Fair Housing Makes U.S. Stronger

REALTOR® Party of California Advancing Fair Housing

here was a major victory in February T for the advancement of fair housing with the passage of Senate Constitutional Amendment 2 (SCA-2) by Senators Ben Allen and Scott Wiener, as it passed out of the State Senate. It is pending in the State Assembly. SCA 2 repeals Article 34 from the California State Constitution. SCA 2’s authors stated, “Article 34 was created in response to the Federal Housing Act of 1949, part of President Truman’s Fair Deal to help lower-income post-war families move into better living situations. Society had very different attitudes about race, ethnicity, class, and poverty 70 years ago. There were far less tools for residents to alter or block plans for new housing—no California Environmental Quality Act, Brown Act, or Coastal Act, and far fewer lawsuits… SCA 2 will give voters an opportunity to eliminate an obstacle enshrined in the California Constitution in a bygone era, which undermines elected officials’ ability to address California’s acute housing and homelessness challenges.” Outdated and suppressing the ability to address today’s housing supply crisis, Article 34 holds back the development of affordable housing. Under the provision all “low-rent” dwellings, Article 34 requires approval by a majority of voters in a local jurisdiction for lowincome affordable housing and mixed-income developments with subsidized units which are financed in whole or in part by a government entity. Article 34 makes it purposely difficult for affordable housing units to even break ground.