Senate President Pro Tem Emeritus Toni Atkins and Asm. Buffy Wicks warn Weinstein’s measure will make it harder to build more affordable housing – reversing years of hard-fought progress and making our housing crisis worse

“This initiative is one giant loophole that lets some select local governments off the hook for affordable housing and opens the door to erase every inch of progress we’ve made on housing over the last 20 years”

Nor Cal and So Cal Carpenters caution that Weinstein’s measure will hurt both housing production and the job market 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 15, 2024
Contact: Nathan Click
nathan@click-comms.com

SACRAMENTO – Democratic leaders who have been on the frontlines of California’s fight to build more affordable housing are joining the growing bipartisan coalition opposed to Michael Weinstein’s sneak attack on state housing laws. Senate President Pro Tem Emeritus Toni Atkins (D-San Diego) and  Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (D-Oakland) warned that Weinstein’s measure on the November 2024 ballot would allow wealthy cities to ignore state housing laws and refuse to build their fair share of housing. 

“Those of us who have been on the front lines trying to help Californians find safe housing they can afford know that this initiative is as deceptive as it is dangerous,” said Atkins. “Conspiring with wealthy cities to undermine vital state housing laws is bad enough–lying to voters about it is even worse. This initiative is one giant loophole that lets some select local governments off the hook for affordable housing and opens the door to erase every inch of progress we’ve made on housing over the last 20 years. All I can say is don’t be fooled. The only way to guarantee the strides we made on housing are protected is for the initiative proponent to remove it off of the ballot.”

“Make no mistake about it, this ballot measure will end housing production in California full stop,” said Wicks. “We will not end the housing crisis unless we build millions of new homes at all levels of affordability. We’ve passed critical new laws to streamline housing construction, protect tenants, and give working families access to affordable, transit-friendly homes, all of which will be in jeopardy if this ballot measure passes. Vote no on this anti-housing measure.”

“This so-called “rent control” measure is a cynical ploy to fool the voters,” said Jay Bradshaw, Executive Secretary-Treasurer, Nor Cal Carpenters Union. “It won’t protect renters but it will block new affordable housing development…  California has passed new laws that will open up the housing market and create thousands of family-supporting construction jobs building the homes we need. This is why Nor Cal Carpenters oppose this backdoor attempt to stop housing construction. It’s time to bring housing costs under control by building the affordable housing we need.”

“Unfortunately, we in Southern California are already too familiar with deceptive legal tactics written by the proponents of this measure,” said Pete Rodriguez, United Brotherhood of Carpenters, Western District Vice-President. “They pretend to protect renters, but their real objective is to stop affordable housing development. This measure is just one more example of that deception – it’s an attempt to invalidate recent state housing laws our members fought for and block the housing California desperately needs. Housing costs won’t come down by blocking housing… the tragedy of homelessness will be solved with more affordable housing… not less.” 

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 growing bipartisan group of pro-housing advocates, community leaders, and legislators is opposing this deceitful measure on the November ballot. Just last week, two major affordable housing groups joined the coalition to oppose Weinstein’s anti-housing measure. 

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 instead create new loopholes for local governments, allowing them to ignore these laws and block housing California desperately needs.  It would allow wealthy coastal communities to avoid building their fair share of housing and stop affordable housing in its tracks. This measure will hurt the very people it claims to protect. 

In California, we need to be building more housing, faster, up and down the state. It’s a housing freeze, plain and simple.