NOV. 2 WATCH : Proposition 168

California needs affordable housing, particularly in the expensive housing markets of Los Angeles, Orange, San Francisco, San Diego, San Bernardino and Riverside counties. Proposition 168 would eliminate a major barrier to development of low-rent housing. Voters should approve this measure in the Nov. 2 special election.

Back when affordable housing typically meant gargantuan public projects, Californians--who typically equated such projects with slums-- amended the state Constitution to maintain local control over where that housing could be located. Article 34, which was adopted in 1950, required a referendum by the voters in the affected city or county to approve any housing project in which 50% of the units were government-subsidized.

Proposition 168 would remove that veto power, except concerning large, federally financed public housing projects that “impose a significant negative impact upon the physical appearance or revenues of the community.” However, the federal government no longer builds those huge projects.

The ballot measure does not strip away the right of local voters to challenge an affordable housing project. Proposition 168 would allow voters to petition a city council or board of supervisors, depending on the jurisdiction, for an election. That reasonable safeguard would allow neighbors to vote on a particular project.

Californians, including many middle-class families, need new housing they can afford. Voters should approve Proposition 168, which removes one big obstacle to construction.