Voting: A Powerful Tool for Equity
Everyone in the Bay Area deserves 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. This year’s measures on our state and local ballots give us some clear choices. We can choose a California that helps us build the affordable housing we need for our communities and protects the rights of the tenants in our communities. We can choose a California, which protects the fundamental right to marriage equality and prohibits forced prison labor. Our votes will help set the future course for our communities and state.
Our recommendations on five statewide propositions and five local ballot measures are closely aligned with our work, which will help us move toward our shared vision.
State Measures
Yes on Prop 3
Yes on California Proposition 3 to affirm marriage equality in California’s Constitution.
A Yes vote on Proposition 3 will repeal Prop 8’s outdated and unenforceable language limiting marriage to a man and woman. It will protect the fundamental right to marry, regardless of your gender or race. This proposition was brought forth to enshrine this right in the California Constitution in the face of several Supreme Court decisions threatening fundamental freedoms.
The SFF has long advocated for equal rights and supports this essential freedom.
More information at yesonprop3ca.com
Yes on Prop 5
Yes on California Proposition 5 allows voters to approve bonds for affordable housing and public infrastructure with a 55% vote.
A Yes vote on Prop 5 will allow California voters to pass bonds to create affordable housing for low-and middle-income Californians, build critically needed public infrastructure, and lifesaving emergency response projects at 55%. Prop 5 protects these resources by increasing these bonds’ oversight, accountability, and transparency requirements.
SFF believes affordable housing is essential to building a Bay Area where all can thrive, and allowing local communities to fund essential needs is important.
More information at yesonprop5.org
Yes on Prop 6
Yes on California Proposition 6 to end forced prison labor.
A Yes vote on Prop 6 would amend the California Constitution to ban indentured servitude, ending forced prison labor. Proposition 6 enhances public safety and prioritizes rehabilitation by eliminating all forms of slavery, including involuntary servitude within California, ensuring no person is subjected to forced labor regardless of their confinement circumstances.
SFF believes that incarcerated people should be able to work jobs and shifts that enable them to access education, counseling, and other rehabilitative programs
More information at voteyesoncaprop6.com
Yes on Prop 32
Yes on California Proposition 32, to increase California’s $15 per hour minimum wage to $18 per hour for all workers by 2026
A Yes vote on Prop 32 would increase California’s $15 per hour minimum wage to $18 per hour. This is an important measure to support Californians and their families. This increase would happen at different speeds based on business size. The $18 minimum wage would remain until 2027 when an adjustment for inflation every year would begin.
SFF believes that we need to build a just economy where all can share in the wealth of this community. This increase in minimum wage is a step in the right direction to increasing inclusive prosperity across the state and region, especially among low-wage workers, who are 35.2% (5.6 million) of California’s workforce.
More information at livingwageact.com
No on Prop 36
No on California Proposition 36 to reject a massive increase in prison spending and harsher penalties for some drug and property crimes.
A No vote on Prop 36 would preserve millions of dollars of investment in proven programs that increase safety by preventing non-serious and nonviolent property and drug crimes from being reclassified from misdemeanors to felonies. Prop 36 would increase the number of Californians in state prison and decrease funding for proven behavioral health treatment, drug treatment, and victim services. Prop 36 would, according to one estimate, cost taxpayers more than $26 billion in prison costs in the next decade —the biggest prison spending increase in California history.
SFF believes that we need to move away from failed policies associated with mass incarceration that continue to disproportionately impact Black Indigenous, communities of color, and low-income communities and move to proven policies addressing the root causes of public safety concerns to build a safer, just, and equitable Bay Area.
More information at stopprisonscam.org
Local Measures
East Palo Alto
Yes on Measure JJ
A Yes vote on Measure JJ would direct receipts from East Palo Alto’s existing Residential Rental Business Property tax into a dedicated fund rather than the General Fund. This fund would be dedicated to tenant rental assistance, affordable homeownership, preserving affordable housing, and protecting residents from displacement or homelessness.
SFF believes affordable housing is essential to building a Bay Area where everyone can thrive. This Measure provides critical protections to ensure community members aren’t forced out of their community.
More information at EPAforJJ.com
Fairfax
No on Measure I
A No Vote on Measure I will maintain Fairfax’s current rent stabilization and tenant protections.
In 2022, the Fairfax City Council passed laws to limit rent increases and provide just cause eviction protections. The law limits annual rent increases to 75% of the Consumer Price Index (CPI), or 5%, whichever is less. Last year, a typical three-bedroom household in Fairfax ($5,000 monthly rent) could have seen a $125 monthly rent increase. Without this law, landlords could have raised rents by up to 10%, or $500 per month, which is unaffordable for many working families. The law passed by the Town Council also requires just cause for evictions, mandates relocation payments for no-fault evictions, and establishes a “right of return” for displaced tenants. Additional protections are provided for elderly, disabled, terminally ill tenants, and teachers or students during the school year. If passed, Measure I would repeal those protections.
SFF believes that affordable housing is essential to building a Bay Area where all can thrive and defeating this Measure safeguards critical protections to ensure community members aren’t forced out of their community.
More information at savefairfaxrentcontrol.com
Larkspur
Yes on Measure K
A Yes vote on Measure K will strengthen Larkspur’s current rent stabilization (rent control) and just cause eviction ordinances passed by the local city council. Measure K caps annual rent increases at 60% of inflation (CPI) or 3%, whichever is lower. It rolls back existing rents to what they were on August 3, 2022, plus any allowable rent increases under the new law. The Measure requires just cause for evictions and mandates relocation payments for no-fault evictions. It establishes a “right of return” for displaced tenants and provides additional eviction protections for elderly, disabled, terminally ill tenants, and teachers, and students during the school year. It also prohibits landlord harassment and codifies tenants’ right to organize.
SFF believes that affordable housing is essential to building a Bay Area where all can thrive, and this Measure provides critical protections to ensure community members aren’t forced out of their community.
More information at larkspur4rentcontrol.com
San Anselmo
Yes on Measures N & O
Voting Yes on Measures N and O will (1) extend local rent control to and (2) provide protections for tenants evicted for no-fault in multifamily rental units.
In San Anselmo, the community is seeking to affirm the legislation passed by the town council.
A Yes vote on Measure N caps annual rent increases at 60% of inflation (Consumer Price Index) or 5%, whichever is lower. It defines the base rent as the rent in effect on June 21, 2023. Measure N only applies to larger multifamily units, which are increasingly owned by out-of-town corporations, while exempting single-family homes, ADUs, JDUs, and duplexes, which local “mom-and-pop” landlords often own.
A Yes vote on Measure O requires landlords who evict a tenant for no fault to provide measures such as longer notice, relocation payments, and a “right of return” for displaced tenants.t
SFF believes that affordable housing is essential to building a Bay Area where all can thrive, and these Measures provide critical protections to ensure community members aren’t forced out of their community.
More information at sananselmoforrentcontrol.com
San Francisco
Yes on Prop G
A Yes vote for Proposition G would create the Affordable Housing Opportunity Fund to provide rental subsidies for Extremely Low-Income (ELI) households, including seniors, working families, and persons with disabilities.
Thousands of ELI households do not qualify for the City’s affordable housing because their incomes are too low. A majority of them are currently rent-burdened (paying more than 30% of their income on rent) and face housing insecurities. This Fund is crucial for ensuring ELI households have access to safe, stable housing they can afford. Under the measure, the City shall contribute at least $8.25 million to the Affordable Housing Opportunity Fund annually from FY2026-27, with potential adjustments based on city revenues, lasting until 2046 unless reauthorized by voters.
SFF believes that affordable housing is essential to building a Bay Area where we all can thrive regardless of our incomes, and this Measure provides critical solutions to ensure that our neighbors aren’t forced out of their communities.
More information at yesongsf.com