A measure that would require the University of California to offer no-interest downpayment loans to eligible staff has become eligible for the November 7, 2028 statewide ballot. Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber announced on October 5 that the initiative had become eligible on October 2, after county election officials conducted a full manual count when an initial random sample came up short.
The measure, titled Requires University of California to Provide Downpayment Home Loans to Certain Staff, needed 874,641 valid petition signatures to qualify, a figure equal to eight percent of the total votes cast for governor in the November 2022 general election, according to Sierra Sun Times. The initiative exceeded that threshold, and the Secretary of State is slated to formally certify it as qualified on June 29, 2028. Under state elections law, the proponent could still withdraw the measure before that certification date.
The proponent behind the filing is Michael Avant, with Liz Perlman listed as his contact at an Oakland address tied to AFSCME Local 3299, the union representing more than 42,000 service, patient care, technical, and skilled craft employees across all 10 UC campuses and five medical centers. That institutional footprint explains the muscle behind the signature drive: Local 3299 is the same union that, in May 2026, ratified a new labor contract with the University of California by a 96% vote after canceling a planned statewide open-ended strike.
Why the Union Turned to Voters Instead of the Bargaining Table
That May 2026 contract delivered real gains for the union's lowest-paid members, including wage increases totaling 19% over the life of the deal and a university minimum wage of $30 an hour by November 2029. But it left out housing assistance entirely, a gap that pushed union leaders toward the initiative process, according to the Daily Bruin.
UC currently offers home loans to faculty and managers. The measure would extend eligibility to other staff, including custodians and technicians. UC also has existing housing assistance programs.
What the Measure Would Actually Require
If it reaches voters and passes, the measure would require UC to extend no-interest downpayment loans to non-faculty, non-managerial staff who are first-time homebuyers with at least five years of experience working for the university. Eligible staff could receive loans covering 20% of a home's downpayment with no monthly payments required, though borrowers would have to repay the loan plus 20% of any increase in the home's value when the property is sold or refinanced. The measure also mandates that 75% of the loans go to staff whose household incomes fall at or below the area median income.
Notably, the initiative explicitly bars the use of taxpayer funds, tuition dollars, or the general fund to finance the loans.
The Price Tag and the Financial Trade-Off
The Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance estimated the measure's fiscal impact on state and local governments would include about $30 million annually in initial UC costs to provide the new home loans, per the fiscal estimate cited in the Sierra Sun Times report. That annual cost is expected to decrease over a few decades as loans get repaid.
Not everyone views that cost as simple. An October 2025 fiscal report by the California Legislative Analyst's Office noted that committing short-term cash reserves to long-term staff downpayment loans reduces the liquid funds available for investment yields and other university operational needs — a trade-off that will likely surface again as both sides weigh their options over the next two years.
A Long Runway Before Election Day
Because the measure is an initiative constitutional amendment aimed at the November 2028 ballot, the proponent could still withdraw it before the June 29, 2028 certification date. For now, though, its eligibility marks how far the union is willing to go to win housing benefits already available to faculty and managers.
