Sacramento, CA – The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) has endorsed Proposition 37, which will help make homeownership more affordable for Californians, all at no cost to taxpayers. 

The measure creates a pathway for middle-class Californians who can afford the monthly payments on an $800,000 home but don’t have the full $160,000 (20%) down payment. Instead, it allows them to purchase a home with a more attainable $24,000 (3%) down payment.

“The hard-working people who care for kids and seniors and who keep our communities running are being priced out of the communities they serve,” said Arnulfo De La Cruz, President of SEIU California and SEIU Local 2015. “Prop 37 changes that. By making down payments affordable and attainable, it opens the door to homeownership for working families, especially Black, Latino, and immigrant families who have been shut out for generations. Those who care for our communities deserve the chance to put down roots in them.”

Prop 37 helps address California’s housing affordability crisis by incentivizing new single family home construction and increasing the supply of brand new homes. The initiative is also expected to spur construction of roughly 190,000 new homes, generating significant economic benefits throughout the state.

“We wanted to find a solution that both makes home ownership more affordable and helps increase the supply of housing across the state,” said Robert Hertzberg, former Speaker of the California Assembly, Senate Majority Leader and Proponent of Prop 37. “Proposition 37 does both of those things, and will help workers across California have a more affordable pathway to homeownership. 

Prop 37 also includes strict accountability and consumer protections.Homebuyers must be California residents, meet income requirements, pay at least 3% down, make monthly payments, and occupy the home as their residence. Additionally, annual state audits ensure transparency and financial health.