We work every day to create a Bay Area where everyone has a chance to get a good job, live in a healthy and affordable home, and have a strong political voice.
Our elections are one of the most critical tools to move us closer to this vision. The measures on our state and local ballots this year give us some clear choices. We can choose a California which protects reproductive freedom and recognizes the critical role that arts education plays in our schools. We can choose communities that build affordable housing, strengthen our democracy, and ensure that all pay their fair share. Our votes will help set the course for our communities and state.
Our voter guide shares our recommendations on two statewide initiatives and eleven local ballot measures closely aligned with our work, which will help us move toward our shared vision. Download a PDF version of the voter guide.
Click on the sections below to see the descriptions for the state and local propositions we recommend.
State Propositions
| Short Description | Long Description | |
 |
Yes on CA Prop 1
Prop 1 would provide a state constitutional right to reproductive freedom, including the right to an abortion. |
Yes on Proposition 1 to ensure reproductive freedom
By stripping away reproductive freedom, the U.S. Supreme Court condemned many families into poverty, particularly Black and Brown families. Proposition 1 creates a state constitutional right to reproductive freedom. Ensuring access to comprehensive reproductive services is critical for individuals and our movement to end poverty in this country. Ultimately, there is no economic freedom without reproductive health choices and rights. More information at protectabortionca.com |
|
Yes on CA Prop 28
Prop 28 would provide additional funding for arts and music in K-12 schools. |
Yes on California Proposition 28, to support arts and music education funding.
Prop 28 funds arts education which is essential to young people’s educational experience. The arts have the power to transform perceptions of power and privilege, preserve endangered cultural practices, and shift how we think about ourselves and our society. Proposition 28 does not raise taxes. It provides additional funding for arts from the state’s general fund, equal to 1% of the required state and local funding for public schools. It provides a greater proportion of the funds to schools serving more students with low incomes. Schools with 500 or more students must spend at least 80% of the new arts funding on teachers. More information at voteyeson28.org |
San Francisco Propositions
| Short Description | Long Description | |
|
Yes on SF Prop L
Prop L would renew an existing sales tax to fund important transit infrastructure projects |
Yes on Proposition L to support racial justice and equity in transportation services.
Proposition L supports racial justice and equity in transportation services, a key part of building a just and inclusive Bay Area. Proposition L renews an existing sales tax to fund important transit infrastructure projects in San Francisco. Proposition L ensures investments in communities that have been actively harmed by displacement and past transit decision-making. Investments include a new Caltrain station in Bayview, significant investments in making Muni and BART more reliable in priority communities, a new 30-year investment plan, and $40M specifically for investments in equity priority communities. More information at keepsfmoving.com |
|
Yes on SF Prop M
Prop M would encourage the use of vacant properties through a vacancy tax and use the proceeds for affordable housing. |
Yes on Proposition M to tax keeping residential units vacant.
San Francisco faces some of the worst housing shortages in California, driving up prices and pushing out residents with low incomes and communities of color. Proposition M could make about 4,500 vacant units available over two years and generate more than $38 million in annual revenue for essential services. It would do so by taxing buildings with three or more units when at least one of them has been unoccupied for more than six months in one year. Single-family homes, two-unit buildings, primary residences, leased properties, or affordable housing projects would not pay the tax. Half of the generated revenue will fund rental subsidies for seniors and low-income families. The rest will help the city convert empty buildings into affordable housing. More information at fillemptyhomes.com |
Oakland Measures
| Short Description | Long Description | |
|
Yes on Oakland Measure T
Measure T would modernize Oakland’s business tax structure and raise $20m for services. |
Yes on Measure T to create a more equitable and progressive business tax.
Measure T would bring millions of dollars into Oakland by ensuring big corporations pay their fair share and taking the burden off small and mid-size businesses (many of which are owned by women and people of color). Oakland’s smallest businesses generate less than 20% of the total revenue but pay over 33% of all local business taxes. Oakland’s largest companies account for 25% of revenue but pay only 13% of local business taxes. By modernizing Oakland’s business tax system, Measure T will cut taxes for over 20,000 small and mid-size businesses while raising over $20M annually in new general fund revenue to strengthen critical city services. Oaklanders will gain increased access to good jobs and bolster public services in education, public safety, transit, and affordable housing. More information at investinouroakland.com |
|
Yes on Oakland Measure U
Measure U would authorize $850 million in bonds for affordable housing and infrastructure improvements. |
Yes on the Measure U to authorize $850 million infrastructure bond measure to invest in affordable housing. Preserving affordable housing is critical to ensuring low-income communities of color can afford to live and remain in Oakland. Measure U authorizes an $850 million general obligation bond. $350 million is for preserving affordable housing. $290 million is for transportation improvements such as paving and traffic calming. $210 million will improve city facilities like parks, fire stations, and libraries.
More information at sayyesoakland.org |
|
Yes on Oakland Measure W
Measure W would create a “democracy dollars” program and make election spending more transparent. |
Yes on Measure W will create new “democracy dollars” program and create additional transparency in elections expenditures.
Measure W will help level the playing field and ensure that Oakland’s local elected officials are accountable to Oaklanders of color by putting more campaign funds in the hands of Oakland voters. Currently, half of all contributions from Oakland residents for local elected officials come from Oakland’s whiter, more affluent neighborhoods. About half of the contributions come from outside the city. Measure W encourages candidates to campaign in all neighborhoods by giving each Oakland voter four $25 campaign vouchers they can assign to the certified city and school board candidates. In Seattle, a similar measure increased small donors, donor diversity, and first-time voters. Measure W mandates more transparency in contributions, requires participation in debates and limits additional money in politics. More information at fairelectionsoakland.org |
|
Yes on Oakland Measure Q
Measure Q would authorize Oakland to build or acquire up to 13,000 affordable housing units. |
Yes on Measure Q to authorize up to 13,000 affordable social housing units.
Oakland – and the rest of California – doesn’t produce nearly enough housing, and low-income residents of color disproportionately bear the brunt of the crisis through increased housing costs and rates of homelessness. California’s State Constitution requires voter approval for low-income housing developments subsidized by public funds. (Segregationists added this requirement in the 1950s.) Though Measure Q does not include funding, pre-authorizing the construction or acquisition of low-rent housing will allow the city to pursue financing for many affordable homes rather than one-off approval processes. More information at protectoaklandrenters.org/measure-q |
|
Yes on Oakland Measure V
Measure V would expand Oakland’s Just Cause eviction protections to most rental properties. |
Yes on Measure V to expand just cause eviction protections.
Protecting renters from unjust evictions is essential to providing the stability people need to thrive. Under current law, all rental units in buildings built before 1996 — including rented single-family homes and condominium units – require landlords to offer one of 11 eligible reasons for evicting a tenant. Measure V expands Just Cause eviction protections to most rental properties in the city, including those in newly constructed units and vehicular residential facilities. Additionally, it prohibits no-fault evictions of teachers and children during the school year, thus giving them the stability they need to focus on education. More information at protectoaklandrenters.org/measure-v |
Berkeley Measures
| Short Description | Long Description | |
|
Yes on Berkeley Measure L
Measure L would invest $650 million in affordable housing and infrastructure projects. |
Yes on Measure L to authorize infrastructure bond
Berkeley, along with other cities across our region, faces an extreme housing shortage and has been slow to produce enough affordable housing. Measure L is critical to making the investments needed to address affordability for Berkeley residents. This $650 million bond measure would raise money for infrastructure projects and affordable housing. $200 million would be devoted to building an estimated 1,500 units of affordable housing and continue rehousing the homeless. $450 million will be dedicated to projects such as rehabilitating streets, installing underground utility wires, and improving safety for pedestrians, bicyclists, and seniors. More information at renewberkeley.org |
|
Yes on Berkeley Measure M
Measure M would encourage the use of vacant properties through a vacancy tax. |
Yes on Measure M to tax keeping residential units vacant.
Berkeley’s housing shortage is driving up prices and pushing out residents with low incomes and communities of color. Measure M would tax property owners who keep a residential unit vacant for more than half a calendar year. Owners of apartments with four or fewer units who live on their property and don’t own any other homes will be exempt. The Measure also includes exemptions for situations like repair and rehabilitation when the property is considered vacant. The city estimates nearly 700 homes would be subject to the tax in its first year and that it could raise $3.9 to $5.9 million per year. More information at vacancytaxberkeley.org |
Richmond Measure
| Short Description | Long Description | |
|
Yes on Richmond Measure P
Measure P would protect renters by capping allowable rent increases. |
Yes on Measure P “Rent Control Amendment” to cap allowable rent increases.
Measure P provides important protections for Richmond residents struggling with housing affordability as rental prices continue to climb. Richmond passed rent control in 2016, but landlords can still raise the rent up to 100% of the Consumer Price Index. With inflation surging, landlords can increase rent by over 5% yearly. This is a significant percentage of a family’s annual income. Measure P would reduce the allowable increases to 60% of the Consumer Price Index, with a cap of 3%. More information at Argument in Favor of Measure P |
Menlo Park Measure
| Short Description | Long Description | |
 |
No on Menlo Park Measure V
Measure V would make it more difficult for the city to produce affordable housing by requiring that any changes to the General Plan land use designation be approved during a general election. |
No on Measure V “General Plan Restrictions” to prevent housing production in single-family zones.
Measure V would cement and exacerbate racial and economic segregation by blocking the development of new homes in high-opportunity neighborhoods which are predominantly upper-income and white. The Measure prohibits the City Council from changing the General Plan land use designations or rezoning certain properties to support multi-family units unless first approved by a majority vote during a general election. An independent report concluded that Measure V would decrease the city’s ability to provide affordable housing. To ensure a community where all can thrive, we must ensure that low-income communities of color can access high-resource communities More information at protectteacherhousing.org |
