In 2014, a city planning department summary estimated there were between 30,000 and 50,000 illegal accessory dwelling units. Although the city now has laws that allow people to legalize some previously unapproved ADUs, there are still homes that have too many people living in them or that don’t meet code, like the one Sanchez allegedly rented.

Muhammad Alameldin, an associate professor at the Terner Center, said that poorly maintained housing units are often the last line of defense for people at risk of becoming homeless or having to move away from the region where they work and have built their lives.

“A situation where existing homes have to be divided into multiple units for multiple families means that we have not created enough housing for everyone in this county and this is putting people in desperate situations,” he said.

Karlinsky said it didn’t have to be that way.

In November, voters will vote on a $20 billion affordable housing bond proposed by the Bay Area Housing Finance Authority. If passed, the funds would be used to build or preserve at least 70,000 affordable housing units, nearly half of which would be reserved for very low-income households in the Bay Area’s nine counties.

She also said communities could change zoning plans to allow for more housing, especially in suburban areas near transportation. Additionally, more small and medium-sized housing could be built in single-family home neighborhoods. A law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom in 2021 allows homeowners to subdivide a single-family home lot into up to four units in some cases.

Karlinsky said that if these conversions were carried out frequently, they could make a significant contribution to the housing supply.

“There are a lot of political levers that can be put in place to help the region and the state out of this situation and provide people with safe, adequate and affordable housing,” she told KQED. “It’s really just a matter of political will to make these things happen.”