LONG BEACH, Calif. — The affordable housing crisis in California has been a longstanding issue, but could one proposition on the ballot help with getting more people into homes?

Proposition 5 is on the ballot this election cycle, and if passed, it would lower the approval threshold from two-thirds majority, down to 55%, making it easier for local governments in California to borrow money through bonds. Some supporters say it could help with the housing crisis. 

Sharon Buckley has lived in the state her entire life. At 67 years old, she's seen a lot of changes in the housing market in California. 

"I’ve heard of people back when I was a young girl, got houses for $12,000," Buckley said. "And now, they’re a million dollars. People can’t rent an apartment because there’s no low-income available."

The average cost to buy a house has increased from $242,360 in 1990 to a little more than $900,000 today. The average cost to rent in California was $792 in 1990, and has gone up to $2,151 in 2024, according to Zillow. 

Buckley said more needs to be done to help buyers and renters to keep them in their own homes. 

"It’s ridiculous because we have people that are having to move out because their rents are just getting higher, and they don’t have any place to go, they don’t have a family, and they end up on the street, and leave all their belongings behind," she said. "Which is sad."

Proposition 5 could be an answer to building more affordable units in the state. Gabriel Perez works for the Los Angeles Alliance For a New Economy, a local nonprofit dedicated to economic and racial justice. He's been canvassing in Long Beach leading up to the election, and speaking with potential voters on how Prop 5 could help residents in California obtain housing. 

"I’m 27 years old, and I wasn’t able to move out of my family home until this year, because of the high cost of housing," Perez said. "At the rate I’m paying rent, and I’m rent burdened, I won’t be able to afford a home, I won’t be able to save enough to buy a home."

But there has been opposition to Proposition 5. Susan Shelley is the communications director with the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assosication, a group that is encouraging voters to say no to Proposition 5. She said the rule for a two-thirds majority has been in place since the state Constitution was written. Shelley adds that if the prop is passed, it would increase costs for homeowners, renters and consumers. 

"It makes no sense to say that we’re going to raise taxes to build something affordable, and that we’re going to raise the cost of housing to make housing more affordable," she said. "The logical answer is outside the scope of this proposition."

Buckley wants to see government officials define the rules, and help keep people in their homes. 

"They need to decide exactly what affordable housing is first," she said. "And we need a fallback. We can’t just be constantly in fear. OK, we make one mistake, and you’re out, goodbye."