Balanced Housing Growth Management Act  ·  California Constitutional Amendment
Capacity Before Growth.
“
The State of California shall not impose housing mandates on any community without first establishing its physical capacity and funding the infrastructure required to support its growth.
Ballot Measure Language

California's housing crisis isn't a shortage of mandates. It's that Sacramento mandates growth without first measuring what a community can actually absorb — or funding the infrastructure to support it. We have a better way.

Stay Informed Learn How It Works
I
The First Principle

The State Invests.

For the first time, Sacramento puts its money on the table before issuing a mandate. Infrastructure funded. Capacity created. Investment made. Then — and only then — does growth follow. That's not a regulation. That's leadership.

A State that invests before it asks earns the right to lead.

II
The Second Principle

The State Listens.

Every city already knows its roads, its water lines, its evacuation routes. For the first time, Sacramento is required to know them too — and to use that data before issuing a mandate. Engineering facts become the shared foundation. Growth decisions stop being political and start being honest.

When Sacramento works from the same numbers cities do, mandates become partnerships.

III
The Third Principle

The State Commits.

Under this measure, Sacramento's obligations are defined, measurable, and binding. Cities know exactly what they're being asked to deliver — and the State is legally required to honor its end. When a community reaches its certified capacity, it's done. The State's responsibility shifts elsewhere.

Not an open-ended demand. A finish line that cities can count on.

IV
The Fourth Principle

Growth Serves Everyone.

No city is forced to grow. But the moment a city chooses to add homes, that choice comes with terms. Under this measure, a minimum share of every unit of new residential capacity must be within reach of the families who make a community work — teachers, nurses, tradespeople. Not aspirational. Constitutional.

The public creates the conditions for growth. The public shares in what growth produces.

The Mechanism
How those four principles become law.

The Erie Canal. The transcontinental railroad. California's own aqueducts. Growth has always followed investment. We are not inventing something new — we are restoring something that worked. Here is the closed loop that makes it enforceable.

1
Measure
Cities assess physical carrying capacity using peer-reviewed engineering standards — not political targets. Buildable land, evacuation routes, water, sewer, schools, energy.
2
Invest
The State funds infrastructure to create capacity — before imposing any growth mandate. Roads, transit, water, sewer, evacuation routes. Investment comes first.
3
Grow
Growth goes to capacity zones — corridors, transit nodes, areas with infrastructure headroom. Established neighborhoods are protected by engineering, not politics.
4
Capture
State investment increases land values. New development generates incremental property tax revenue that didn't exist before. That revenue is captured — not given away.
5
Fund
Incremental property tax revenue — value the State created — flows back to the community. 30% funds affordable housing. 40% is an unrestricted dividend to the city. Structural, not aspirational.
6
Mature
When a community fills its certified capacity, it's done — no further mandates. The State's obligation shifts to building capacity elsewhere.
7
Propagate
The model replicates. Growth goes where capacity can be created, not where it must be forced. Densification of built-out communities is not a substitute for investment.
The Difference
This measure inverts all three.

Right now, when Sacramento mandates growth, developers capture the windfall. Cities pay for the infrastructure. Residents absorb the risk.

How it works today
The Windfall
Developers capture the land value created by upzoning. The public paid for the infrastructure. Private owners keep the gain.
The Bill
Cities absorb the cost of roads, water, schools, and emergency services — with no guaranteed funding from the State that issued the mandate.
The Risk
Residents live with the consequences — overcrowded schools, strained infrastructure, fire evacuations on roads built for half the load.
Under this measure
The Windfall
Value created by State investment flows back to the community — funding city services and affordable housing in the same neighborhoods where growth happens.
The Bill
The State funds infrastructure before any mandate is issued. Cities that participate earn an unrestricted dividend. The model pays for itself.
The Risk
Growth is bounded by engineering, not politics. Communities know their capacity limit, when they'll reach it, and when their obligation ends.

No new taxes  ·  No reassessment of existing homes  ·  Revenue comes only from value the State's own investment created

Get Involved
Four ways to take action.
✉
Stay Informed
Be the first to know as the Balanced Housing Growth Management Act moves toward the ballot. Updates on cities, legislation, and coalition progress.
Sign Up
◆
Support the Campaign
We are building toward a $50M statewide ballot campaign. Your investment funds the legal infrastructure, coalition work, and signature gathering that gets this on the ballot.
Donate
◉
Understand the Framework
Read the full Balanced Housing Growth Management Act working draft, the street capacity methodology, and the economic case for value capture over mandates.
Read the Framework
⚖
Legislative Analysis
Track every California housing bill that mandates growth without measuring evacuation capacity. Updated each session. Used by city attorneys and planning commissions.
View Analysis
Join the Movement