No On Housing Scam

On March 2, 2004, 70 percent of San Franciscans saw through the deceptions, and into the hidden costs, of Proposition J, and overwhelmingly voted it down.

The measure would have allowed the developers of two high-rise towers to do an end-run around the traditional planning process, and gain exemptions from existing height limits, density controls, and public review. In exchange, the developers said they would have designated 25% of the housing units in the project as "workforce" housing.

But "workforce" was defined as those making between 80 and 120 percent of the area's median income - or as much as $77,000 for an individual and $110,000 for a family of four. This would have left San Francisco's low income workers with no housing in the project at all.

Our City played a key educational role in the 'No On Prop J' campaign. Our field team did extensive outreach to voters in the Potrero Hill, Bernal Heights, Lower Haight, Castro, and Noe Valley neighborhoods, and Our City volunteers helped the 'No On Prop J' campaign pass out literature all over the city.