Press Release: Affordable Housing Initiative Campaign Reaches Major Milestone for Nov. Ballot: Petition Signatures Submitted
Measure aims to increase the supply of workforce housing, prevent evictions, preserve senior housing, establish shelters and gain new access to state and federal housing funds
(May 15, 2025) SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — Gathered to celebrate in the courtyard at Santa Cruz City Hall, the Workforce Housing Affordability Act campaign, joined by supporters and volunteers, today announced 6,923 petition signatures were gathered, with 3,620 required to be verified by elections officials to qualify for the November 2025 ballot.
Responding to the ongoing and acute housing crisis in the City of Santa Cruz, a broad coalition of local housing, education, labor and business advocates and leaders, convened by nonprofit Housing Santa Cruz County, created the Workforce Housing Affordability Act. The Act will deliver needed community benefits, including:
Community investment to construct new homes for lower-income workers, especially downtown and in transit-rich areas in the City of Santa Cruz.
Funding to prevent evictions, preserve senior housing and establish housing-focused shelters.
Greater access to state and federal workforce housing and supportive housing funds.
Reduction in vehicle miles traveled by workers by locating housing closer to jobs, which helps reduce production of greenhouse gases by motor vehicles – the leading contributor to climate change in Santa Cruz County.
Funds raised by the measure will be managed through the City of Santa Cruz’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund, which has an outstanding track record of creating and preserving housing for Santa Cruz residents who have a lower-than-average income. In the past five years, the fund has helped create approximately 400 affordable apartments.
The measure is supported by local organizations and elected officials including: State Senator John Laird, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, Assemblymember Gail Pellerin, Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley, Santa Cruz City Councilmembers Sonja Brunner, Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson, Scott Newsome and Gabriela Trigueiro, and County Supervisors Justin Cummings, Manu Koenig, Monica Martinez and Felipe Hernandez; Communities Organized for Relational Power and Action (COPA), Eden Housing, Housing for the People, Housing Santa Cruz County, Mid-Pen Housing, Monterey Bay Economic Partnership (MBEP), Temple Beth El and UCSC Student Housing Coalition.
The measure will raise approximately $5 million annually for a period of 20 years through an innovative hybrid revenue model that includes a real estate transfer tax that will apply to property sales of $1.8 million or more, and a modest parcel tax. The measure will include parcel tax exemptions for seniors and low-income homeowners, as well as real estate transfer tax exemptions for families transferring ownership of property within an immediate family.
Learn more at www.workforcehousingnow.net.
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