Prop. K, authorizing subsidized affordable housing, gets strong backing

State law Article 34, passed in 1950, requires voter approval for public affordable housing; advocates view it as part of a legacy of racist, discriminatory housing policy intended to keep low-income and people of color out of certain neighborhoods. An effort to place a repeal of the law before California voters for the November 2020 election failed.

The Board of Supervisors last week approved a Housing Stability Fund to set criteria for housing projects, such as limiting households to those at or below 80 percent of the area median income.

Prop. K and the Housing Stability Fund would receive half of the revenue generated by Proposition I, which raises taxes on the sale of property costing $10 million or more, if it passes.