Gov. Gavin Newsom urged support in San Rafael for Proposition 1, an $11.25 billion state housing bond voters will decide Tuesday, Nov. 3.

Newsom and state officials gathered Friday, Oct. 30, just blocks from a city-sanctioned homeless encampment, Local News Matters reported. The event doubled as a celebration of the new Ritter Center, a nonprofit providing primary care and social services to Marin County residents experiencing housing insecurity.

The California Department of Health Care Services identifies the Ritter facility as a project funded through the separate behavioral health Proposition 1 approved in 2024. The current Proposition 1 on Tuesday’s ballot is a separate measure. It would authorize the state to borrow $11.25 billion for affordable housing programs, according to the Official Voter Information Guide.

The measure would provide $10 billion for housing programs, including rental housing, homeownership assistance and infrastructure. Another $1.25 billion would finance veterans’ home loans. The state would spend an estimated $500 million to $600 million annually for about 25 years repaying the $10 billion portion; participating veterans would repay the home-loan portion, according to the legislative analyst’s explanation. No formal argument against the measure was submitted to the voter guide.

Local projects at stake

Leelee Thomas, deputy director of the Marin County Community Development Agency, said none of the county’s new affordable housing construction would be possible without major state investments, Local News Matters reported.

Local housing efforts include Marinwood Apartments, a planned 54-home redevelopment of former Coast Guard housing in Point Reyes Station, and Puett Place, Homeward Bound of Marin’s 24-home veterans community in Novato. Puett Place opened in 2024.

The Marinwood Apartments received final building permit approval in June, according to a Marin County news release. The former shopping center site at 175 Marinwood Avenue will accommodate 125 apartments: 124 affordable rentals and a manager’s unit. The affordable apartments are intended for households earning 30% to 70% of area median income. The county committed $7.5 million from its Affordable Housing Trust Fund and about $2.5 million for streetscape improvements along Marinwood Avenue.

Chronic homelessness surges

The push for Proposition 1 comes as Marin County’s homelessness picture has grown more complicated. The county’s 2026 Point-in-Time Count, conducted Jan. 28, found 1,128 people experiencing homelessness, up from 1,090 in 2024, according to a county report. Nearly three-quarters were living unsheltered.

The sharpest change: chronic homelessness rose from 217 people in 2024 to 438 in 2026, with 83% unsheltered. Chronic homelessness refers to individuals with a qualifying disabling condition such as serious mental illness or a substance use disorder who have been homeless continuously for at least one year or repeatedly over several years, according to the county.

Homelessness among veterans, youth and families declined over the same period. Veteran homelessness dropped from 49 to 11. Unaccompanied youth fell from 108 to 60.

The county also reported that more than 150 people experiencing chronic homelessness had qualified for Section 8 assistance but were still waiting for available vouchers.

Officials make their case

Ritter Center announced a $10.44 million grant in 2025 through the Bond Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program. The program is administered by the California Department of Health Care Services to expand community-based mental health and substance use treatment facilities.

Ritter Center’s 2025 annual report says the organization serves more than 2,500 adults annually.

Larry Florin, CEO of Burbank Housing, said Proposition 1 would provide important funding at a time when many projects are stalled by financing gaps, Local News Matters reported. Burbank Housing is working with the Marin Housing Authority on the revitalization of Marin City’s Golden Gate Village public housing project, according to the housing authority.

Newsom said local governments are not building enough housing and referenced new higher state mandates. “I put a lot of pressure on those counties, and I’m not apologetic about that,” he said, according to Local News Matters.

Polls close at 8 p.m. Pacific time Tuesday, Nov. 3. Marin County voters can find ballot drop-off locations and vote centers through the county elections office.