Vikrum Aiyer

The California dream, which my immigrant parents benefited from, is out of reach for too many who can’t afford to find a home in their own community. Paired with record breaking evictions fueled by the pandemic, it is clear that we need policies of housing abundance: ones that look out for tenants and invest in increasing the housing supply, all while shoring up affordable housing opportunities.

Vikrum Aiyer serves on San Francisco Mayor London Breed’s Workforce Investment Board and is an advisor to former Mayor Michael Tubbs on eradicating poverty in California. In these capacities, he examines how workforce development, housing supply, and other structural policy reforms may impact the upward mobility of Californians. 

Aiyer also held roles in the Obama Administration both as Senior Policy Advisor for innovation & manufacturing policy in the Obama White House, and as Chief of Staff for the U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property. Vikrum has additionally served as the Deputy Director in the ACLU’s national political advocacy department. He built and led the public policy & strategic communications practice for Postmates. He worked on government relations and public affairs for policies ranging from privacy & tax, to the future of work & the gig-economy. 

Dan Alban

Senior Attorney, Institute for Justice

The right to shelter and to provide shelter for one’s family are fundamental rights that governments should not interfere with unnecessarily. Too many arbitrary restrictions on the construction of housing have created a tremendous housing shortage that falls most heavily on those who are most vulnerable. The government cannot stand as a roadblock to affordable housing; instead, it must ensure that housing can be built where it is needed.

Dan Alban is a civil rights litigator and the co-director of the Institute for Justice’s National Initiative to End Forfeiture Abuse. Dan litigates cutting-edge constitutional cases nationwide and has secured numerous court victories in federal and state courts for victims of civil forfeiture, property owners fighting eminent domain abuse, and entrepreneurs challenging occupational licensing.

In 2021, Dan co-founded the YIMBYs of Northern Virginia with several local leaders to help advocate for more housing options and more affordable housing where he lives. He and YIMBYs of NOVA have been actively campaigning for Arlington’s Missing Middle housing proposal and other local projects that create more housing, more housing diversity, and more affordable housing.

Vincent Woo

Bon Vivant, website

All problems lead back to housing. A lack of housing leads to high prices and poor living conditions, causes homelessness, and displaces low-income workers to other cities or states.

My name's Vincent Woo. I was born in the Bay Area and currently live in San Francisco.

I started my small software business, CoderPad in 2013 and sold it in early 2020. Nowadays I do some amateur photography and journalism.

I'm also pretty involved in San Francisco local politics and advocate for increased housing density with YIMBY Law.

You can reach me on Twitter as @fulligin or via email at me@vincentwoo.com.