Black History Month is a reclamation of the full story. ✊🏾🏳️‍🌈

Happy Black History Month, y'all! ✊🏾 This year, I’m focusing on the power of intersectionality. We can’t talk about Black history without talking about the Black queer and trans people who have been on the frontlines since day one. 🧵

Dr. King’s words, actions and teachings continue to echo through time, emphasizing the importance of challenging systemic injustices and promoting meaningful change.

Today, we honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., but in an era of backlash, where Black history is censored and LGBTQ+ existence is legislated against, passive remembrance is not enough.

The fight to defend history is intensifying. As the African American Policy Forum notes, our institutions are under attack under the false banner of "eliminating DEI." Let us remember that Dr. King’s vision of a Beloved Community was radically inclusive. You cannot support Black liberation while ignoring the violence facing Black trans people. You cannot honor civil rights history while banning books that teach it.

We are taking inspiration from the 2026 Liberation Calendar to commit to an intersectional daily practice. We must connect the dots between racial justice, queer liberation, and the concrete policies needed to secure them both.

Moving forward with purpose at CBU. As I continue my work in Public Administration, my commitment remains the same: developing equitable and sustainable policies that enhance community health and serve our underserved populations. 🦁✨

United in Spirit! 🎉

 

Cheers to the New Year!

As we step into a brand-new year, I'm wishing you fresh beginnings, exciting opportunities, and plenty of reasons to celebrate. Thank you for being part of our community. Here’s to a wonderful year ahead!

The Policy Nexus: When Commerce Erases Community

Metanoia, Maps, and the Courage to Save 2,200 Homes in San Jacinto.

We often speak of the housing crisis as if it is a weather event—something that just happens to us, driven by market forces we cannot control. We see the encampments in the San Jacinto riverbed, we cheer for the $12 million grants to clear them, and we think we are solving the problem. But while we are looking at the riverbed, we are missing the map. In my work as a Doctor of Public Administration student, I study the gap between digital governance (the paperwork) and on-the-ground reality (the people). Recently, I found a gap so wide it threatens to swallow the future of our city. It is called the Stoneridge Commerce Center. 

The Fear Equation: Why We Freeze. Before I explain the project, I want to talk about why we usually ignore these things. Harvard Business School professor Ranjay Gulati argues that fear = uncertainty + loss of control. When developers drop a 500-page Environmental Impact Report on a community, they are counting on that fear. The jargon creates uncertainty. The bureaucratic process makes us feel a loss of control. The result? We freeze. We assume the deal is done. We stay silent because the "Submerged State"—the invisible machinery of government—feels too big to fight. But today, I am choosing to handle that fear. I am choosing metanoia—a profound transformation of heart and mind—to stop freezing and start speaking. The Great Erasure. For years, the original StoneRidge Specific Plan (SP 239) was on the books in San Jacinto. 

It was a promise: a plan to build 2,236 homes, including parks and open space, and to dedicate land to the Housing Authority for affordable units. It was a blueprint for a neighborhood. But a new proposal, currently moving through the Riverside County Planning Department, seeks to erase that neighborhood entirely. According to documents I have reviewed, the new "Stoneridge Commerce Center" (Amendment No. 1 to SP 239) proposes replacing those 2,236 homes with 7,350,000 square feet of light-industrial land uses—essentially, massive warehouses—on 388.5 acres. The trade-off is stark: Old Plan: Over 2,000 families get a home. New Plan: We get 7.3 million square feet of concrete tilt-ups. And the invisible cost? By rezoning this land from residential to industrial, we are quietly deleting the affordable housing set-aside that was part of the original deal. We are trading a future community for a logistics hub. 

The Spring Watch.

The developers likely hope this change happens quietly. The public comment period for the environmental report ended back in March 2024. They are currently in the quiet period, responding to comments and preparing for a final hearing. But we have learned that this project is tentatively scheduled to go before the Planning Commission in the spring of 2026. 

This is not a dead end; it is a head start. We have three months. Three months to ask the uncomfortable questions. Three months to demand that the city and county explain how they plan to meet our state-mandated housing goals if they delete 2,200 planned units from the map. 

Choosing to Speak Anyway, I am sharing this not to scare you, but to empower you. The "Fear Equation" only works if we remain uncertain and passive. I am walking into a space that wasn't built for me—the complex world of Specific Plan Amendments and TEFRA hearings—and I am choosing to speak anyway. I am asking you to look at the map with me. If we want a San Jacinto that houses its seniors, its families, and its future, we cannot just sweep the riverbed. We have to save the neighborhood. 

Season's Greetings & Gratitude - Here's to a Brighter 2026!

 

As 2025 draws to a close, I express my deepest gratitude for your partnership and trust. You are an invaluable part of this community, and your support is the engine that drives our work to protect, educate, and advocate for California’s most underserved populations—including older adults, diverse communities, and those navigating economic challenges or limited English proficiency.

While 2025 brought its share of uncertainty, it also proved the power of collective resilience. As we look toward 2026, we know significant challenges remain in the fight for equity. I invite you to stay engaged in the coming year as we work to turn policy into progress. Together, we can meet these challenges with expertise, compassion, and unwavering dedication. Thank you for believing in this mission.

With gratitude and appreciation, 

Eric

The Invisible Safety Net: Why We See the Homeless, But Never the Solution

 From $13 Billion to One Senior: Unmasking the 'Submerged State' in Housing Policy

photo by Don Leach

This isn't a shelter, it's a permanent home for people like Robert Taylor—a small business owner who paid taxes for 40 years before getting sick. The funding we are voting on today (TEFRA/Bonds) is what allows 'Robert' to move out of his truck and back into our community. If we vote 'No' on this bond, we aren't stopping 'homelessness'—we are keeping Robert in his truck.

We often speak of housing policy in the abstract language of liquidity, collateralized advances, and z-scores. A new report from the Urban Institute estimates that the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLBank) system generates between $13.2 and $21.4 billion in economic stability annually. But what does $21 billion actually look like? It seems like Robert Taylor. A former motorcycle shop owner in Huntington Beach, Robert spent years sleeping in his truck until a complex web of invisible government financing—tax credits, bond issuances, and FHLBank advances—built the Pelican Harbor community where he now lives. In cities like San Jacinto, we cheer for the visible emergency grants to clear riverbeds, yet we often ignore the administrative machinery that builds the permanent homes. It is time to close the gap between our digital governance and our on-the-ground reality: if we want more Robert Taylors, we must stop ignoring the "invisible" government that saves them.

Read the full article here