Housing Justice

No matter what we look like, how much we earn, or where we lay our heads down to sleep, everyone deserves a safe place to call home.

For too long, we’ve accepted a Marin that’s out of reach and out of compassion for too many of us. The vast majority of us believe that everyone deserves to have a roof over our head, but our region struggles to make this a reality.

We have the power to create change — together. And our region has the resources to build a new future — if we choose to use them. It’s time to for every city, and every community, to invest in proven solutions that match the scale of the challenge.

Because when we embrace affordable housing solutions, we open the door to new possibilities for all of our lives. Our future, our Marin, begins with home.

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This November, affordable housing is on the ballot.

Marin voters will have a chance to take meaningful steps to address the worsening housing crisis during the November 2024 election. You can check or update your registration status or register for the first time here.
Our team at Canal Alliance has assessed state and local ballot measures that would impact housing in our community and has made the following recommendations to support affordable housing:

• YES on STATEWIDE Prop 5: Prop 5 gives local voters more power to address the affordable housing and public infrastructure needs in their communities. California voters strongly support building housing that is affordable for low- and middle-income families and developing the public infrastructure needed to support new housing, like roads and transit, water, and fire stations. But state law currently restricts the ability of local voters to approve local housing and public infrastructure bonds for their communities. Prop 5 empowers local voters to approve bonds for affordable housing, critical public infrastructure, and emergency response in our communities with a 55% vote – if those bonds have strict accountability and oversight.
  
• YES on LARKSPUR Measure K: Measure K would limit annual rent increases on duplexes and multi-family rental units built before 1995 to 3% or 60% of inflation (CPI) – whichever is less – to prevent working class households from being priced out of their community. It also increases protections against no-fault evictions, particularly for educators, students, seniors, and people with disabilities. As a landlord ourself, Canal Alliance understands that there needs to be a balance between a tenant’s ability to predict and cover their housing expenses, and a landlord’s ability to generate enough revenue to cover their expenses and make a reasonable profit. Measure K strikes that balance and will help our neighbors stay housed in our community.
  
• YES on SAN ANSELMO Measures O and N: These measures offer similar reforms as YES on K, but they only apply to triplexes and up allow rent increases up to 5% each year.
  
• NO on FAIRFAX Measure I: Measure I would repeal a local ordinance that increases tenant protections and limits rent increases to 5% or 75% of inflation (CPI) – whichever is less.