Rent eats paychecks. Buying a home feels like a fantasy for most Californians under 40. And we’re still millions of homes short. This November, three measures on your ballot take on housing, each with a different approach.
Prop 1 is the money approach. The state would borrow $11.25 billion: about $10 billion for affordable housing and homeownership programs, and $1.25 billion for CalVet home loans for veterans. We talk about what it would build, whether the 2018 housing bond delivered, who actually gets to live in the housing, and whether the state should take on $500–600 million a year in debt payments in the middle of a budget squeeze.
Prop 37 is the homeownership approach. The California Housing Finance Agency could borrow up to $25 billion to make second mortgages covering up to 17% of the price of a newly built home, so buyers can get in with 3% down. We ask who it’s really for, whether twice the median income counts as “middle class,” why it only applies to new homes, what it means to carry a second monthly loan, and why realtors and carpenters are on the same side.
Prop 45 is the red tape approach — and the big fight. Put on the ballot by the California Chamber of Commerce, it creates a fast track under CEQA for “essential” projects, with a 365-day limit on environmental reviews and 270 days for courts to rule on lawsuits. Ben explains why a 1970 environmental law comes up every time anyone talks about housing, why the Chamber went further after last year’s CEQA reforms, the fight over data centers, why the building trades are spending millions against a measure that includes prevailing wage, and this week’s flap over Yes campaign money going to the Republican Party and Carl DeMaio’s group.
We close with the big picture: if all three pass, how much does it move the needle? What ties together Building a Better California’s spending on Props 37, 45 and 40? And what do voters most often get wrong?
About Ben
Ben Christopher covers housing policy for CalMatters, writing about everything from zoning fights between Sacramento and local governments to cities rebuilding after the LA fires. Before taking over the housing beat in 2023, he covered elections and politics for CalMatters through four election cycles, including the 2021 recall. He has a master’s in public policy from UC Berkeley and once interned at the Congressional Budget Office, which means he actually reads the fiscal analysis. Follow his reporting: https://calmatters.org/author/ben-christopher/
Former Los Angeles City Councilmember Mike Bonin is a teacher, writer, activist, podcaster and local leader with nearly 30 years experience in government, politics, and public service.
