Keeping Our Children in California: Hertzberg on the Middle-Class Homeownership Act
Planning Report – October 1, 2025
Former California Senate Majority Leader and Assembly Speaker Bob Hertzberg is championing the proposed Middle-Class Homeownership and Family Home Construction Act, a 2026 ballot initiative aimed at expanding housing opportunities for middle-income Californians. After repeated attempts in the Legislature stalled amid competing interests, Hertzberg pressed on independently—raising private funds to support the research and policy design. He now frames the measure as an elegant, market-based solution to bridge the gap between subsidized affordable housing and unaffordable market-rate options. Calling it a “war for the middle class,” Hertzberg emphasizes its goal: enabling working families and their children to build wealth and remain in California.