OPINION: The Santa Cruz City Council’s move toward ensuring that local workers and residents get priority for affordable housing marks a major step in community trust, writes Bruce Van Allen, former mayor and a longtime housing advocate. The resolution aligns with Measure C, which he now supports.
Santa Cruz ballot measures 2025
News and Community Voices opinion coverage of Measures B and C on ballots in the city of Santa Cruz in November 2025.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Justin Cummings: Yes on Santa Cruz’s Measure C – we need solutions for affordable housing
Santa Cruz has become the most expensive rental market in the U.S, and the market alone won’t fix it, argues county supervisor and former mayor Justin Cummings. Measure C creates a reliable local fund through a modest parcel tax and a luxury home transfer tax to build affordable housing.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Yes on Santa Cruz’s Measure C: Let’s not let the perfect be the enemy of the good
OPINION: Measure C might not be perfect, but it will create needed affordable housing in Santa Cruz, writes former Santa Cruz mayor and housing advocate Don Lane. He refutes a recent op-ed by resident Keven Cook questioning loopholes in the measure and encourages the community to support it.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
A Lookout View: We’ve seen some of the money – we still say yes on Santa Cruz’s Measure C
OPINION: Three weeks after endorsing Measure C, Lookout’s editorial board says its support still stands, but it reiterates the need for city accountability on how it spends tax dollars on affordable housing.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Will Measure C make a difference?
OPINION: After Lookout’s editorial board requested more transparency about how Santa Cruz has used its limited funds for affordable housing and prevention of homelessness, Yes on Measure C campaign volunteer Andrew Goldenkranz responds with a deeper dive into funding and results.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
In the Public Interest: Decision day looms for Santa Cruz’s dueling affordable housing ballot measures
This week’s newsletter covering Santa Cruz County politics and policy highlights the stretch run for Measures B and C in the city of Santa Cruz, what’s on agendas for local city councils and commissions and other stories you might have missed.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
I’m voting no on Santa Cruz’s Measure C because of its three transfer tax loopholes
Keven Cook urges a “no” vote on the city of Santa Cruz’s Measure C, arguing it’s riddled with three major transfer tax loopholes that benefit investors and developers. He says the measure’s $1.8 million lower threshold, $200,000 cap and condo conversion exemption allow high-value and repeat property sales to largely escape taxation. Cook contends Measure C’s flaws undermine its laudable housing goals and should be rewritten without loopholes before voters approve it.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
I support Measure C, and I’d like to share with you why
OPINION: Seniors on fixed incomes and hardworking essential workers desperately need affordable housing in Santa Cruz, writes Elaine Johnson of nonprofit Housing Santa Cruz County. Johnson argues that Measure C is a balanced approach that will truly address the city’s housing affordability crisis.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
Measure B is the better choice for Santa Cruz — reject the insider play of Measure C
OPINION: Renee Mello, president of the Santa Cruz County Association of Realtors, argues that Measure B is a transparent, citizen-led effort to fund affordable housing and climate projects. She criticizes Measure C as an “insider” initiative engineered by Santa Cruz City Hall to skirt the two-thirds supermajority required for special taxes.
Posted inOpinion from Community Voices
For affordable housing and a humane Santa Cruz – vote yes on Measure C
OPINION: Santa Cruz’s beauty and desirability drive up housing costs — and the market alone won’t build homes for teachers, bus drivers or grocery clerks, writes UCSC professor emeritus Christopher Connery. Measure C, he says, offers a fair, modest step toward fixing that; he urges a yes vote.