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San Francisco, California, Proposition K, Affordable Housing Authorization (November 2020)

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San Francisco Proposition K
LocalBallotMeasures Final.png
Election date
November 3, 2020
Topic
Local housing
Status
Approveda Approved
Type
Referral		Origin
Lawmakers

San Francisco Proposition K was on the ballot as a referral in San Francisco on November 3, 2020. It was approved.

A “yes” vote supported authorizing the city to develop or acquire up to 10,000 units of low-income rental housing.

A “no” vote opposed authorizing the city to develop or acquire up to 10,000 units of low-income rental housing.


A simple majority was required for the approval of Proposition K.

Election results

San Francisco Proposition K

Result Votes Percentage

Approved Yes

303,319 73.52%
No 109,220 26.48%
Results are officially certified.
Source



Text of measure

Ballot question

The ballot question was as follows:[1]

“ Shall the City have the authority to own, develop, construct, acquire or rehabilitate up to 10,000 units of low-income rental housing in San Francisco?[2] ”

Ballot simplification digest

The following summary of the measure was prepared by the office of the Ballot Simplification Committee:

“ The Way It Is Now: The City has a variety of affordable housing programs, including those that:

• Create, preserve and improve affordable housing;

• Convert market-rate housing to permanently affordable housing;

• Provide loans to first-time homebuyers; and

• Help eligible homeowners and renters stay in their homes.

The State Constitution requires approval by a majority of San Francisco voters before:

• The City may develop, construct or acquire low-income rental housing projects; or

• Nonprofits and companies may develop, construct or acquire low-income rental housing projects with financial assistance from public agencies.

The Proposal: Proposition K would authorize the City to own, develop, construct, acquire or rehabilitate up to 10,000 units of low-income rental housing.

Under Proposition K, the City could own, develop, construct, acquire or rehabilitate these units without working with nonprofits or companies.

A 'YES' Vote Means: If you vote 'yes,' you want to authorize the City to own, develop, construct, acquire or rehabilitate up to 10,000 units of low-income rental housing in the City.

A 'NO' Vote Means: If you vote 'no,' you do not want to make this change.[2]

”

Full text

The full text of the measure is available here.


Support

Supporters

  • San Francisco Board of Supervisors[1]
  • San Francisco Democratic Party[1]
  • Affordable Housing Alliance[1]
  • San Francisco Tenants Union[1]
  • Eviction Defense Collaborative[1]
  • Coalition on Homelessness[1]
  • Housing Rights Committee[1]
  • Council of Community Housing Organizations[1]
  • Jobs with Justice San Francisco[1]
  • SEIU Local 1021[1]
  • State Senator Scott Wiener (D)[1]
  • Assemblymember Phil Ting (D)[1]
  • Assemblymember David Chiu (D)[1]

Official arguments

The official arguments in support of Proposition K were authored by the Supervisor Dean Preston:[1]

“ Article 34 of the California Constitution is a racist stain in our state’s history, narrowly passed in 1950 with the backing of segregationists to block affordable housing and exclude Black tenants. It still stands today.

Prop K is a step towards removing this racist legacy and authorizing the creation of up to 10,000 additional units of permanently affordable housing in San Francisco.

There is no cost to taxpayers for authorizing these new homes.

Prop K also authorizes the creation of municipal social housing. This is a form of permanently affordable housing for public good, charging low rents and housing a broad range of incomes, pioneered in Vienna and other major cities. Social housing is an important and innovative strategy to address displacement and homelessness.

San Francisco must continue to move forward to reverse the displacement of people of color from our city and reduce the cost of housing so that working people can afford to live here. Prop K is an important step in this direction and is supported by the full Board of Supervisors.

Please join us and Vote Yes on K.[2]

”

Opposition

Opponents

  • Libertarian Party of San Francisco

Official arguments

The official arguments in opposition to Proposition K were authored by the Supervisor Libertarian Party of San Francisco:[1]

“ 'A San Francisco Housing Fable'

Once upon a time, independent builders built housing in San Francisco that ordinary people could afford.

But as the years went by, politicians added taxes, and rules. Particularly zoning regulations, to satisfy NIMBYs who already had homes and didn't want anything else built near them, especially not for poor people.

Less housing got built, and supply failed to meet demand. Homes became more expensive. But poor people still needed places to live. The politicians, wanting their votes and money, said, 'Vote for us, we'll give you affordable housing!'

So they raised taxes (making it harder for people to afford housing without assistance) and used the funds to build public housing projects – Sunnydale, Geneva Towers, Valencia Gardens, etc. But government was no good at running housing. Once projects were built, the politicians neglected them and they turned into slums.

This made NIMBYs still more fearful of having poor people or decrepit buildings nearby. So they supported more government rules about what could be built where, and how, and endless hearings. All this cost money, so the politicians imposed additional fees on builders to pay for it.

Soon the builders needed consultants to help them navigate the rules, and accountants to figure out how to pay their taxes without losing their shirts. They had to retain lawyers, pay off political power brokers, and become community organizers to keep NIMBYs from using the hearings to kill their projects.

Eventually, hardly any new housing was getting built. What did get built was super expensive. Thousands of poor people ended up homeless on the streets.

'You need affordable housing! cried the politicians. 'Vote for Proposition K and we'll give you up to 10,000 new units of public housing!'

Let's break the cycle. Vote NO on Prop. K.[2]

”

Media editorials

See also: 2020 ballot measure media endorsements

Ballotpedia identified the following media editorial boards as taking positions on the ballot measure. If you are aware of a media editorial board position that is not listed below, please email the editorial link to editor@ballotpedia.org.

Support

  • San Francisco Chronicle: "State law requires a public vote for a city to build subsidized housing, a legacy with racial overtones because it adds a politically charged hurdle in creating low-cost building. This measure would end that rule and permit the city to build up to 10,000 units of affordable housing. ... Vote Yes."[3]
  • San Francisco Bay Guardian: “Prop. K addresses an old, racist element of the state Constitution which requires a public vote before any city can build public housing. It was written by segregationist who wanted to keep poor people, especially Black people, out of wealth, white neighborhoods. It’s impact – and it’s still on the books today – is to stymie cities who want to create municipally owned and managed affordable housing. Sponsored by Sup. Dean Preston, Prop. K would authorize 10,000 units of affordable housing in the city, and leave it to city officials and community activists to decide where that housing will go. Every affordable housing and tenant group in town supports this measure. By all means, vote Yes."[4]
  • Bay Area Reporter: "Article 34 of the state constitution passed in 1950 to block affordable housing and exclude Black tenants. Prop K would authorize the creation of up to 10,000 additional units of permanent affordable housing in San Francisco. Prop K would also authorize the creation of municipal social housing, a form of affordable housing for the public good, charging low rents and housing a broad range of incomes. It's supported by the full board. Vote YES on Prop K."[5]

Opposition

Ballotpedia had not identified media editorial boards in opposition to the ballot measure.

Background

Other affordable housing measures in San Francisco

Since 2014, San Francisco voted on 11 ballot measures related to affordable housing bond issues or development measures. Seven were approved, and four were defeated.

Rents in California's largest cities

The following table outlines the median rents and rents as a share of income in California's 15 largest cities in 2010 and 2016, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The median rent increased between 2010 and 2016 in all 15 cities, with the largest percentage increases in San Jose (26.1 percent) and San Francisco (22.9 percent).[6]

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) uses a concept called rental burden as an economic welfare indicator. HUD defines the rate of rental burden as the percentage of households spending more than 30 percent of their income on rent each month. Of the 15 largest cities in California, Santa Ana had the highest rental burden at 64.8 percent and San Francisco had the lowest rental burden at 42.6 percent.[7]

Median rents in California's 15 largest cities, 2010–2016
City County Population 2016 median rent 2010 median rent 2010–2016 increase 30%+ of income on rent
Los Angeles Los Angeles 3,999,759 $1,241 $1,077 15.23% 61.20%
San Diego San Diego 1,419,516 $1,427 $1,259 13.34% 54.30%
San Jose Santa Clara 1,035,317 $1,689 $1,339 26.14% 53.30%
San Francisco San Francisco 884,363 $1,632 $1,328 22.89% 42.60%
Fresno Fresno 527,438 $901 $832 8.29% 61.50%
Sacramento Sacramento 501,901 $1,057 $959 10.22% 53.90%
Long Beach Los Angeles 469,450 $1,150 $1,033 11.33% 55.20%
Oakland Alameda 425,195 $1,189 $1,000 18.90% 54.10%
Bakersfield Kern 380,874 $1,005 $906 10.93% 53.10%
Anaheim Orange 352,497 $1,402 $1,262 11.09% 62.10%
Santa Ana Orange 334,136 $1,354 $1,231 9.99% 64.80%
Riverside Riverside 327,728 $1,194 $1,092 9.34% 60.00%
Stockton San Joaquin 310,496 $967 $917 5.45% 60.60%
Irvine Orange 277,453 $1,997 $1,788 11.69% 52.80%
Chula Vista San Diego 270,471 $1,351 $1,201 12.49% 61.40%

Path to the ballot

See also: Laws governing local ballot measures in California

This measure was put on the ballot through a unanimous vote of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on July 28, 2020.[1]

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 San Francisco Elections Office, "Qualified Local and District Measures," accessed October 12, 2020
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  3. ↑ San Francisco Chronicle, “Editorial: San Francisco ballot recommendations cover taxes, housekeeping and social change.,” October 6, 2020
  4. ↑ San Francisco Bay Guardian, "Endorsements Fall 2020," October 1, 2020
  5. ↑ Bay Area Reporter, "Editorial: Vote yes on all SF props," September 23, 2020
  6. ↑ California Department of Finance, "California State Data Center," accessed June 5, 2018
  7. ↑ U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, "Rental Burdens: Rethinking Affordability Measures," accessed July 24, 2018
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