$20M for affordable housing in Costa Mesa? Council to consider bond measure for November ballot

Are Costa Mesa taxpayers willing to pay for affordable housing?

The question is poised to go before the City Council in coming weeks after a request from Mayor Pro Tem Jim Righeimer on Tuesday to put a $20-million bond on the November ballot that could pay for, in part or in full, new low-income units in Costa Mesa.

The bond also could be used toward transitional housing to help people get back on their feet, Righeimer said.

The bond would need simple majority approval from the council to get on the fall ballot.

Though Righeimer suggested $20 million, any specifics, including an exact dollar amount, haven’t been hashed out. The funds would come through a property tax increase, said city spokesman Tony Dodero.

“If the people of the community want to do this, they’ll vote for it,” Righeimer said. “And if people in the community don’t want to do this, they won’t vote for it. ... At the end of the day, we’ll at least know where the people in the community are” on the issue.

Righeimer’s proposal comes amid activists’ calls for more low-income housing in Costa Mesa and a recent lawsuit, filed by an affordable-housing nonprofit, that alleges the city violated state law in November when it approved 224 apartments to replace the 236-room Costa Mesa Motor Inn, which is used as de facto housing for many low-income families.

Righeimer first suggested the affordable-housing bond after the council approved the Motor Inn plan.

The Motor Inn project — which is on hold because of the lawsuit and other legal challenges — was approved without new low-income provisions. Its long-term residents would receive relocation packages worth up to $5,500 from the motel’s owner, Los Angeles-based Miracle Mile Properties, which also is the developer for the apartment complex.

Miracle Mile has said it couldn’t afford adding low-income units for its estimated $50-million project without receiving supplements from state or federal grants.