Campaign for Bond Issue to Aid Homeless Kicks Off

Backers of Proposition 84, the Housing and Homeless Bond Act of 1988, on Tuesday kicked off their campaign for passage of the ballot measure, seeking to raise $500,000 to promote it in the face of voter apathy and confusion.

State Sen. David A. Roberti (D-Los Angeles), a proponent of the proposition that would raise $300 million through bond sales to build emergency and permanent low-cost housing, told supporters and the media at a meeting in Burbank that “homelessness is a California tragedy.”

Flanked by Hollywood stars Marsha Mason, Stockard Channing and Dennis Weaver on one side and religious and civic leaders such as Salvation Army Col. David P. Riley, on the other, Roberti said, “It’s time to bring the homeless inside.”

The measure, which was placed on the November ballot through legislative action rather than the signature process, would provide money to build 8,000 rental units, 22,000 rehabilitated residential hotel rooms, 33,000 emergency shelter beds, 900 units for family housing, 300 housing units for seasonal farm workers, and assistance for 4,000 first-time home buyers.

Roberti said there appears to be support among Californians for providing housing for the homeless.

“The public is way ahead of its government in demanding that we show some compassion for the people who want a hand up, a little help and not a handout,” Roberti said.

But the senator said he fears that with 28 other propositions on the ballot, voters will get bored, irritated or confused and just ignore the ballot measures or simply vote “no” on each of them.

A recent case in point of voter resistance to propositions, he said, was the defeat in June of the highway construction initiative backed by Gov. George Deukmejian.

“He didn’t campaign that hard for it,” Roberti said of the governor and the defeat of Proposition 74.

“Unless we have a campaign, we can lose through confusion and people becoming weary of so many propositions,” he said.

That is why he is attempting to mobilize the Hollywood community to draw attention to this bond measure. Roberti is also seeking to raise $500,000 to purchase television time to reach voters.

Some confusion, Roberti acknowledged, could result from a similar proposition that gained a spot on the November ballot by the signature petition process statewide.

Proposition 95, tentatively titled the Hunger and Homeless Funding Initiative, would create a state agency to raise as much as $90 million annually for various housing, food and job-training programs through new fines on safety, health and building code violators.

It would also raise $150 million through a bond offering to be paid off by income raised through the new fines.

Roberti said he also is supporting Proposition 95--proposed by Board of Equalization member Conway Collis--because it complements his proposition. A Roberti staff aide said Proposition 84 is the “hardware” and Proposition 95 provides the “software” for battling homelessness

One Proposition 95 backer said the combination of ballot initiatives is a “one-two punch.”

But voters tired of other bond issues may reject Roberti’s initiative, he said, in favor of Proposition 95, which uses no taxpayer funds. On the other hand, Proposition 95 backers acknowledge that the proposed measure faces organized opposition from the restaurant, grocers and building owners trade association.

Roberti said the benefits of Proposition 84 extend beyond the homeless and low-income families. Construction, he said, would stimulate the economy and create jobs.