By KATE TALERICO : bayareanewsgroup – excerpt (audio)

Oakland Asm. Buffy Wicks is back with a proposal to fund affordable housing, after it failed to make it to the November ballot last year.

East Bay Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks and state Senator Christopher Cabaldon, a Yolo County Democrat, on Tuesday brought back a proposal to place a $10 billion bond for affordable housing programs on the June 2026 ballot after failing to get a measure on the November 2024 ballot.

If approved, it would authorize general obligation bonds for low-income rental housing and supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness, among other purposes.

“These bonds are a necessary step to address the staggering need for safe, stable and affordable housing,” Wicks, an Oakland Democrat, said in a statement. “Even in a tight fiscal climate, we must act with urgency.”

With a limited capacity to authorize new bonds, the legislature last year decided to prioritize two other bond measures of $10 billion each over Wick’s housing measure — one for renovations to public schools and community colleges, and the other to fund climate resiliency projects. Both bonds passed, with 59% and 60% of the vote, respectively… (more)