From Community Control to Professionalism

Abstract

Nearly forty years ago, the City of Berkeley’s progressive activists and elected officials began an effort to use city government to develop democratic, community-controlled housing that would not be subject to the market and would assist in building a movement for social justice. Although progressives gained long-term control of the city government, over the years they largely abandoned the goal of economic democracy due to a combination of limited local resources, changing political priorities, and the need for professionalism in housing production and management. Today, most of the City’s housing funding goes to two highly professional regional nonprofit housing organizations headquartered in Berkeley, which maintain a landlord–tenant relationship with residents but are part of a broader nonprofit housing movement.