Housing is on the ballot - Call Marin Home

It’s Election season, and this will be an important one. Two state ballot measures, Props 1 & 43, will have a significant impact on the future of affordable housing in California. The Marin County Elections Department will mail Voter Information Guides on September 24th and mail Official Ballots to registered voters on October 5th, with completed ballots due by November 3rd. As we have all learned, elections have consequences, and our votes matter.

This ballot is a long one with 14 state ballot measures. Call Marin Home wants to make it as easy as possible for Marin voters to assess the impact their vote will have on creating a more affordable Marin County.

When it comes to housing issues this election, the most consequential decisions are, in order:

State Propositions 1 and 43
Your local Councilmember races
Your State Assemblymember and Senator

Here’s what you need to know…

State Propositions 1 and 43

On California’s long list of ballot measures, Propositions 1 and 43 stand out in their impact on the future of affordable housing. Here is a brief synopsis, and we have a more in-depth explainer here.>>

YES on Proposition 1

Veterans and Affordable Housing Bond Act of 2026. This Proposition will authorize the state to issue $11.25 billion in bonds to address California’s housing shortage.

NO on Proposition 43

Requires Two-Thirds Vote for Voter-Proposed Local Special Taxes. Restricts Certain Local Real Estate Transfer Taxes. Initiative Constitutional Amendment. This Proposition would amend the California Constitution to require that all local special taxes—including those proposed through citizen initiatives (like the SMART sales tax renewal that just passed) —receive two-thirds voter approval to pass. It would reverse court decisions that currently allow citizen-sponsored local special taxes to pass with a simple majority vote.

YOU CAN LEARN MORE AT THE EVENTS BELOW, or visit callmarinhome.org/vote.

TO VOTE IN CALIFORNIA, register online or submit a form to the Marin County Elections Department, then return your ballot by mail, drop box, vote center, or vote in-person. Election Day is Nov. 3rd. Ballot security is ensured by voting early and using an official ballot drop box.

To ensure your ballot is postmarked by Election Day make sure to mail it at least 7 days in advance. Mailed ballots must be postmarked on or before November 3.

If mailing a ballot on November 3, get a manual postmark from a postal employee inside a United States Post Office.

November 3 is the last day to vote in-person or return a ballot by 8:00 p.m. Polls are open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

DON’T FORGET TO REGISTER TO VOTE!

Marin Housing Solutions Forum

September 22 | 3-5 pm
College of Marin Student Success Center, Kentfield

Learn about West Marin’s recent housing development and housing measures on the November ballot. Co-hosted by Marin Community Foundation, College of Marin, Call Marin Home, and Greenbelt Alliance. Register here.

Affordable Housing Bond and Beyond

September 30 | 12-1:15 pm | Zoom

An overview of upcoming California ballot measures, Propositions 1 and 43.
Register here.

MOC Civic Academy

October 6 | 7:00 pm

First Presbyterian Church of San Rafael (1510 Fifth Ave)

The agenda will include reviewing Prop 1 and Prop 43, followed by a workshop on where and how to find information to make an informed decision and vote to your values. Register here.

More info on all events here: https://callmarinhome.org/vote/

Local Councilmember races

Housing decisions are made at the local jurisdiction level. Your local Councilmember has enormous influence on what housing does or doesn’t get built. There is a widespread belief that state legislation has “overridden” local control, and that local decision making no longer matters. While State legislation has had an impact, local jurisdictions still control the underlying zoning codes, density limits, building codes, fees, and approval processes. These decisions drive where projects are proposed and ultimately built.

There is no supervisor race this election, and not all local races have competitive seats (meaning more than one candidate running for an open slot). We invited ALL candidates, whether in a competitive seat or not, to complete a questionnaire on their views on housing. This questionnaire was constructed in partnership with Marin Yimby, which will use the responses to decide their endorsements. As a 501(c)(3), Call Marin Home cannot make endorsements but provides the questionnaires so you can evaluate the candidates yourself.

Housing Questionnaire Responses

Corte Madera

Larkspur

Novato District 2

Novato District 4

San Anselmo

Will Ditner

San Rafael, District 2

Eli Hill

San Rafael, District 3

Tiburon

Chuck Hornbrook

We received no reponses from candidates in Belvedere, Fairfax, Mill Valley, Ross, and Sausalito.

STATE ASSEMBLY AND SENATE

The state is extremely influential in housing policy. The state has passed hundreds of housing bills over the past decade, in response to California’s housing crisis. Our legislators have voted “yes” on many – but far from all – of these laws. Every multi-family housing project that has been approved in Marin over the past 5 years has depended on at least one of these laws. Even so, we are far from meeting our state housing goals. Only San Rafael appears to have any chance at meeting its goals. Local decisions have a significant impact on what gets proposed and what is economical to build.

A vocal minority in Marin are pushing our legislators to weaken state law, even as Marin has the lowest housing production in the state. This limits our legislators’ political strength to positively influence state housing legislation.

Assembly Races

We did not send our housing questionnaire to the Assembly candidates. However, we did reach out and ask for the Candidates’ Positions on Propositions 1 & 43, and any endorsements they may have received from housing organizations. Call Marin Home cannot make endorsements, as it is a 501(c)(3).

Eric Lucan (current Marin County Supervisor)

Holds the recommended Call Marin Home Positions — Yes on 1, No on 43
Housing Endorsements: Housing Action California, California YIMBY, Marin YIMBY, Santa Rosa YIMBY

Jackie Elward (current Rohnert Park Councilmember)

Holds the recommended Call Marin Home Positions — Yes on 1, No on 43
No Endorsements from housing organizations.

Senate Races

Assemblymember Damon Connolly is running for Senator Mike McGuire’s seat. While Damon Connolly has supported some housing legislation, he has missed a number of votes (which count as a “no” vote) on more meaningful measures.

We are a broad and strong coalition

Call Marin Home is a collaborative partnership of leading Marin County organizations working to create systemic change that expands access to affordable, workforce, and accessible housing in order to ensure that everyone in Marin has a place to call home. The coalition continues to grow. Interested in joining? Email Jenny. View our current membership here >>.

Call Marin Home’s Perspective newsletter is a mostly-monthly deep dive on a topic of importance to those who advocate for or need affordable housing in Marin.

Contact us for more information, or sign up to subscribe to Perspective, our weekly Coming Up in Housing newsletter, and our Action Alerts.

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