Wednesday, January 11, 2023
Our Time to Act United
On January 11th, 2023, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria held his first in-person and third ever State of the City Address. The Mayor declared the city to be ‘rising’ to meet prevalent challenges and that “our best days lie ahead.” His address focused on infrastructure, public safety, homelessness, and housing.
It was during his segment on housing where Mayor Gloria spotlighted the work of Aidan Lin, Executive Director of Our Time to Act United, with youth and students in housing solutions.
“Aidan is a 20-year-old student at UC San Diego. He currently has a 3.9 GPA, and while in high school, he founded a non-profit known as ‘Our Time to Act United,’ which works to empower young people.”
The Mayor continued, “He’s already deeply involved in the civic life of our city – advocating for the Asian Pacific Islander community, shaping City Council Districts, and enthusiastically pushing for more housing and transit options.”
Last year, OTTA United took on several advocacy projects — specifically focusing on the area surrounding UC San Diego — to promote increased housing stock, transit options, and building density to combat the worsening housing and climate crises. Students mobilized by OTTA United showed up in support of much-needed community planning group reform and density in the University Community Plan Update.
Shortly after highlighting Mr. Lin, Mayor Gloria outlined the actions the city has taken to build more homes. This includes signing an executive order that directs all city staff to complete reviews and approvals of 100-percent affordable housing projects within 30 days, a process that currently takes up to six months.
OTTA United looks forward to continuing its housing organizing and advocacy efforts in 2023 and greatly appreciates the acknowledgment of youth and youth leaders in the struggle for affordable housing.