Housing on the Ballot: What’s at Stake for California in 2026 – A Special Briefing for Funders

As California continues to grapple with a severe housing affordability crisis, the 2026 ballot will present voters with major decisions about how the state finances, builds, and preserves affordable housing. At the center is a statewide affordable housing bond that would authorize $11.25 billion for affordable housing and veterans’ homeownership, including $10 billion to buy, build, rehabilitate, and preserve affordable homes and $1.25 billion to help veterans buy homes. If passed, the bond could help unlock more than 130,000 affordable homes by providing critical gap financing for projects that are already approved and awaiting funding.

At the same time, voters will consider other measures with significant implications for housing. One measure would raise the voter approval threshold for citizen-sponsored local special taxes from a simple majority to two-thirds, making it harder for local governments to impose or increase taxes that can support affordable housing, homelessness response, and housing preservation programs.

Join Philanthropy California, the League of California Community Foundations, and the San Francisco Foundation for a timely briefing on how housing is showing up on California’s ballot and what these measures could mean for communities across the state. Guest speakers Assemblymember Buffy Wicks and Chris Hoene, Executive Director of the California Budget and Policy Center, will discuss these measures impacting housing, the broader policy and fiscal landscape, and the role philanthropy can play to ensure California is a place where everyone has a safe, stable home.