California lawmakers abandon attempt to repeal law requiring voter approval for some public housing

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers on Monday abandoned their attempt to repeal the nation’s only law requiring voter approval for publicly funded affordable housing projects, a provision added to the state Constitution more than half a century ago that aimed to keep people of color out of white neighborhoods.

Most everyone in the state Capitol agrees the law needs to go, and no organized opposition has emerged to repealing it. But the measure is one of more than a dozen that have qualified for the November election, and supporters worry about raising the millions of dollars it will take to campaign for its passage.

That’s one reason why lawmakers voted to withdraw the measure on Monday just three days before the secretary of state must certify the ballot for the November election.

“While (the repeal) was one of many efforts to help address the housing crisis, the November ballot will be very crowded and reaching voters will be difficult and expensive,” said Democratic state Sen. Ben Allen, who authored the bill to remove the measure from the ballot.

California has a robust initiative process that lets the public bypass the state Legislature to propose and pass laws via a statewide election. Each election, there are sometimes more than a dozen measures crowding the ballot competing for voters’ attention.

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