The November Election is Coming Up and Housing is on the Ballot!
Santa Cruz was recently in the news for being second only to San Francisco as the most expensive place to live in our country. That fact is no surprise to anyone who lives here. Local schools and businesses find it increasingly more difficult to hire and retain staff due to the high cost of housing in our area. In an effort to respond to the critical shortage of affordable housing, several housing-related measures will be on the November ballot and voters will have a critical role to play in determining the future of affordable housing in our county. Now is the time to start paying attention and getting educated about what’s at stake when voters go to the polls to cast their ballots!
Santa Cruz City’s mixed-used library project with 124 affordable housing units is threatened by Measure O, Our Downtown Our Future. This ballot measure would put a stop to the library and affordable housing project which has already gone through six years of planning with numerous focus groups and community meetings held to seek input from the public.
Several school districts have begun to explore the possibility of building teacher and staff housing on school-owned property. Santa Cruz City School’s Measures K and L Bond Measures would dedicate approximately $19 million – or about 5% of the revenue from the bond measures - for workforce housing for teachers and staff. According to school district leaders, the district plans to build 80 units of below market-rate rental housing for employees on the Westside, behind the former site of Natural Bridges Elementary School.
The Empty Home Tax ballot measure, Measure N, would provide an annual source of revenue dedicated solely for affordable housing at lower income levels. Tax revenue would be restricted to specified purposes including financing construction of affordable housing and purchasing existing units for the purpose of maintaining or converting them to affordable housing. Up to five percent of revenue would provide restrooms and hygiene services for the homeless and no more than 15% could be used to pay costs of administering the tax and for independent audits. While the exact amount of revenue this tax would generate is difficult to determine, another benefit of the EHT could be a reduction in the number of homes sitting empty. For people who own empty homes and don’t want to pay the tax, this measure could serve as an incentive to rent these homes out to individuals and families in need of housing.
The City of Watsonville has two different land use measures on the ballot that could have an impact on future construction of affordable housing projects. Measure Q, the Planned Growth and Farmland Protection ballot measure would extend the city’s current restrictions on outward growth through 2040. An alternative measure, Measure S, Planning for the Future, would allow the city to annex sites that could help the city achieve it regional housing goals over the next eight years. There will be a lively debate about which approach will lead to more workforce housing for city residents.
We will also elect two new county supervisors and a dozen new city councilmembers in four cities. Each one will have a role in addressing the most pressing local issue: affordable housing. Voters will need to pay close attention to which candidates will deliver on housing promises.
In November, voters will determine how our local communities will respond to the critical need for more affordable housing in Santa Cruz County. Housing is on the ballot and your vote is your voice. Individuals and families struggling to make ends meet, local businesses struggling to hire and retain workers, and the unhoused living on our streets, need you to say Yes to affordable housing when you mark your ballots!
Watch for our upcoming Housing is on the Ballot web page and for HSCC forums and candidate questionnaires in the coming weeks!