Santa Monica Voters Backed Statewide Housing Measure, Opposed Water Bond

By Jorge Casuso

December 3, 2018 -- Santa Monica voters defied a statewide trend and handily voted to support Proposition 10, which would have allowed local governments to regulate rents on any type of housing.

Local voters also overwhelmingly supported Propositions 1 and 2 which will create new funding for affordable housing after the measures were approved by California voters November 6.

But they opposed a nearly $9 billion water bond by a larger margin than did voters statewide.

While the Los Angeles County Registrars Office is still counting vote-by-mail and provisional ballots during the 30-day post-election canvass period, the results are not expected to significantly change.

Local voters -- a majority of whom are renters -- bucked the statewide vote on Proposition 10, which lost with nearly 60 percent of the voters rejecting the measure.

By comparison, Santa Monica voters supported Proposition 10 -- known as the Affordable Housing Act -- by a 25,717 to 19,116 margin, or 57 percent.

That was more than the 52 percent of LA County voters who supported the measure.

The measure also was supported by voters in Alameda County (51 percent), San Francisco (53 percent), Los Angeles (55 percent), Richmond (55 percent), Santa Cruz (51 percent), West Hollywood (71 percent), Glendale (51 percent) and Inglewood (61 percent).

Only West Hollywood and Inglewood showed stronger support for the measure than Santa Monica.

If approved, the measure would have given counties and cities with rent control, such as Santa Monica, the authority to expand their laws ("Statewide Measure to Repeal Vacancy Decontrol and Expand Rent Control Makes Ballot," June 15, 2018).

Santa Monica voters reflected a statewide trend and supported State Propositions 1 and 2, which will create new funding for affordable housing.

In Santa Monica, Measure 1, which issues $4 billion in bonds for housing programs and veterans' home loans, received 31,644 votes in favor, or 73 percent, and 11,478 against.

Measure 2, which authorizes the Sate to use revenue from millionaire's tax for $2 billion in bonds for homelessness prevention housing, was approved by 80 percent of the voters -- 35,066 to 8,966.

That far surpassed the margin given by County voters, who supported Propositions 1 and 2 with 56 percent and 63 percent of the vote respectively.

As did voters statewide, Santa Monica voters rejected Proposition 3, which would have issued $8.877 billion in bonds for water-related infrastructure and environmental projects.

County voters supported the measure -- which lost after being opposed by 50.8 percent of statewide voters -- by a hair-thin 50.3 percent of the vote.

Nearly 55 percent of Santa Monica voters opposed the measure.

Santa Monicans also rejected Proposition 6, which would have repealed 2017's fuel tax and vehicle fee increases and require a public vote on future increases.

Local voters overwhelmingly opposed the measure with 33,952 casting no votes, or 77 percent, and 10,382 voting yes.

That was far more than the 61 percent of County and 57 percent of State voters who opposed the measure.