Supervisors OK first-time homebuyer program; sponsor votes no

SAN DIEGO — The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted 3-1 Wednesday in favor of a pilot program aimed at assisting first-time homebuyers, but the original sponsor voted no over what he called an unnecessary political statement added to the proposal.

Supervisor Jim Desmond’s original measure directed Chief Administrative Officer Ebony Shelton’s office to assess how the program would benefit new homebuyers in the unincorporated area.

That analysis would include:
— opportunities for public-private partnerships, including financial institutions, as a way to secure better terms for applicants;
— potential down payment assistance;
— interest rate options to improve mortgage affordability;
— criteria designed to complement two existing programs that help with down payment and closing costs, and down payments for moderate-income residents; and
— an estimate of how much the program would cost, along with safeguards and strategies to lower risk.

Before the vote, Desmond said the program would not magically fix obstacles to homeownership, “but was another step in the right direction.”

However, board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer sought to add language formally opposing Trump administration policies that she said have contributed to rising housing costs, including tariffs on construction materials and the joint U.S. and Israeli military action against Iran.

Based on a suggestion by Supervisor Paloma Aguirre, the proposal also directs Shelton and her team to analyze “the impact of geopolitical conflicts and tariffs on inflation, energy costs, construction costs and local housing,” according to a slide showing the recommendation.

The CAO will report back in 90 days with an analysis.

Desmond described the political statement as a “poison pill.”

“I’m going to be voting against my own item,” Desmond said.

“This is why nothing gets done, this is why housing doesn’t get built,” he told his colleagues. “Every angst you’ve had against the administration, this all comes up unfortunately, when we’re just trying to do simple things here in our own community. We just need to get more young people and families into housing.”

“Just put up, ‘I hate Trump’ in the proposal,” Desmond said before the vote.

Aguirre responded that Americans are experiencing the effects of the president’s policies.

“I think this is factual,” she said.

In an emailed statement to City News Service, Desmond said that while his original proposal was about helping families, “they used it to score points.”

“I wasn’t going to let my name be attached to something that no longer reflected its original purpose,” he added.

The agenda item was originally set for the board’s Tuesday meeting but was moved to Wednesday due to time constraints.

Supervisor Joel Anderson was absent due to illness.