Proposition K

San Francisco Affordable Housing Authorization

Would authorize the City by ordinance to own, develop, construct, rehabilitate, or acquire up to 10,000 residential units of low rent housing projects within the City for the purpose of providing affordable rental housing. Proposition K requires a simple majority (50% + 1) to pass.

Fiscal Impact: Significant costs should City policymakers decide to proceed to create the government structure and staffing to fully utilize the authorization contained in Proposition K, while the measure has minimal impact on the cost of government in and of itself.

Next San Francisco County Measure: Proposition L

See Endorsements for Proposition K

Pro:

Proponents of Proposition K argue that the measure would be a step toward reversing Article 34, established in 1950, which primarily impacted and excluded minority citizens from moving into certain neighborhoods by blocking the creation of affordable housing, and creating an additional 10,000 much-needed affordable housing units would help to provide more rental options for middle- and lower-income residents.

A YES vote on this measure means: The City would be authorized to own, develop, construct, acquire or rehabilitate up to 10,000 units of low-income rental housing in the City.

SocialHousingSF.com (Campaign Website)

Con:

Opponents of Proposition K argue that the measure does not specify how the housing units will be funded and the construction of the housing units could incur high operational costs, which would be funded by taxpayer dollars.

A NO vote on this measure means: The City would not be authorized to own, develop, construct, acquire or rehabilitate up to 10,000 units of low-income rental housing in the City.

Background

Currently, the City has a variety of affordable housing programs, including those that:

Create, preserve and improve affordable housing;
Convert market-rate housing to permanently affordable housing;
Provide loans to first-time homebuyers; and
Help eligible homeowners and renters stay in their homes.

Proposition K Proposal

Proposition K would provide authorization for 10,000 affordable rental housing units, specifying that the City government will have the authorization to own, develop, construct, acquire, or rehabilitate these units. This ordinance does not provide funding for the housing but does authorize the City to take any actions necessary to implement the ordinance subject to applicable laws.

If approved by voters, city policymakers would next need to assess and decide which functions would be directly conducted by the City (e.g., housing development, property acquisition, construction, property and asset management). At the City’s discretion, this would include identifying the expansion or modification of city agency structures, new processes, staffing, other costs, and providing the operational funding.

Source: Legal Text of Proposition K and League of Women Voters of San Francisco Nonpartisan Analysis of Proposition K

Official Resources

City and County of San Francisco Department of Elections

Official San Francisco Voter Guide for November 3, 2020

Nonpartisan Analysis

San Francisco and California November 2020 Voter Guide. SPUR.