Santa Cruz council authorizes two competing housing measures for the ballot after widespread public comment

The Santa Cruz City Council voted unanimously to place two competing housing measures on the ballot, after more than an hour of public comment and brief council discussion. The council authorized sending both measures to the county clerk; the clerk will decide which appears first on the ballot by a coin toss.

Supporters of the workforce-focused measure urged the council to move the item forward and pushed for clear voter information. “This bond should not only create roofs over people's heads, but also careers under their feet,” said Joe Placentia of the American Carpenters Union Local 646 during public comment. Laz Myman, a Santa Cruz resident and recent UC Santa Cruz graduate, corrected a statement about the proposed tax threshold, saying, “The tax is actually only on every dollar over the $1,800,000 threshold, so it would actually be far lower than that.”

Speakers representing churches, health providers and housing advocates described housing as central to community health and continuity and urged voters to have the choice. “Housing continues to be the number one topic,” said Andrew Golden Krantz,…