Voting no on Measure M is vital to achieve affordable housing for workers, families, students and seniors in the city of Santa Cruz. Measure M will make it more difficult and expensive to build affordable housing and is not what Santa Cruz and its citizens need.
Measure M claims to support affordable housing, yet it creates more hurdles. It is opposed by local affordable housing organizations including Affordable Housing Now, Housing Santa Cruz County and the UCSC Student Housing Coalition. These organizations understand that to meet the housing needs of our essential workers we need fewer barriers – not more.
Those who make life possible in Santa Cruz deserve to be able to afford housing in the community they support. Unfortunately, Measure M will delay much-needed homes that are vital to support both our downtown area and the people who need it most.
In short, Measure M is disingenuous — it obstructs real progress on affordable housing while claiming the opposite. For those of us who champion affordability, sustainability, and diversity in Santa Cruz, we must vote no on Measure M to make these things a reality.
Hope Armstrong, renter in Santa Cruz