WHY WE’RE VOTING NO
Vote No on Measure V: protect critical affordable housing so local teachers can live in the community they serve.
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“Housing costs in Menlo Park and the Bay Area have never been higher. Teachers, school staff and working families make sacrifices for our communities day in and day out, and they deserve reliable housing opportunities. That’s why we must defeat the dangerous Measure V in Menlo Park. It blocks affordable teacher housing at a time when we need it most. Please join me in voting No.”
— Anna Eshoo, U.S. Congresswoman
Editorial: Vote No on Menlo Park’s Measure V
Measure V is decidedly not “pro-teachers, pro-housing.” While Measure V’s rules would be applied to the entire city, the ballot measure’s focus and raison d’etre is to prevent the Ravenswood City School District from building a 90-unit affordable housing project for school employees at the former Flood School site…
The Ravenswood district is struggling with significant teacher turnover, and in a staff survey this year, the shortage of nearby affordable housing is a major factor. This project could go a long way toward attracting and retaining teachers to a school district of modest means serving a high percentage of economically disadvantaged students…
We believe this drastic move is unnecessary… Let’s do the right thing and ensure teachers can stay in the community in which they work. Vote No on Measure V.
The League of Women Voters of South San Mateo County opposes Menlo Park Measure “V”…
We oppose Measure “V” for the following specific reasons…
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Election requirements are a barrier to new housing and thereby can increase the cost and uncertainty of housing proposals. Our League believes Menlo Park needs new housing and, therefore, needs to avoid barriers and added costs to housing production.
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The Measure does nothing to moderate or otherwise affect the demand for housing…
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The State and pro-housing groups have acted to not only eliminate barriers to housing construction but also to limit local discretionary decision making. The proposed Measure risks such future nullification.
We understand that Measure “V” came to be out of frustration with the consideration of one housing project. We believe Measure “V” is not the solution to this frustration.
“I support No on Measure V because I want to live in a community that supports teachers not just in name but also in values. I have many colleagues that commute from far distances, two hours a day, and can never dream of owning a home on the Peninsula. I am fortunate to own a home in Menlo Park and teach in Palo Alto. While that may be out of reach for the younger teachers, I want teachers and school staff to have access to affordable housing. Strong schools make strong communities and Ravenswood students deserve teachers who come back to them year after year.”
— Margarita Méndez, Local Teacher
“I support No on V because I’ve studied our housing history and I’m determined not to repeat that history. This time we know more and we must do better. Choose inclusion and equity. Vote No on V.”
— Karen Grove, Former Menlo Park Housing Commissioner
“As a former classroom teacher for seven years and an administrator for three, I have seen – firsthand among my colleagues – the impact of the housing crisis on those within the educational profession in the Bay Area. Everyone agrees that we don’t pay our teachers nearly what they deserve, which is why blocking their access to affordable housing strikes me as especially cruel. I support No on V because our teachers are owed the opportunity to live within the communities that they serve every day. I often hear folks bemoan how teachers are not valued properly in our society; it is time to put words into action by voting No on Measure V. Let’s thank our teachers and afford them an opportunity to live where they work – I do not think that is too much to ask.”
— John Matthew Sobrato
“I support No on V because I want my children to grow up in an inclusive and thriving community. When teachers and other essential workers can live close to where they work, it is a triple win: for the people living in the new affordable housing, for the broader community, and for the environment.”
— Lesley Feldman
“As a long-time resident of the Belle Haven neighborhood, I strongly believe that all areas of Menlo Park must provide a fair share of housing. The 2016 General Plan created office space for well over 20,000 employees, we have the obligation and moral responsibility to lessen the housing jobs imbalance. The Ravenswood City School District is trying to do just that by providing affordable housing for teachers and staff on land owned by RCSD. Since no plan has been submitted to the Menlo Park Planning Division, this Measure is a pre-emptive strike and an attempt to control the School District’s land. This is why I am voting NO on V.”
— Pam Jones, Retired Teacher
We live in one of the most expensive places in the country, and our schools are facing teacher shortages because teachers cannot afford to live here. Measure V obstructs a plan to produce 90 affordable homes for teachers and classified school staff on the lot formerly occupied by the James Flood Magnet School. We must make sure our schools can attract and retain the best teachers by rejecting this measure.
But Measure V will do even more than rejecting 90 homes for local teachers. Independent analysis shows that Measure V could violate state and federal housing law, which would be costly for the city and taxpayers to defend if challenged. That same study shows that Measure V would make housing access more unequal and unfair and will further racially and economically segregate our community.
And because there’s no expiration date, Measure V will be nearly impossible to overturn. That’s dangerous.
Vote No on V — Protect Teacher Housing
Measure V obstructs the production of affordable housing for teachers and classified school staff.
Measure V could violate state and federal housing law and cost Menlo Park taxpayers millions in legal fees.
Measure V will further racially and economically segregate our community, according to an independent study recently commissioned by the City.
Measure V is bad policy and has no expiration date.
We should be creating more opportunities to make Menlo Park more affordable and welcoming for teachers and classified school staff, not limiting them.
We must reject Measure V to make it possible for teachers, essential workers and first responders — the very people who carried us through the worst of the pandemic — to live in our neighborhoods.
Measure V is bad for teachers, bad for taxpayers and bad for Menlo Park. Join us in voting No.