NPH Priority Bill 2019: Community Say for Community Needs Act (ACA 1: Aguiar-Curry)
Mercury News: Bay Area voters poll results
March 25, 2019NPH Priority Bill 2019: Public Lands for Public Good Act (AB 1486: Ting)
March 29, 2019
ACA 1 will empower local governments and voters to do what is best for our families and neighbors. The Community Say for Community Needs Act changes a restrictive threshold that limits voters’ say in our communities.
COMMUNITY SAY FOR COMMUNITY NEEDS ACT
Local governments and voters know how to best raise up our communities to address our local needs. ACA 1, the Community Say for Community Needs Act, will bring power back to local voters and communities by eliminating restrictions that hold us back. ACA 1 will allow our local communities to have a fair say and make sure our neighbors have a safe, stable, affordable place to call home regardless of their color or income.
HOW ACA 1 WORKS
ACA 1 is designed to support the urgent needs of our local communities. This bill supports local voters’ decision-making opportunities by offering communities a more realistic financing option to increase needed affordable homes and address our local public infrastructure challenges. Lowering the vote approval threshold to 55 percent for affordable housing and infrastructure revenue measures provides our local governments with a more realistic financing option, strengthens local communities, protects the will of voters, and addresses local infrastructure challenges.
ACA 1 puts the will of the voters first. If approved by the
Legislature, ACA 1 will next need to be approved by voters statewide, further
solidifying voters’ support. Once fully enacted, a bond or special tax will
still need at least 55 percent approval from voters. Lawmakers must give us the
opportunity to do what is best for our families and neighbors by passing ACA 1
and letting voters decide.
WHY ACA 1 IS THE RIGHT SOLUTION
Our communities are concerned about our growing housing affordability crisis and have overwhelmingly supported local measures to build more affordable homes. In 2018, a majority of voters from Santa Rosa, San Jose, and Santa Cruz County voted for local measures to raise needed local revenue for affordable homes. Yet, the severely restrictive two-thirds threshold in the California Constitution kept these voters’ will from becoming reality, and low-income and communities of color remain without safe, stable, affordable places to call home. These communities collectively lost out on an estimated $3.5 billion in new funding for affordable homes, including state and federal matching dollars.
ACA 1 will support local decision-making, strengthen local communities, and represent the will of the voters.ACA 1 will empower local governments and voters to do what is best for our families and neighbors, and help more Californians have a safe, stable, place to call home.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
- Contact Your Lawmaker. Share your support for ACA 1 with lawmakers and the bill sponsor.
- Join NPH’s Legislative Issues Working Group to discuss affordable housing policy and the Legislature: pedro@nonprofithousing.org
- Endorse our efforts and join our coalition: jr@nonprofithousing.org
Click here for the current status of ACA 1.
Click here to download the NPH ACA 1 Fact Sheet.
Click here to download the ACA 1 Legislative Fact Sheet.
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