Chants filled downtown Half Moon Bay on Sunday evening, Nov. 1, as supporters of Measure Q marched on Kelly Avenue, CBS News Bay Area reported. Tuesday's vote will decide the fate of a senior farmworker housing project that has been in the works for years.
What Measure Q decides
A yes vote would uphold Ordinance No. 2026-01, which approves a ground lease and related agreements so Mercy Housing California can build affordable housing for senior agricultural workers on city-owned land at 535 and 555 Kelly Ave., according to the city. The five-story building would have 39 affordable homes plus a manager's unit, along with a farmworker resource center. The planning commission approved the permits in May 2024, and the City Council upheld that approval in June 2024.
The group Let Half Moon Bay Voters Decide filed a referendum petition with 1,092 signatures in June 2026, and the county verified enough signatures to put the ordinance before voters. See our Measure Q explainer for more.
What each side says
“We've been praying for this for four years, and we're ready,” said Dr. Belinda Hernández-Ariaga, CEO and founder of ALAS, a Latino-serving community group that backs the project with Mercy Housing. She told CBS she is “cautiously optimistic.”
Hal Bogner, founder of Let Half Moon Bay Voters Decide, said too many questions remain. “This is a 99-year lease to Mercy Housing to operate the building. But they're only 15 years of promised funding for the subsidies to make it highly affordable. What happens after the 15 years?” he told CBS.
Hernández-Ariaga countered that the building is “a half story higher than the tallest building in town right across the street” and will have 18 parking spaces.
How to vote
Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3. Polls and vote centers close at 8 p.m., and mailed ballots must be postmarked by Election Day and arrive within seven days. You can check your registration and ballot status at sos.ca.gov/elections. California lets you register and vote the same day at a vote center.