Housing advocates warn Weinstein’s measure will make it harder to create more affordable housing – increasing homelessness and making our housing crisis worse 

Non-Profit Leader: “This measure is a bait and switch: an attempt to fool Californians into reversing our housing progress. We aren’t buying it.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 3, 2024
Contact: Nathan Click
nathan@click-comms.com

SACRAMENTO – Affordable housing advocates have joined the growing bipartisan coalition opposed to Michael Weinstein’s sneak attack on state housing laws. The housing leaders’ announcement comes days after POLITICO reported that prominent NIMBYs were celebrating how Weinstein’s measure would allow wealthy cities to ignore state housing laws and refuse to build their fair share of housing. 

The Housing Action Coalition, a nonprofit that advocates for building more homes at all levels of affordability to help alleviate California’s housing shortage and affordability crisis, and the Council for Affordable Housing, a nonprofit dedicated to creating more affordable housing in California, are both urging voters to vote No on Weinstein’s measure this November. 

“Over the last few years, California has worked hard to create innovative legislation designed to make it easier to build desperately-needed housing,” said Jenna Abbott, Executive Director of California Council for Affordable Housing. “This legislation was supported into place by broad and bi-partisan coalitions made up of builders, developers who specialize in affordable housing, labor, and housing advocates, and the laws are working. The ballot initiative, if passed, would undo this hard work— allowing cities to skirt state rules and avoid building the housing California needs to thrive. Voting “NO” this November is the right thing to do for our State and our people.” 

“We’re facing a severe housing and homelessness crisis, and this ballot measure will worsen it,” said Corey Smith, Executive Director of Housing Action Coalition. “It will make it harder to build affordable housing at a time when we need it most, and it will make it more difficult for people experiencing homelessness to find housing. This should come as no surprise, as the measure is written and funded by a man who has spent decades trying to stop new housing. This measure is a bait and switch: an attempt to fool Californians into reversing our housing progress. We aren’t buying it.” 

Housing advocates know what Michael Weinstein refuses to tell voters: Weinstein’s Trojan Horse isn’t really about rent control. It’s about trying to fool voters into supporting his radical, anti-housing agenda. That’s why a bipartisan group of pro-housing legislators is opposing this deceitful measure on the November ballot.

Weinstein’s Trojan Horse would undermine California’s dozens of state housing measures. While masquerading as a rent control measure, Weinstein’s Trojan Horse would actually create new loopholes for local governments, allowing them to ignore these laws and block housing California desperately needs.