Measure Q supporters march in Half Moon Bay ahead of Election Day
By CBS Bay Area
Chants filled the air in downtown Half Moon Bay on Sunday evening, as supporters of Measure Q marched on Kelly Avenue.
If passed, Measure Q would approve the development of a five-story building on 555 Kelly Avenue by downtown. The project would provide 40 affordable units for current and former senior farmworkers.
ALAS is a Latino-serving community organization that supports the farmworker community, and along with Mercy Housing California, a major proponent of the project.
“We’ve been praying for this for four years, and we’re ready,” Dr. Belinda Hernández-Ariaga, the CEO and founder of ALAS, told CBS News Bay Area.
For Hernández-Ariaga, this has been a fight years in the making. Back in 2024, Half Moon Bay city council approved the coastal permit and entitlements for the project.
But now, the fate of the housing complex is up to voters after “Let Half Moon Bay Voters Decide” submitted a referendum petition, amassing 1,092 signatures, to put the measure on the November ballot.
Hernández-Ariaga said she is remaining hopeful.
“Cautiously optimistic, I think in the end of the day, people have really come together to say we want to support our farmworkers,” she said.
But critics told CBS News Bay Area that there are far too many questions than answers.
“The proponents have done a lot of outpourings of emotional support for this project. There’s a lot of PR. But a lot of the questions have not been asked and answered for the public to be able to evaluate the pros and cons,” Hal Bogner, the founder of ‘Let Half Moon Bay Voters Decide,’ said. “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?”
Supporters of the measure, however, disagree.
“For every opposition and point that they have said, there’s a really good answer,” Hernández-Ariaga said. “This is a half story higher than the tallest building in town right across the street. They talk about parking, yet there’s 18 parking spaces.”
Critics said the city has already been showing up for farmworkers.
“The city has shown a lot of heart and will continue to do so,” Bogner said. “A number of years ago, there was a shooting on two farms outside of Half Moon Bay. And it was discovered at that time and became a large public issue, that the conditions of which people in the two farms were living was very poor.”
With the countdown until Tuesday, supporters and critics are both fighting for their vision of Half Moon Bay.
“We’re feeling hopeful,” Hernández-Ariaga said.
If Measure Q passes, the anticipated start of the construction is next fall, with completion by 2029.
