SF Voters Polled Before Major Housing Legislation Battle

Last week, San Francisco voters were polled on whether they would support a special election in 2017 to set a 24% affordable housing requirement for new residential construction. The poll asked voters a series of questions around proposed “inclusionary zoning” requirements, gauging support for an ordinance that would “reduce the level of inclusionary zoning requirements from 25% to 18%.”

The poll is likely referencing affordable housing legislation currently co-authored by Supervisor Ahsha Safai (District 11) and London Breed (District 5).

Voters were then asked whether they support or oppose a number of possible amendments to the ordinance, including enacting higher affordable housing requirements on projects that utilize density bonus laws or that are built in the Mission.

The poll ended by asking voters to consider a ballot measure that would “decrease the affordable housing requirements from 25% to 24%,” raise the in-lieu fee on developers, and enact higher affordable housing rates on developments built on City-owned property.

The poll could undermine negotiations at the Board of Supervisors between Supervisors Ahsha Safai and Jane Kim (District 6) around their competing inclusionary zoning proposals. A ballot measure approved by the voters, such as the one suggested by the poll, would automatically override any legislation passed in City Hall.

Safai is pushing forward a proposal that would require new developments to hold 18% of their units as affordable housing, while Kim’s competing proposal would require new developments to hold 24%. The two ordinances also differ in how many of those units are reserved for middle-income families, and how much the affordable housing requirements would increase every year.

The ballot measure suggested by the poll seems to align more closely with Supervisor Kim’s proposal, and could be designed to give Kim leverage in negotiations. The poll also tested the upcoming Supervisor’s race in District 8, asking voters whether they would support Supervisor Jeff Sheehy or City College Trustee Rafael Mandelman in a June 2018 election.

The Beacon has verified that the poll surveyed voters citywide, but has not been able to confirm who paid for the survey.

San Francisco voters received yet another poll on housing policy last week, administered by EMC Research, to measure voter support for Supervisor Katy Tang’s Home-SF Program. The poll showed very strong support for housing programs that increased height limits for new housing development in return for the projects including 30% affordable housing for low and middle-income families - a local version of an existing statewide “density bonus” law.

Over 73% of voters surveyed said they would support a program similar to Home-SF, and support remained consistent across different neighborhoods and all demographic groups. 80% of voters prioritized building housing for middle-class families as “very” or “extremely” important.

Safai and Kim’s competing proposals and Tang’s local density bonus program are all appearing before the Board of Supervisors this Tuesday. Both polls will have major impacts on negotiations before the Board meeting and may signal an early start to another campaign season in the San Francisco.