This is not good news. A Democrat pulled from the ballot a Stalinist type of housing program. Why? Because little by little he got it, via several pieces of legislation
“He also noted that legislative efforts to address the issue are progressing, including his Senate Bill 469 — which would add exceptions to allow for more public housing projects without voter approval. SB 469 “substantially addresses some of the most significant concerns about how Article 34 might be impacting housing production,” he said.
California lawmakers and some cities have created a host of work-arounds to create affordable housing, but Article 34 has still created headaches for state leaders. The city of Millbrae, south of San Francisco, filed a lawsuit in San Mateo County Superior Court late last year seeking to block the county from buying a La Quinta Inn and Suites and converting it into housing for homeless families and seniors. Millbrae officials argue the project is illegal because voters haven’t approved it.”
No need for a city council—Sacramento Democrats have replaced it with their own rules. Use them or get sued—just ask Huntington Beach.
Lawmaker pulls constitutional amendment on public housing from California’s ballot
Ben Allen, author of SCA 2, pointed to recent progress in the Legislature on the issue and said he wanted to avoid a costly campaign.
By EMILY SCHULTHEIS and DUSTIN GARDINER, Politico, 06/01/2024 https://www.politico.com/news/2024/06/01/public-housing-california-ballot-00161123
The author of a proposed constitutional amendment on public housing will pull the measure from November’s ballot to avoid a costly campaign, pointing to recent progress in the Legislature on the issue, POLITICO has confirmed.
“November’s ballot will be very crowded, and reaching voters will be difficult and expensive,” said state Sen. Ben Allen, a Santa Monica Democrat.
Lawmakers and pro-housing activists argue a provision in the California Constitution known as Article 34 has stifled affordable housing projects in many cities.
The article, which voters adopted in 1950, requires local voters to approve any new government-subsidized, low-income rental housing. The requirement promoted racial segregation in housing, Allen said, but multiple efforts to repeal it have failed.
“It’s a really troubling history,” Allen told POLITICO in an interview earlier this year, referring to the article’s segregation-era origins.
Allen and state Sen. Scott Wiener had proposed going back to the voters and asking them to remove the article from the constitution. In 2022, the Legislature placed SCA 2 on the November 2024 ballot and launched a campaign committee to support the effort.
But Allen said now isn’t the right time for the public housing measure, with nearly a dozen other statewide ballot proposals already qualified.
He also noted that legislative efforts to address the issue are progressing, including his Senate Bill 469 — which would add exceptions to allow for more public housing projects without voter approval. SB 469 “substantially addresses some of the most significant concerns about how Article 34 might be impacting housing production,” he said.
California lawmakers and some cities have created a host of work-arounds to create affordable housing, but Article 34 has still created headaches for state leaders. The city of Millbrae, south of San Francisco, filed a lawsuit in San Mateo County Superior Court late last year seeking to block the county from buying a La Quinta Inn and Suites and converting it into housing for homeless families and seniors. Millbrae officials argue the project is illegal because voters haven’t approved it.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has chided city officials over the lawsuit as it threatens to derail a project that would be funded through Homekey, his signature program to convert hotels and motels into housing for homeless people. Newsom’s administration and pro-housing advocates are closely watching the challenge, worried it could threaten similar efforts throughout the state.
SBA 2 will be the first of the 12 currently qualified measures to be removed from November’s ballot. With the deadline to pull measures coming up on June 27 and active discussions taking place on a handful of other proposals, it’s unlikely to be the last.
