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Racial segregation runs deep in San Jose, report says

By Lloyd Alaban, San Jose Spotlight, June 8, 2021

“While activists maintain that San Jose’s housing policies are inherently segregated, a study undertaken by the city shows just how deep racial disparities go.

“ ‘The main takeaway is the legacy of past segregation is still very much alive,’ said Kristen Clements, division manager of the policy group within the city’s housing department. ‘It’s still visible in who lives where in the city.’

The [city’s] Housing and Community Development Commission will also discuss the report at a later date. The council is expected to hear a revised [Assessment of Fair Housing (AFH)] report early next year when the city hopes to incorporate its findings into a [revised housing element].

“Clements said that the city also aims to look at more disaggregated data, especially among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) in the city, to better note how ethnicity and income factor into homeownership. Disaggregation of AAPI data would involve looking at individual ethnic groups among AAPIs which have wide disparities in health and income.

“The AFH found that discrimination in San Jose’s housing market continues to be an issue. Groups such as racial minorities, the disabled, and the elderly disproportionately experience housing problems, displacement pressure, and homelessness.

“For Councilmember Maya Esparza, whose district covers East San Jose, the issue is about more than housing.

“ ‘It’s about how we designed the city,’ Esparza said. ‘What we’re seeing is how your ZIP code is an indicator of your life expectancy.’ ”

Read the full article here. (~4 min.)

Access the California Department of Housing and Community Development’s Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing data and mapping resources here.

Previously in Roundup: “UC Berkeley’s Othering & Belonging Institute’s ‘Racial Segregation in the San Francisco Bay Area’ series, revealed the correlations between neighborhoods with restrictive, single-family zoning, non-single-family zoning, and their levels of segregation.”

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