San Francisco voters chose to limit office development, while voters in other Bay Area cities approved taxes to pay for affordable housing, park maintenance, homeless services and child care subsidies.
And in Mountain View, voters rejected a measure that could have allowed for higher annual rent increases.
Here's a roundup of how local ballot measures related to housing affordability in the Bay Area performed on Tuesday. For ongoing results see KQED's election result page. County election officials will officially announce whether the measure passed a month after the election.
San Francisco Proposition E, Which Ties Office Development to Affordable Housing Production, Passes
Cities might envy San Francisco’s booming economy but not when it comes with a housing shortage. Proposition E passed with 55.1% of the vote making it likely that new office development will slow down. The measure ties approval for new square footage for office space to whether the city builds 2,042 units of affordable housing each year.
Critics of the measure warn it would slow economic growth and jobs by reducing funding for affordable housing because there will be less revenue collected in fees that are tacked onto development.
“Only the richest companies will be able to stay here,” said Nick Josefowitz, policy director at the San Francisco Bay Area Planning and Urban Research Association (SPUR).
Still, supporters of Proposition E, which was placed on the ballot by affordable housing developer and management company Todco, say it prioritizes housing.
“For us, it's about balance,” said Jon Jacobo, director of policy and advocacy at Todco, “If you're going to build your office tower [and] build the affordable required for it, all power to you. Go right ahead.”
San Jose Voters Pass Measure E, a Real Estate Transfer Tax
In San Jose, 53.2% of voters who cast ballots Tuesday approved a real estate transfer tax on homes and commercial properties sold at $2 million or more to generate ongoing funding for affordable housing and supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness.
“Everyone who works in a restaurant or a hotel, everyone who works in a hospital, we know people struggle to live here,” said San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo in a Facebook Q&A on Monday night encouraging people to vote for the measure. He’s in a rush to find funding solutions to meet his goal of building 10,000 affordable units by 2022.
Measure E was placed on the ballot by the City Council after a $450 million bond measure failed in 2018. The Yes on E campaign raised about $370,000 and was supported by affordable housing developers BRIDGE Housing and Eden Housing. Overall, the real estate transfer tax is expected to generate about $50 million a year.
Here’s how the city of San Jose says it will use the revenue:
- 45% for permanent supportive and affordable rental housing for extremely low-income families
- 35% for rental assistance for low-income families
- 10% for loans, down payment assistance, homeownership programs and some rentals for moderate income families
- 10% for homeless prevention
Michael Lane, deputy director for the housing advocacy group SV@Home said the revenue spent on protecting people from evictions could help them avoid homelessness "that's even more cost effective than trying to help someone once they are on the streets."
Lane believes the new tax is a big deal since it provides ongoing revenue for housing that the city does not currently have.
Mountain View Measure D Fails, Keeping Current Rent Increases
Rent bills will essentially stay put for Mountain View tenants.
Measure D, which would have capped annual rent increases at 4% was voted down by 69.3% of voters. It was placed on the ballot by the City Council in response to a previous rent control measure from 2016.
That measure capped rent increases in Mountain View at inflation rates ranging from 2% to 5%. It currently sits at 3.5%. It also prohibited evictions without just cause.
“It’s working,” said former Mayor Lenny Siegel, who opposed this year’s Measure D. “I think most of the residents of Mountain View realize it’s working and don’t want to mess with it.”
Siegel said renters in Mountain View, like many other Bay Area cities, face displacement.
Oakland Measure Q for Park Maintenance and Homeless Services Narrowly Passes
After facing budget cuts last year, the Oakland City Council asked voters for a 20-year parcel tax to pay for keeping city parks and recreation facilities clean and in repair. And voters, just barely, are saying yes. It’s got 66.9% of the vote; it needs two-thirds to pass, and there are a number of uncounted ballots.
Measure Q adds an annual parcel tax of $148 on single-family homes and an approximate $101 tax on units in apartments and condos. Nearly two-thirds of the estimated $21 million raised annually will go towards parks.
“We’re cautiously optimistic,” said Brooke Levin, co-chair of the Yes on Q campaign, who previously worked for Oakland’s Public Works Department. “People have concerns about the lack of staffing and increased usage of parks."
Another 30% of the revenue is slated for homeless services, but Levin said it’s unclear exactly how it will be used. The measures lists several possibilities including offering sanitation at existing homeless encampment sites, funding RV safe parking programs and paying for temporary and permanent housing. A commission will provide feedback and input on what gets done, said Levin.
Child Care Funding in Emeryville Passes; Alameda County Gets an Initial Approval
Emeryville voters approved funding for its child care center, and in Alameda County, a half-cent sales tax to expand child care subsidies earned 63.1% of the vote.
This comes at a time when parents are paying as much, or more, for child care, as they do for housing.
“The cost to parents — they can pay anywhere from $900 to $3,600 a month,” said Clarissa Doutherd, executive director of Parent Voices Oakland, an advocacy and family services organization that campaigned for Alameda County Measure C. It is a half-percent sales tax that could expand child care subsidies for low-income families.
“We also don’t have enough slots for children,” Doutherd said. “We don’t have enough space. There are facility needs.”
It’s unclear whether Measure C needs a simple majority or two-thirds vote to pass. That’s because cities and counties have challenged the standard, set by California law, for a local government to raise taxes.
Measure C is passing, according to the county’s registrar — but it could later be challenged in court.
This was the second time organizers in Alameda County, many of whom are Oakland women of color with children, tried to get a measure passed to pay for child care subsidies. In Alameda County, about 32,000 children under the age of five qualify for child care subsidies but are not enrolled, according to the county.
In Emeryville, Measure F passed with 73.9% of the vote. It will fund the city’s child care facility but also contributes a significant amount of money to the police and emergency departments to hire more officers.