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By SarahDawn Haynes. Also published as a letter to the editor in the Daily Camera on October 25, 2021.
"I am a ballot sponsor for Ballot Measure 300, Bedrooms Are For People. I am also a 20-year Boulder renter and here is what I know:
Seven years ago I started working on the co-operative housing ordinance. It took four years to get an ordinance (interestingly, we hear the same unreasonable and hyperbolic attacks on 300 by opponents that we heard for co-ops). Since then I have read the comprehensive housing studies going back to 1999, which all recommend changing the occupancy limits. And over the last two years (and some of us quite a few more) we have been reading policy books, interviewed experts, read the Carnegie Library archives to learn about our occupancy limits’ history but most importantly we have talked with many thousands (~10,000 plus) of our community members about how to best meet economic, environmental, and social justice needs through housing justice. The Bedrooms campaign is a response to all these efforts to learn from and help our community. This ballot measure is an act of collective wisdom and a move in the right direction after 50 years of suppressing housing.
I want all renters to be on leases and visible and secure in their rights. I want landlords and property managers to have accountability on keeping their housing safe. I want to use the existing housing stock better and reduce the environmental impacts of commuters. I want folks to be allowed the mutual aid that housemates provide. I want folks who already live here and in violation of occupancy limits to feel safe and welcomed and not be afraid to register to vote or build relationships with their neighbors. I want you to join me in voting yes for Ballot Measure 300, Bedrooms Are For People."