Leora Tanjuatco Ross is the Organizing Director at the Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo, where she organizes people who can’t afford to buy a home to advocate for more affordable housing. Leora is also the president of the Peninsula Democratic Coalition, the oldest and largest Democratic club in Silicon Valley. She is a mom who lives in a three-generation household. Leora benefits from having parents who are homeowners on the Peninsula, and fights for people who don’t have such a lucky generational wealth transfer. When she’s near surface-level parking lots, she’ll talk about how they could be homes to anyone who will listen.
Peninsula Regional Board Chair
Leora Tanjuatco Ross
Organizing Director at Housing Leadership Council of San Mateo County
Pronouns
She
Housing Story
When I was 23, I worked as an intern for an architecture firm. I made $1,300/month, and my rent was $850/month…when the firm started having cash flow issues, I went 9 weeks without a paycheck…I started to stress out about money, constantly…I got sick, I lost my job, lost my health insurance, and ended up in the hospital. I know from personal experience that housing is not separate from physical and mental health.
Biography
Why Housing Matters
Most inequity stems from housing inequity. If you’re talking about disparities in education, health, or economic opportunity, you’re also talking about disparity in housing options.
Why I Support YIMBY Action
No other group has harnessed the frustration of being a college-educated millennial who is strapped for rent cash every month. We share a vision of a world with more homes and fewer cars, and the guts to try to change the status quo.