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Quick overview: Proposition 1
LAist's AirTalk host Larry Mantle's ballot cram session gets you ready to vote with guests Michael Alvarez, of Caltech, Sara Sadhwani of Pomona College, and Lee E. Ohanian of UCLA and the Hoover Institution.
Proposition 1 asks voters to approve $11.25 billion in state bonds for various affordable housing strategies. The revenue would go toward the construction of new income-restricted apartments, supportive housing for tenants overcoming homelessness, mortgage assistance for veterans and a number of other programs.
What to keep in mind about these numbers
- For LAist's charts showing vote counts, we get numbers directly from the L.A. County and Orange County registrars of voters for local races. Totals are updated on our site as soon as possible after the registrars provide new tallies. For statewide races, counts come from the California Secretary of State's Office.
- Has your ballot been tallied yet? You can track the status of your ballot here.
- Keep in mind that, in tight races particularly, the winner may not be determined for days or weeks after election day. That's because early voting and mail-in ballots have fundamentally reshaped how votes are counted and when election results are known. The upshot: Ballots can be postmarked up to and including Election Day. They're counted as long as the ballot arrives within seven days of the election and that window contributes to the lag time before results are announced.
- In L.A. County, for example, daily updates on the counting are expected to take place at least once a day — usually around 5 p.m. — through Nov. 13. (There will be multiple updates on Nov. 5 and 6.) Then, the once-a-day counts will resume again on Nov. 17, 19, 25 and 27. The office is scheduled to certify election results by Friday, Nov. 27. In Orange County, there will be multiple updates after the polls close, and then daily updates weekdays at 5 p.m. until results are scheduled to be certified on or before Dec. 3.
- The California Secretary of State is scheduled to certify the election results on Dec. 11.
- Our priority during the vote count will be sharing outcomes and election calls only when they have been thoroughly checked and vetted by journalists. To that end, we will rely on official results and report when candidates concede. Otherwise, we rely on NPR and the Associated Press for race calls. We will not report the calls or projections of other news outlets. You can find more about NPR's and the AP's process for counting votes and calling races here and here.
Wondering how we got here? Here's the backstory to this race:
What’s at stake?
According to recent U.S. Census Bureau statistics, about 54% of California renters officially qualify as “cost-burdened,” meaning they pay more than 30% of their income on rent. The only states with higher levels of rent burden are Florida and Nevada.
California needs to build about 1 million new homes specifically for low-income residents, based on current statewide planning goals. Proposition 1 aims to speed up that process by raising money from bonds that would be repaid from the state’s general fund over the next 25 years.
Official title on the ballot: Prop. 1: Authorizes bonds for housing affordability programs
Language you will see on the ballot:
Authorizes $11.25 billion in state general obligation bonds for housing affordability programs, including multifamily rental housing, mortgages for veterans, supportive housing, preservation of existing affordable housing, and downpayment assistance. Fiscal Impact: Increased state cost of $500 million to $600 million annually for about 25 years to repay the housing bond.
What your vote means
- A "yes" vote means: The state could borrow $11.25 billion to support veterans and affordable housing.
- A "no" vote means: The state could not borrow $11.25 billion to support veterans and affordable housing.
Understanding Prop. 1
Affordable housing units generally set rents at no more than 30% of a tenant’s income. That means they often do not generate enough rental income to be profitable for developers. That’s where public subsidies come in.
In recent years, California has put more funding toward creating low-cost housing. According to a recent state legislative analysis, California has funded various affordable housing programs with $8 billion from the state’s general fund since 2019.
But some of those funding streams are now drying up.
A previous measure also called Proposition 1, passed by voters in 2018, approved $4 billion in bonds for affordable housing and veteran mortgage programs. Proposition 2, also from 2018, put $2 billion toward the creation of 7,000 supportive units for formerly unhoused tenants. Both funds are now depleted.
Those state funds have run out at a time when state lawmakers say California can no longer rely on Washington, D.C., to expand or continue federal affordable housing efforts. They argue Prop. 1 could make an immediate difference for an estimated 45,000 units that are in the construction pipeline but have yet to break ground due to a lack of gap financing.
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Election day is just around the corner, get your notepads and pencils ready — it’s time for a one-hour cram session. -
Sharpen your pencils and get out your notebooks — it’s time for a cram session! -
LAist reporter Cato Hernández has been covering judicial elections since 2022 and they will help you navigate these particularly challenging pages on your ballot.
Here’s what supporters say
- In addition to helping low-income renters, formerly unhoused tenants and veterans, Proposition 1 proponents say the bond would also fund programs specifically designed to help college students, youth exiting foster care, farmworkers, tribal communities and low-income first-time homebuyers.
- Notable endorsements: The coalition of Proposition 1 supporters includes the Southern California Association of Nonprofit Housing, the California Association of Veterans Service Agencies and the California Federation of Labor Unions.
Here’s what opponents say
- There is no organized campaign against Proposition 1, but a handful of Republican state lawmakers voted against putting it on the ballot. State Sen. Tony Strickland, who represents coastal Orange County and pockets of L.A. County, said Proposition 1 has a “noble goal” but could end up “bankrupting our next generation.” He said, “We could definitely find $10 billion within the general fund spending, and within our normal budget, without doing bond indebtedness.”
- Notable opposition: The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, a frequent critic of new California revenue proposals, opposes Proposition 1 in its election guide. The group writes that bonds rely on borrowed money, and debt service costs add up over time. "When used to pay for programs instead of capital projects, it’s a much greater burden on taxpayers than just paying for these programs from the budget," the Howard Jarvis guide says.
Potential financial impact
The California Legislative Analyst’s Office said repayment of the Proposition 1 bonds would cost the state between $500 million and $600 million each year for the next 25 years.
Because bonds would need to be repaid with interest, the legislative analysis said costs would likely end up about 15% higher than if the state paid for the programs with existing funding.
In total, the analysis said Proposition 1 would provide subsidies for an estimated 40,000 rental apartments, 2,500 farmworker units, 1,200 college student beds and would help up to 40,000 households achieve homeownership, including about 2,100 veterans.
Watch the ballot cram session analysis
To watch the full ballot cram session, click here.
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