Salty Riggs

💸 The Writing’s on the Mountain

When the cost of living leaves people priced out of their own town, it’s impossible to ignore—even when you’re trying to. Salida’s “S” now carries a message that’s hard to miss: housing affordability isn’t just a policy issue—it’s a crisis etched into daily life.

Area Median Income (AMI) is a tool—not a law of nature. When used without common sense and critical thinking, it leads to nonsense pricing ‘affordable’ rentals above market rate. Housing policy isn’t just math; it’s about understanding our community and making decisions that actually help people.

Not all good work is loud or visible, but it’s happening.

This is where we put our heads down, do what we can, and trust that together, we’re making a difference.

Tyranny is eroded by a sea of small acts. Keep going. Everything matters.

Behind every post, there are hundreds of hours of real work. The true battle for affordable housing is fought in boardrooms, at town halls, and in the grassroots efforts of our communities.

Keep pushing. Keep organizing. It’s all part of the bigger picture.

No matter how hard some folks tried… I’m back on the Chaffee Housing Authority board.

Shoutout to the Chaffee County Commissioners for recognizing that competence, accountability, and actually knowing something about housing insecurity are useful qualities for a housing board.

Let’s get to work. 🔥

Protesters shut down the 101 in downtown Los Angeles resisting Trump’s mass deportation plans + ICE arrests.

It’s important to know that a lot of productive activity is happening in person and offline, too.

Not all of it can be broadcast online, but we’ve had hundreds of people showing up to our trainings, mobilizations, and more.

Keep going. Tyranny is eroded by a sea of small acts. Everything matters.

i think it is important to say that the open and explicit racism of the president and the vice president isn’t just uncouth or “controversial” but a direct attack on tens of millions of americans and a dereliction of their duty to represent the entire country

They love to say ‘just be patient’—as if waiting ever built a single home. Housing solutions exist, but leadership would rather drag their feet than risk rocking the boat.

If you don’t understand how policy plays out in real people’s lives, you have no business making it. Expertise isn’t just degrees and titles—it’s lived experience.

Funny how ‘public input’ only seems to matter when it supports what leadership already decided. If they actually listened, Salida wouldn’t be in this mess.

In local politics, ‘compromise’ too often means watering down real solutions until they don’t actually solve anything. Affordable housing isn’t a debate exercise—it’s a crisis. Act accordingly.

There’s the story they tell, and then there’s the truth. When leadership tries to spin the narrative, I bring the receipts.

Some people on the board of the CHA and on Salida City Council act like accountability is a personal attack. If basic oversight feels unbearable, they’re in the wrong job.

Use the proper channels’ is usually code for ‘stop making us uncomfortable.’ The system protects itself—real change happens outside it.

When leaders can’t defend their policies, they attack the people challenging them. Maybe if they were doing their jobs right, they wouldn’t feel so threatened. -Salty Riggs

When leaders can’t defend their policies, they attack the people challenging them. Maybe if they were doing their jobs right, they wouldn’t feel so threatened.

When leadership fails, the community steps up. Real change happens when we stop waiting for permission and start demanding accountability. -Salty Riggs

When leadership fails, the community steps up. Real change happens when we stop waiting for permission and start demanding accountability.

Groupthink doesn’t solve housing crises—it perpetuates them. It’s time to challenge the status quo and push for real solutions that actually work for the community.

Groupthink doesn’t solve housing crises—it perpetuates them. It’s time to challenge the status quo and push for real solutions that actually work for the community.

Groupthink doesn’t solve housing crises—it perpetuates them. It’s time to challenge the status quo and push for real solutions that actually work for the community.

Affordable housing isn’t just a nice idea—it’s a necessity. The truth is, we’ve been talking in circles while real people struggle. Time to face facts and take action.

At my CHA board interview, I told commissioners: this board is full of experts, but it’s missing real community representation. Housing policy has to work for locals—not just on paper.

Affordable housing isn’t just about funding -it’s about listening to the community, planning ahead, and prioritizing locals.

We need leadership that’s transparent, accountable, and willing to take bold steps

JANURARY CHA BOARD UPDATE The Chaffee Housing Authority board discussed that the terms of Salida representatives Dan Shore, Christy Doon, and Salty Riggs will technically expire a month before what aligns to CHA'S terms, an accident made in the resolution by city staff. Salty's term expired on January 1. Riggs said she was concerned about representation on the board of community members with lived experience of housing insecurity. There are currently no members with lived experience on the board. "These things are inadvertently harming the community that we serve," she said. She asked for a change to the intergovernmental agreement to make sure that those with lived experience are from Chaffee County.

JANURARY CHA BOARD UPDATE