This election, the SPUR Voter Guide provided Bay Area voters with analysis and recommendations on 18 local and state measures. Many of our recommendations prevailed. Voters around the region chose to fund climate resilience, schools, public health facilities, violence reduction, and wildfire prevention, and they supported measures that aim to strengthen economic resilience, improve local governance, and prioritize walking and biking over cars.
California
Voters supported a historic climate bond to invest in critical resilience projects across California and the Bay Area.
SPUR is excited that almost 60% of California voters supported Prop. 4, the climate bond. Prop 4 authorizes $10 billion in general obligation bonds to fund essential projects that will advance the state’s climate resilience goals, including $3.8 billion for safe drinking water and flood control projects, $1.5 billion for wildfire protection, and $1.2 billion for sea level rise adaptation. SPUR advocated alongside environmental groups to get the bond on the November ballot, recommended Yes on Prop. 4 in our voter guide, co-hosted educational webinars on the bond, and spoke on 91.7 KALW’s State of Bay in support of Prop. 4. Now that the measure has passed, SPUR will work to ensure that this bond funding translates to results on the ground. SPUR is glad California voters agree that investing in climate resilience now is a top priority.
The path toward creating new funding sources for affordable housing remains challenging and uncertain.
Prop. 5, which would have lowered the voter approval threshold for local government bonds from two-thirds to 55% for affordable housing and public infrastructure projects, has failed with 56% of voters opposed. SPUR strongly advocated for the measure, a modest reform that would have made it easier to fund housing and would have paved the way to a regional affordable housing bond measure. Although this highly technical (and potentially confusing) measure did not succeed at the ballot, we know that Bay Area residents continue to cite housing and homelessness as one of their top priorities and that we need more tools at the local level to invest in housing and services. SPUR will continue to work with housing advocates, business groups, community leaders, and elected officials to find structural policy solutions to housing all Bay Area residents.
California voters rejected a measure that could have constrained the housing supply in California.
More than 60% of voters once again turned down Prop. 33, which would have given local governments more authority to expand rent control. Although SPUR believes that housing is a human right, and that it is imperative to have strong protections for tenants and to preserve affordability, we did not support Prop. 33. We believe it could have inadvertently (or intentionally) resulted in less housing production than the state needs to house the people who want to live here. Limiting construction of new rental homes would only exacerbate our existing housing affordability and availability crises. The state plays a key role in setting guardrails for local rent control policy, and the details of these guardrails are important. The defeat of Prop. 33 opens the door to developing more comprehensive policy solutions to assist vulnerable renters through the legislative process rather than at the ballot box.
Voters have approved funding to improve school facilities.
California Prop. 2 has passed, authorizing the state to sell $10 billion in general obligation bonds to fund new construction and renovation of K-12 public school and community college facilities. SPUR supported this measure, as we found that funding for school facilities is essential to ensuring that California students continue to receive a quality education in safe and modern environments. Similarly, Prop. A, the San Francisco Unified School District’s bond measure for school modernization, was approved by more than 70% of voters.
San Francisco
A consensus measure to reform the city’s business taxes and cut costs for small businesses has passed.
Almost 70% of San Franciscans approved Prop. M, which reforms San Francisco's business tax structure by simplifying tax schedules, reducing dependence on volatile sources of revenue, and expanding small business exemptions. SPUR supported the measure, which adapts to post-COVID work patterns, offering tax relief to small businesses while maintaining revenue for homeless services. Prop. M will allow the city to be more economically resilient by making it less dependent on a handful of companies for its business tax revenues. It’s a great first step in ensuring that the city can improve the business climate and continue providing essential services to all residents.
Voters rejected Prop. D, which placed a cap on city commissions, and instead supported a more modest approach to commission reform.
San Francisco voters rejected Prop. D and supported competing measure Prop. E. Both measures proposed implementing portions of SPUR’s recommendations to reform the city government structure, including its commissions and task forces, to enable better outcomes. However, SPUR did not recommend either measure in our voter guide. Regarding Prop. D, we believed that a charter revision of this magnitude should have included a deliberative public process with a clear set of criteria to determine which commissions should continue to exist. Prop. E will create a process for evaluating commissions, but we believed many of its provisions could have been implemented by the Board of Supervisors without putting it on the ballot. SPUR is committed to improving San Francisco’s governance structure and creating clearer lines of authority and accountability. Now that Prop. E has passed, we will work to make sure its implementation enables better outcomes for San Franciscans.
San Francisco voters supported transforming the Upper Great Highway into a park.
San Franciscans passed Prop. K, a measure co-sponsored by SPUR that would permanently close the Upper Great Highway between Lincoln Way and Sloat Boulevard, converting it into a public recreation space. Prop. K will increase access to shared public amenities; encourage walking, biking, and transit instead of private vehicles; and proactively address sea level rise and coastal erosion in a fiscally and environmentally responsible way, as recommended in SPUR’s 2012 Ocean Beach Master Plan. Ocean Beach Park will be the largest pedestrian project in California history, spanning two miles of the Pacific coast.
A new tax to fund Muni failed despite getting support from the majority of voters.
While the majority of San Francisco voters approved Prop. L, the measure failed because of the “poison pill” placed in Prop. M, a comprehensive business tax reform measure on the same ballot. Prop. L would have created an additional business tax on ride-hailing and autonomous vehicle companies that give rides in San Francisco to help fund Muni’s operating deficit, generating approximately $25 million annually. The measure failed because it got fewer votes than Prop. M, which will prevail. SPUR supported Prop. L because of the critical importance of keeping buses and trains running in San Francisco. SPUR is encouraged that the majority of San Franciscans are supportive of funding Muni. We will continue to advocate at the state, regional, and local levels for funding solutions for public transit operators.
San Francisco voters created a new funding source for affordable housing.
San Franciscans approved Prop. G. to support the creation and maintenance of permanently affordable rental housing units for extremely low-income seniors, families, or people with disabilities. Affordable housing projects that serve extremely low-income tenants face significant operating deficits because affordable rents for these households do not cover operating costs. The Housing Opportunity Fund pays building owners of permanent affordable housing projects the difference between what qualified tenants can afford and the rents the owners would otherwise charge. SPUR supported this measure because it bridges a critical funding gap and expands access to affordable housing for people who are not served by existing affordable housing programs. Prop G. sets aside $8.25 million annually from the City’s General Fund or another eligible revenue source and will support an estimated 550 to 600 new permanent affordable units.
Voters approved a bond measure to fund public infrastructure, medical facilities, and family shelters.
More than 70% of voters approved Prop. B, authorizing the City of San Francisco to issue $390 million in general obligation bonds to fund infrastructure and upgrades that would benefit public health and post-pandemic recovery. SPUR supported the measure, which will direct funding to community health and medical facilities, shelters to reduce homelessness, bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure, and outdoor public gathering spaces.
San José
San José voters approved new school funding measures.
Initial results show that Measure R, which SPUR supported, is poised to succeed. The $1.15 billion San José Unified School District bond measure provides support for school facilities and educator housing. Bond measures and parcel taxes in other smaller school districts that serve San José students also appear to be passing. Combined with the state school bond, these local district measures will allow for much-needed repairs and investment in new facilities for San José schools.
Oakland
Oakland voters supported tax measures for essential services.
Oaklanders approved Measure NN, which renews and increases a special parcel tax and a parking tax surcharge to fund public safety and violence prevention initiatives. The City of Oakland will use the measure’s revenue to pay for direct expenditures and administrative costs related to reducing homicides, break-ins, domestic violence, and gun-related violence; improving emergency 911 responses; and reducing the incidence of human trafficking. 75% of the funds raised for violence prevention will fund the community-based organizations that implement strategies designed to interrupt the cycle of violence for Oakland’s most at-risk populations. SPUR supported this measure, which was backed by a broad-based coalition of businesses, labor unions, nonprofits, youth organizations, and firefighters.
Voters passed a measure to strengthen the Ethics Commission.
Oakland voters approved Measure OO to help enforce ethics rules in city government. SPUR supported Measure OO, which would align the Public Ethics Commission’s structure and staffing to allow the commission to accomplish its core responsibilities and would update its mission to reflect its purpose and responsibilities under the Oakland Fair Elections Act. Although it doesn’t do much to strengthen the commission’s independence and oversight capacities, Measure OO will increase its capacity to support investigations, which is needed to prevent and root out corruption in city government.
Oakland Hills voters approved a tax measure to prevent wildfires.
Voters in the Oakland Hills passed Measure MM, a special district tax measure to prevent wildfires. The measure would create a dedicated funding source for the city to implement vegetation management, goat grazing for fuel reduction, enhanced fire patrols, public education, and evacuation route protections. This special tax will be levied on residential and commercial properties in the high-risk Wildfire Prevention Zone of the Oakland Hills. Most low-income homeowners, senior homeowners, and low-income renters living in nonprofit housing are exempted. SPUR supported this measure to address the intensifying fire risk in the Oakland Hills and implement the actions identified in the City of Oakland’s Equitable Climate Action Plan. In addition to protecting lives and homes, the creation of this special tax will also free up limited city resources for other critical municipal services.