The March 3, 2020 Presidential Primary Election is just 1 month away, and as early voting begins, the San Francisco Housing Action Coalition and Bay Area Housing Advocacy Coalition policy teams are out with recommendations on the local and regional measures that deserve your vote and the legislation proposed for the city and the state we continue to keep an eye on.
San Francisco Measures
Prop D: Vacancy Tax
Note: While conversations with Supervisor Peskin’s office continue, the measure as it stands fails to address ours and our allies’ concerns. We do have additional amendments that will hopefully be addressed in follow-up legislation.
At this point, SFHAC is neutral on Prop D.
Prop E: Limits on Office Space
Note: While proponents tout the proposition as a zero-sum trade of offices for affordable units, in reality HAC remains concerned that the current structure of the proposition, while aimed at restricting office production, instead threatens to reduce the funding available for affordable housing and to work counter to its own goals.
SFHAC is currently opposed to Prop E.
Bay Area Measures
San Jose
To fund general City of San Jose services, including affordable housing for seniors, veterans, disabled, and low-income families, and helping homeless residents move into shelters/permanent housing, shall an ordinance be adopted enacting a real property transfer tax including unrecorded transfers.
BayHAC Early Endorsed Measure E
Healdsburg
Measure H: Growth Management Ordinance Amendment
If councilmembers approve the city staff-recommended amendment, and voters support it with a simple majority come March, it would allow developers to offer homes for sale for middle income earners rather than just apartment rentals within a 50-unit cap. The 30 market-rate home restriction would go unchanged, as would the exemption allowing an unlimited number of affordable units for those individuals and families with annual earnings less than 120% of the area’s median income.
BayHAC supports this measure.
SFHAC & BayHAC would like to recognize the importance of the following infrastructure, regulatory, and outside but related to the housing realm that require additional attention; while we are not currently taking a position on the following measures, we’re watching these and other bills for opportunities to help organize around and advocate for more housing at every income level across the region and the state.
SF: Props B and C
Berkeley: Measure E
Mountain View: Measure D
City of Alameda: Measure A
Statewide: Prop 13
