In This Issue
A link to: Advocacy in Action
William and Courtney championed AB 2146 and the State Housing Bond in the Capitol.
A link to: Save the Date
A sneak peek at Sparking Connections 2026!
A link to: Industry Leadership
Ana, Courtney, and Jake represented RCD across the state.
A link to: In Our Communities
RCD promoted resident civic participation and was honored by our partners at HARD.
A link to: Property Spotlights
A Grand Opening, a Groundbreaking, and a finish line in sight!
A link to: In Case You Missed It
National AIA COTE Top Ten Award and RCD’s 2025 Impact Report.
“I see this issue from both sides. On the side of a person experiencing housing insecurity needing so much, after enduring so much. And from the side of an affordable housing developer. Having vacant units but constrained with the slowed down process of how long it takes for affordable housing developers to fill vacant units… This bill is literally a win-win situation.”
— William Goodwin, RCD Board Chair
AB 2146 advanced out of the Housing Committee, moving one step closer to becoming law. We are grateful to William for his leadership, and our partners at Housing California and the Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California (NPH) for co-sponsoring this important bill.
RCD Champions a Statewide Housing Bond
RCD joined partners in Sacramento for two action-packed Advocacy Days this spring, meeting with legislators to champion the need for a statewide housing bond and build momentum for bold, sustained investment in affordable housing across California.
We invite you to support this critical effort and help us carry this momentum forward by A link to: endorsing the bond. With your support, we can help move the needle to get the housing bond on the November 2026 ballot. You can also join RCD’s Housing Action Network to receive timely opportunities to support pro-housing policies and initiatives.
Stay engaged
Join RCD’s Housing Action Network to receive advocacy opportunity alerts directly to your inbox. Learn about upcoming public meetings, policy discussions, and other ways to show your support for affordable housing initiatives in your community.
Save the Date!
Wednesday, September 23
5:30 to 7:30 PM
UC Berkeley’s Alumni House
We hope you’ll join us for another year of celebrating our collective work creating and preserving housing for people with the fewest options!
Ana Rasquiza Represents RCD in Los Angeles
Ana Rasquiza, RCD Director of Community Development moderated a panel about local strategies for resident leadership at the California Accountable Communities for Health Initiative (CACHI) conference in April. The meeting featured Yuliana Wiser-León from RCD’s partner organization, Eden United Church of Christ, along with leaders from two other California communities who shared local strategies for resident leadership in strategic planning, data for action, and economic empowerment.
“The CACHI network convening reminded me how much momentum is building across California around resident-led approaches to health equity. Hearing how communities are centering residents in strategic planning, data for action, and economic empowerment reinforced what we are seeing firsthand with the Eden Power Collective.”
— Ana Rasquiza, RCD Director of Community Development
Courtney Pal Takes the Stage on Housing Policy
What does it take to make Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) truly work for residents, owners, and communities? This spring, Courtney Pal, RCD Policy Manager, was at the center of two efforts to answer that question. In January, she presented a training hosted by NPH offering a first look at the A link to: PSH Workgroup Compendium, a resource translating five years of collaboration into actionable tools, policy recommendations, and community-centered strategies for practitioners across Northern California. RCD helped shape the Compendium through Courtney’s contributions to the Steering Committee and the direct involvement of Nick Griffin, RCD Director of Asset Management, and Olivia King, RCD Director of Resident Services, in NPH’s PSH Working Group.
Courtney also co-authored A link to: Coordinated Entry Systems: Best Practices Recommendations, a brief examining how Bay Area counties are moving people experiencing homelessness into housing more quickly, and moderated panels on the findings at the Housing California conference and a virtual NPH training.
At the ULI Housing the Bay Summit, Courtney spoke about building effective coalitions for housing advocacy, drawing on lessons from RCD’s successful partnership with East Bay Housing Organizations to secure $1.4 billion in Alameda County Measure W funding. She underscored the impact of pairing technical expertise with grassroots leadership — and encouraged developers to play a more active role in shaping local policy outcomes.
Get Out the Vote
At RCD, we believe civic participation is a cornerstone of healthy communities, and voting is often the first step. This year, we launched our Resident Voter Ambassador Program, training residents at five new communities to help their neighbors register, stay informed, and turn out in November. Ambassadors receive support and training from RCD’s Voter Engagement Team, and a gift card for completing training and hosting events.
Nineteen residents are already enrolled in the Voter Ambassador Program across four properties: Maudelle Miller Shirek Community in Berkeley, Bell Street Gardens in Fremont, Madrone Terrace in Ashland, and Rick Judd Commons in Concord. This fall, Ambassadors will host events including lobby tabling, door-knocking, and community pizza parties to get their neighbors registered and ready to vote.
We’ve also been busy portfolio-wide. In May, RCD distributed 500 door hanger reminders across nine communities from Richmond to Walnut Creek to Oakland. We’ll also be hosting National Voter Registration Day events in September and ramping up outreach ahead of the November election across the full portfolio.
RCD Honored as Organization of the Year by HARD
RCD was thrilled to receive the Organization of the Year award from the Hayward Area Recreation and Park District (HARD) at their 64th annual ceremony. RCD staff accepted the award alongside Breann Gala, RCD’s former Director of Community Development.
HARD’s board members highlighted RCD’s sophistication, professionalism, creativity, and our 10+ year commitment to serving the Ashland community in unincorporated Alameda County. We were also inspired to hear Claudia Albano from Supervisor Nate Miley’s office speak to RCD’s continued dedication to Ashland, where support for the largely immigrant community is more vital than ever.
HARD operates a 12,300 square foot community center on the ground floor of Madrone Terrace, which includes multi-purpose rooms, a fitness center, a child development center, and an outdoor playground. This partnership ensures that families have access to high-quality childcare and programming right in their neighborhood, reducing barriers to employment and education while strengthening community connections.
RCD’s partnership with HARD represents what’s possible when community-based organizations come together with a shared vision for affordable housing and community impact. We are deeply honored by this recognition.
“Years of collaboration with HARD has ensured that our impact extends far beyond the walls of the building itself. Madrone Terrace is a community designed not just for housing, but for connection and opportunity.”
— Jake Rosen, RCD Associate Director of Real Estate Development
What makes Lupina truly distinctive is what is planned for the ground floor. Kids First Academy, a Bay Area childcare provider, will operate a new childcare center serving infants, toddlers, and preschool-age children at affordable, subsidized rates. In a county where childcare waitlists stretch for years and infant slots are nearly impossible to find, the combination of affordable housing and affordable childcare is something that fills our hearts with pride.
“Partnerships with nonprofits like RCD make a real difference for programs like ours, because they allow us to operate with low overhead and keep costs manageable for families. The expansion of state and county childcare subsidies has also helped tremendously.” — Kristine Carillo, Director, Kids First Academy
KRON4 was on the ground to cover the celebration, shining a spotlight on what Lupina will mean for families and the broader neighborhood. We are grateful for the support of Santa Clara County, the City of San José, and all of our partners who made this moment possible, and we look forward to welcoming residents through the door in 2028. A link to: Watch the KRON4 segment.
In Case You Missed It
A roundup of RCD news and resources from earlier in the year that deserve a second look.
Coliseum Place Wins National AIA COTE Top Ten Award
Coliseum Place was recognized with the prestigious 2025 AIA COTE Top Ten Award for sustainable design excellence! The AIA Committee on the Environment (COTE) Top Ten Award celebrates projects that integrate design and performance to deliver meaningful social, economic, and ecological value.
Coliseum Place transformed a severely underutilized, contaminated site into an all-electric, zero-emissions, 100% affordable housing community for 58 households in Oakland. Located at the Coliseum BART station, the project added critical infrastructure to the site and surrounding neighborhood, including sidewalks, street trees, biofiltration features, healthy soil and vegetation, and improved pedestrian safety.
In partnership with David Baker Architects, RCD developed Coliseum Place as part of the Living Future Affordable Housing Pilot Project Case Study, advancing sustainable design best practices that benefit residents and the environment without imposing additional burdens on low-income families.
This recognition reflects our belief that everyone deserves a safe, healthy place to call home. Congratulations to our partners and to the families who call Coliseum Place home.
RCD’s 2025 Impact Report
Every number in our 2025 Impact Report represents an individual or a family with a stable place to call home, a resident with access to services, and a community growing stronger. See the full picture of what we accomplished together last year.
Thank You to Our Community
RCD’s success wouldn’t be possible without the incredible network of partners, supporters, and advocates who believe in the power of affordable housing to transform lives and strengthen communities. From construction workers to community organizers, from local officials to resident leaders, from long-time supporters to new advocates—each of you plays a vital role in creating a constellation of community across the Bay Area.
Thank you to everyone who makes this work possible. Together, we’re creating lasting change—one home, one resident, one neighborhood at a time.
Copyright 2026. All rights reserved.
