Question 1

Why are local schools facing a teacher shortage?

Accepted Answer

Menlo Park is one of the most expensive places to live in the country and teachers simply cannot afford to live here. If we want local schools to attract and retain the best teachers, we need to be increasing affordable housing opportunities, not limiting them.

Read more about how housing affordability impacts school employees here.

Question 2

What exactly does Measure V do?

Accepted Answer

Measure V would prohibit the city from permitting anything other than single-family homes on land currently zoned "R1" without citywide voter approval in a regular election. That means that the owners of 53 properties in Menlo Park that do not have single-family homes on them – including the fire district headquarters, the vacant former Flood School site, and various churches and private schools – would need to put an initiative on the ballot before they could make any changes or upgrades to their current, non-single-family use. In the status quo, the city council has the discretion to approve these kinds of changes.

Question 3

How does Measure V limit teacher housing?

Accepted Answer

Measure V was specifically written by a small group of homeowners to stop the building of 90 affordable homes for teachers and working families on the lot formerly occupied by the James Flood Magnet School. Despite being a vacant former school site, the property is zoned for single-family homes. Thus, Measure V would require a citywide vote to rezone the site — effectively blocking the project before it is even proposed to the city.

Question 4

How else does Measure V harm Menlo Park?

Accepted Answer

Besides preventing 90 new affordable homes being built for local teachers, independent analysis shows that Measure V could violate state and federal housing law, a costly mistake for the city and taxpayers to defend if challenged. The same study shows that Measure V would also make housing access more unequal and unfair by racially and economically segregating our community. Read the full study at www.ProtectTeacherHousing.org/IndependentAnalysis.

Question 5

Does Measure V have an expiration date?

Accepted Answer

No, Measure V does not have an expiration date and it will be nearly impossible to overturn if it’s approved. That’s a dangerous policy.

Question 6

Is it true that Measure V will further segregate Menlo Park?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but don’t just take our word for it. A recent city-commissioned study found that Measure V would have an outsized impact on Black and Brown communities of color. It will make housing access more unequal and unfair and will further racially and economically segregate our community. Read the full study at www.ProtectTeacherHousing.org/IndependentAnalysis.

Question 7

Will Measure V negatively affect teacher pay and local school funding?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Measure V doesn’t just block affordable housing, it blocks millions in potential school funding. Local schools stand to gain millions in locally controlled funding for teachers and academic programs from leasing the land at the James Flood school site and Measure V would block that.

Question 8

Shouldn’t Menlo Park voters have the ultimate say about the future of our community?

Accepted Answer

Yes, and we already do, but requiring a vote for all single-family zoning changes is bad policy, costly and wasteful. Elections are expensive and funded by taxpayer dollars.

Menlo Park voters already play an integral role in determining the future of the city when we vote in City Council elections every two years and participate in public meetings. The City Council is ultimately accountable to the voters, both at the ballot box and on the daily. The current planning process works well, with greater flexibility and opportunity for feedback to reflect current community needs. Instead, with Measure V, we’ll get a law that has no expiration date and will be nearly impossible to overturn.

The voters should always decide the future of Menlo Park. With Measure V, the decision is clear: vote No.

Question 9

Where can I register to vote?

Accepted Answer

You can register to vote online at https://registertovote.ca.gov/.

Question 10

How do I check to see if I’m registered to vote?

Accepted Answer

Visit https://www.smcacre.org/elections/myelectioninfo, to check your current voter registration status in San Mateo County.

Registration deadlines:
In person during early voting: Oct 10 - Nov 7
In-person at voting location on Election Day: Nov 8
Online: Oct 24 by 11:59 p.m.
By mail (postmarked by): Oct 24

Question 11

Does Measure V have an exemption for Affordable Homes?

Accepted Answer

No! Measure V does not have an exemption for affordable homes or teacher/faculty housing. This could lead to costly litigation for the city.

Question 12

Doesn’t the new statewide housing law AB2295 supersede Measure V?

Accepted Answer

It’s not yet clear how exactly AB2295 would impact Measure V, but it could be yet another instance in which Measure V directly violates state and federal law. That means we could be facing massive lawsuits if Measure V is approved.

AB2295 allows school districts to build up to 30 residential units per acre of housing on district-owned land. This will be very helpful for school districts in some parts of California, but here in San Mateo County, construction costs are too high (and competition for limited funding too great) for 30 units per acre to work.

Ravenswood City School District could not attract any bids from affordable housing developers for anything less than 36 units/acre. For example, in Daly City, the Jefferson Union High School District teacher and staff housing project is being built at 41 units per acre and in Palo Alto, it’s 80 units per acre.

F.A.Q.