), would be an apartment renting for about $1,500 per month or a home priced under $225,000. The cost would vary depending on family and unit size.
“THIS IS MUCH LESS THAN THE $350K NEWLAND SIERRA CLAIMS AS PLANNED AFFORDABLE !!”
California Community Redevelopment Law requires that 15 percent of housing developed in a redevelopment project area must be affordable to low- to moderate-income households (persons earning up to 120 percent of area median income). Under this provision, affordable housing would be rental units costing up to $1,700 per month and for-sale housing priced up to about $240,000.
Public agencies define affordable housing as units with rent restrictions or price restrictions to maintain affordability as defined by HUD for the longest feasible time. For qualifying income levels see the federal Housing and Urban Development Department’s Area Median Income Chart.
Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing is a collaborative program between the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs to provide rental assistance to homeless veterans and offer ongoing VA case management and supportive services.
WHAT ABOUT the alternative of TOWER BUILT HOMES ?
The “towers” style of development for housing which is taking hold in SD County is a much better answer to the so called “housing crisis” in our region. That way you get something for everybody. And it can all be built within a downtown type environment. There is then no need for zoning changes which destroy rural and semi rural General Plans. Expensive to develop General Plans, which are already in place and do include appropriate housing for the area. Don’t “throw the baby out with the bathwater”.
Here are a few public information web links describing SD tower developments, high end to low end. Many such housing opportunities are being pursued right now in our area. High end EXPENSIVE DELUX HOMES, and also AFFORDABLE HOMES are all becoming more and more available in residential TOWERS in our SD County RIGHT NOW. Such TOWER DEVELOPMENTS are an obvious solution to our booming housing needs.
Newest San Diego residential towers rival city’s tallest buildings – The San Diego Union-Tribune
Proposed San Diego complex would have separate building for low-income renters – The San Diego Union-Tribune
sandiego affordable tower developments – Google Search
Father Joe’s Breaks Ground on ‘Game Changing’ Affordable Housing Tower – Times of San Diego
STUDY this stuff, think about it. Do not allow such a travesty of improvement to occur in SD County by allowing poorly planned rezoning of rural and semi rural lands. Make it a voter’s choice to approve rezoning our General Plans or not to approve rezoning our General Plans. Vote YES on Measure A to STOP THE NONSENSE NOW!!
Read the “still timely” story from the Union Tribune here below. Read what has been going on for a long time now. You will see there are numerous very good reasons to not allow Newland Sierra to prevail in this issue, and to take rezoning decision making away from local government agencies. Make this a voters decision only in the future, vote YES on A. Do not approve Measure B. Vote no on Measure B to prevent the building of the Newland Sierra project, which will only benefit Upper Middle Class home buyers, Wealthy home buyers, The Developer, and The Tax Man!
San Diego Union Tribune article dated April 23, 2016
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/business/growth-development/sdut-newland-development-merriam-sierra-housing-2016apr23-story.html
EXCERPT : If approved, Brandin said, ground could be broken by the end of 2018 and some homes would be available for purchase in 2020. She said at today’s prices the least expensive homes would start at about $400,000.
Read the current 2020 public information salary schedules information here provided and then decide independently if the majority of our “Average Joe” hard working teachers, police, active duty military and retired veterans will be able to afford these homes. The truth is that ONLY those with very lengthy time in service, upper level rank, and high education levels will be able to afford Newland Sierra!!
San Marcos Unified School District – Human Resources and Development page

https://www.smusd.org/departments/human_resources/hr_documents
San Marcos Unified School District Certified Salary Schedule – effective January 01, 2020
https://www.smusd.org/common/pages/UserFile.aspx?fileId=24005753
Military Pay Chart 2020
https://www.navycs.com/charts/2020-military-pay-chart.html
San Marcos Police Officer Pay Schedule
https://www.sanmarcostx.gov/DocumentCenter/View/14228/Police-Pay-Scale-2019-2020-2021?bidId=
Thanks for reading folks. Vote YES on A…..Vote NO on B
Richard Burton,
Registered Oceanside Voter
Editors Note- Letters are posted in the order they are received