Measure HOM, Monterey Park

The stakes

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If Measure HOM passes, no zoning changes that day; what changes is the process by which zoning can change.^{Note 2} Owners in the mapped corridors could later apply for permission to build homes, one parcel at a time, after the Council writes overlay rules into an ordinance.^{Note 1} Standards such as density, height, parking, affordability, and design are not set by this vote. The measure directs the Council to write those rules “promptly” but sets no date.^{Note 5,Note 6}

By the City’s account, the measure grew out of Vacant to Vibrant, its 2026 outreach on vacant property, whose workshops drew a self-selected group.^{Note 7,Note 8}

Staff also warn that doing nothing risks “State penalties” and state laws “which can circumvent local zoning and housing controls”.^{Note 9} In plain terms, a March 2025 letter from the state housing department to the City listed the possibilities: losing or waiting on some state funds, referral to the Attorney General, court-imposed fines, a court-appointed agent taking over local land-use decisions, and the “builder’s remedy,” under which a city without a compliant housing plan cannot turn down certain projects with affordable homes just because they break its zoning and land-use plan.^{Note 10,Note 11} That letter was about rezoning the City had promised by March 2024, not HOM.^{Note 10} No HOM document cites it, and I could not find which penalties the staff report means, the City’s reply, or its current standing with the state.^{Note 9,Note 10}

If it fails, the map stays as it is, and housing already allowed on Mixed Use land can still move forward.^{Note 12}

What changes

On the night the Council placed HOM on the ballot, it approved 169 units on Mixed Use land at 114 E. Garvey Ave. under existing rules.^{Note 3,Note 12} Measure HOM adds a new, optional HOME designation mapped across corridors the City’s land-use map designates Commercial, Mixed Use, Innovation/Technology, or Corporate Center.^{Note 1,Note 12} The new ground is commercial land where, staff said at the September 21 webinar, today’s rules allow no project that is only housing, and only voters can change the map that sets those rules.^{Note 13,Note 14}

The measure’s text excludes R-1, R-2, and “other single-family or low-density residential zoning districts” without naming R-3.^{Note 15} The Council’s ballot argument says R-3 is excluded, but the impartial analysis and election page name only R-1 and R-2.^{Note 16} Which wording is complete has not been resolved.^{Note 16}

How it works

Only voters can amend the City’s land-use map, which is why HOM is on the ballot.^{Note 14} It works in three steps.^{Note 1} First, if voters approve, the land-use plan and maps change 10 days after the Council certifies the election.^{Note 5} Second, the Council would need to adopt a zoning ordinance, Chapter 21.46, before anyone could use the overlay.^{Note 2,Note 5} Third, an owner or developer submits an application to begin the process for activation of the overlay on a parcel-by-parcel basis.^{Note 1,Note 2} The Planning Commission recommends, and the Council decides at its discretion after public hearings.^{Note 1,Note 2}

What it costs, or the tradeoff

What is important here is understanding the tradeoff, which is control: voters approve the areas where the option could be used, and the Council writes the building rules and decides on individual applications later.^{Note 1,Note 2,Note 5} At the September 21 webinar, a participant asked whether overlay projects would have to include affordable housing; staff said that “remains to be determined” and could be set in the Chapter 21.46 rules.^{Note 17} Because approval goes parcel by parcel, we will know little about any one development until its application comes in.^{Note 18}

The City budgeted $275,000 for the whole November 3 election, which also fills two Council seats, City Clerk, and City Treasurer and carries Measure AAA, a hotel-stay tax; HOM’s own share is not published.^{Note 19}

The City says this housing “revitalizes the local tax base”.^{Note 20}

The strongest complication

No argument against Measure HOM was filed before the deadline, so the voter guide carries only the Council’s case.^{Note 4,Note 21} That leaves it up to the reader to scrutinize the measure.

First, the residential promise: a City GIS study layer lists 14 High Density Residential parcels among 42, but it is not confirmed as the map voters would ratify, and the adopted map covers visibly more ground with no released parcel list, so whether any of those 14 are eligible is unanswered.^{Note 16,Note 22}

Second, the City’s own FAQ promises more than the measure says. On parking, it answers, “Yes. The measure requires any new development to meet rigorous standards, including providing adequate parking,” yet the word “parking” does not appear in the measure’s text; those standards wait for Chapter 21.46.^{Note 5,Note 23}

Third, the ballot question promises intact residential neighborhoods, a continued ban on data centers, fewer encampments, and a better local economy. All in one yes-or-no vote.^{Note 24} That seems like a lot to ask of a vague map amendment that hands parcel-by-parcel approval to the Council before any building rules exist.^{Note 2,Note 5,Note 24}

Where I land

This is my opinion, and I have not decided how to vote. The standard I am applying: does a yes vote turn empty corridors into homes, in a way voters can see before they authorize it?

The case the City lays out is promising, and the benefits it claims would help residents. Its own workshops, a self-selected group, found vacancy a common worry,^{Note 8} and the measure would open more corridor land to housing.^{Note 1,Note 12} What holds me back is that the rules are unwritten and control moves to the City Council.^{Note 5}

One thing I would note: it would take an engaged public to understand the impact of each and every development proposed, with the City Council having the final decision.^{Note 1,Note 2} Staff said community meetings before each hearing are being considered.^{Note 25}

Would it bring in more tax revenue? The City offers words, not numbers.^{Note 20}

What would move me to yes: a public draft of Chapter 21.46 with its density, parking, and affordability terms, a City estimate of what overlay housing would bring in, or a transparent, standardized framework for how the Council will judge each application, community meetings included. What would move me to no: evidence that the tradeoff of control works against residents, or that the City or a Council member stands to gain from a specific overlay parcel.

What I will watch

Whether the Council introduces Chapter 21.46, and what density, height, parking, affordability, and community-meeting terms it sets.^{Note 5,Note 25} Whether the City releases the adopted parcel list: it closed my request for it (#26-585) on September 8, pointing to its election webpage, which has no parcel list, and to another request for the map.^{Note 22,Note 26}

Do not forget to register to vote by October 19; you can check your registration at https://voterstatus.sos.ca.gov/. Vote by mail, or in person once vote centers open October 24.^{Note 4}