Press Release: Anti-affordable Housing Initiative Launched by Local Realtors Association

Realtors’ measure aims to trick Santa Cruz voters with a ballot measure that in truth does little-to-nothing to address affordable housing crisis

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. — The Workforce Housing Affordability Act campaign today issued the following statements by Housing Santa Cruz County Executive Director Elaine Johnson, Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley and former Santa Cruz City Councilmember Sandy Brown in response to an anti-affordable housing initiative that has been filed with the City of Santa Cruz by a lobbyist and a representative of the Santa Cruz County Association of Realtors:

Elaine Johnson, Executive Director, Housing Santa Cruz County:

“Today we learned the Santa Cruz County Association of Realtors has decided to place a counter measure on the ballot that will result in virtually no affordable housing.

Without any community input, the Realtors association decided to devise a ballot measure that, at first glance, looks remarkably similar to the one we have already launched for voters to consider this November. But when you look even a little closer, it doesn’t take long to understand their proposed measure is actually anti-affordable housing while doing nothing to support first-time homebuyers and leaving renters more vulnerable to rent increases.

Our campaign’s Workforce Housing Affordability Act was designed over a two-year open transparent process with participation of dozens of our hardworking community members who are determined to help more folks in our community to access to more affordable housing.

Our campaign is working in the best interest of the entire community. We’re proud to have earned the support of a broad range of elected officials, nonprofit affordable housing organizations, and many more.”

Fred Keeley, Santa Cruz Mayor:

“The cynically crafted title for the Realtors association’s measure claims a focus on affordable housing and includes both a property tax and a real estate transfer tax (just as does the Workforce Housing Affordability Act), but in truth their measure is an empty hoax that includes enough poison pills to fill a prescription bottle.

In fact, their proposed property tax exempts the majority of property owners, leaving few to pay the annual tax. Their proposed real estate transfer tax applies only to transactions that are over $4 million in Santa Cruz, of which in 2024 there were just 4. This compares to 289 transactions that would be covered under our proposal. Their measure cuts in half the life of the revenue source, dramatically limiting the time available to address our local affordable housing crisis. Their measure also takes aim at renters, who make up the majority of residents in Santa Cruz, by eliminating protections for renters that are included in the Workforce Housing Affordability Act.

The Santa Cruz County Association of Realtors complained in a recent op-ed that the Workforce Housing Affordability Act’s property tax and real estate transfer tax amounts to a “double tax,” only to then propose both a property tax and a real estate transfer tax. This willingness to embrace such hypocrisy is at the heart of what makes their measure a cynical play against local voters. That cynicism is also on full display with their attempt to entice voters with the promise of funding for the Santa Cruz Wharf and West Cliff Drive, even though funding for both has already been identified.

In that same recent op-ed, the Realtors association also implied they have been collaborative during the public process that resulted in our Workforce Housing Affordability Act. However, after 19 months, the realtors were the only party to oppose the community consensus that emerged. In an effort to kill that community consensus, the realtors' out-of-town lobbyist drafted their deceptive measure.

We don’t need the self-interested real estate lobby working in secret to engineer the future of affordable housing in Santa Cruz. Our community should quickly reject this cynical and hypocritical attempt to pull the wool over Santa Cruz voters’ eyes.”

Sandy Brown, former Santa Cruz City Councilmember:

“It is deeply disappointing that the Santa Cruz County Association of Realtors, representing an industry that has not offered anything to address our critical need for affordable housing and has opposed previous efforts, is now trying to undermine a community-driven campaign to establish a local, dedicated funding stream to address our affordable housing crisis. They are instead choosing to sow division at a time when local collaboration is critical as local workers and families are being pushed out due to exorbitant housing costs and federal funding for housing is being gutted.”

Key Endorsements of the Workforce Housing Affordability Act:

State Senator John Laird; Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas; Assemblymember Gail Pellerin; County Supervisors Justin Cummings, Manu Koenig, Monica Martinez and Felipe Hernandez; Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley; Santa Cruz Vice Mayor Shebreh Kalantari-Johnson; Santa Cruz City Councilmembers Sonya Brunner, Scott Newsome and Gabrielle Trigueiro; former Mayor Ryan Coonerty; former Santa Cruz Mayor Mike Rotkin; former Santa Cruz City Councilmember Sandy Brown; County Board of Education Trustee and former Santa Cruz Mayor Bruce Van Allen; Former Mayor and Realtor Hilary Bryant; nonprofit Housing Santa Cruz County; nonprofit Eden Housing; nonprofit Mid-Pen Housing; nonprofit Housing for the People; nonprofit Monterey Bay Economic Partnership (MBEP); Communities Organized for Relational Power and Action (COPA); UCSC Student Housing Coalition; and Temple Beth El.

Learn more at www.workforcehousingnow.net.

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