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6.C. - Page 22 of 29 <br />o The process of financing new Second Units or upgrading non -permitted Second Units. At <br />the time of this writing, only one local lender, San Mateo Credit Union,46 has committed <br />to providing lending for these projects. At the same time, homeowners who might <br />consider building a new or upgrading non -permitted Second Units, are often unaware of <br />financing options;47 <br />o The recent booming Bay Area building environment has made it very difficult to find and <br />engage contractors willing to work on relatively small projects such as Second Units, <br />especially due to the demand for rebuilding homes lost to recent wildfires. During its <br />investigation, several interviewees suggested that local governments may wish to provide <br />options in which contractors could utilize "handy men" (who are not licensed as <br />contractors) to do work that the contractors would officially supervise;48 <br />o Some homeowners find the building and permitting process complex and intimidating <br />according to the interviews of housing advocates;49 <br />o Local public entities may lack a sufficient number of inspectors to handle building <br />inspections and amnesty approvals;50 <br />o A misunderstanding by homeowners that the construction of a Second Unit could result <br />in the reassessment of their entire property as opposed to an increase, based on the value <br />of the Second Unit alone. (Adding an ADU will not impact the original home assessment, <br />but homeowners will get a supplemental bill.)51 <br />o Some jurisdictions on the County's coast are unclear as to whether the new State laws <br />apply to coastal areas;52 and <br />o The uncertainty of the Covid-19 environment. <br />As the County and its cities continue to focus on the shortage of available and affordable <br />housing, Second Units are an important option to consider. They are a popular alternative to <br />single-family homes and can be developed more quickly. This is even more important given the <br />COVID-19 pandemic because the number of households without an affordable place to live will <br />grow. For example, Matt Schwartz, President and CEO of CA Housing Partnership, says income <br />inequality was a problem before COVID-19. Before the pandemic, about 1.5 million households <br />were living without an affordable place in California and now that number will grow. He says <br />46 San Mateo Credit Union, littps://www.sitrcu.oE&/Loans/Home-Loans/ADU-Loan <br />47 Grand Jury interviews. <br />48 Ibid. <br />49 Ibid. <br />so Ibid. <br />51 Ibid. <br />52 "City Flooded with Requests for ADU Permits." Ha/f Moon Bay Review, March 4, 2020, <br />https•//www hmbreview.conVnews/city-flooded-with-requests-for-adu-peermits/article 060920-5e49-1 lea-b933- <br />c7dea1fa420c.html (viewed again on 4/27/2020) <br />2019-2020 San Mateo County Civil Grand Jury 12 <br />147 <br />