How to fix San Diego’s housing shortage is a problem that has dogged city leaders for years.

This story is featured on the KPBS Voter Hub as part of our Public Matters nonprofit news partnership. Explore what’s at stake this election season to make informed decisions on your ballot.

A new political advertisement ahead of the June primary features a false claim about San Diego’s proposal to tax property owners who keep second homes vacant for most of the year.

The claim starts about halfway through a 30-second video circulating throughout the San Diego region. The voiceover says Measure A “threatens every San Diego resident and family with a $10,000 per home tax.”

In reality, less than 1% of the homes in San Diego would be subject to the tax. The proposal narrowly targets property owners who do not claim homes as a primary residence and leave them vacant for more than 182 days in a calendar year. About 5,100 homes meet that threshold in San Diego, records show.

In a statement, a spokesperson for the No on Measure A campaign, which paid for the advertisement, said it comes down to the burden of proof. Property owners would be required to prove their home wasn’t empty for most of the year to avoid paying the tax, “which means all San Diego residents are at risk of being subject to the tax.”

But that is quite a leap. Here’s how it actually works:

Property owners who do not have a homeowner’s exemption on file with the San Diego County Assessor’s Office are assumed to be...

Read Full Story: https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiiAFBVV95cUxPQmhiV25SZVJxMzJXLVYxU2hR...