City of San Bruno Measure S — Housing Permits and Developments Measure (San Mateo County)

What it does

Shall City of San Bruno Ordinance No. 1284, the 1977 zoning initiative that requires voter approval before the City Council can approve buildings exceeding specified height limits, residential density increases beyond 1974 zoning, multi-story parking structures, and certain roadway changes, be repealed given that State housing laws supersede local height limits and the ordinance interacts with current City economic development goals?

A YES vote means

San Bruno would repeal its 1977 Ordinance No. 1284, which requires voter approval before the Council can approve buildings over set height limits, density above 1974 zoning, multi-story parking structures and certain roadway changes.

A NO vote means

Ordinance No. 1284 would stay in place, and those projects would still need voter approval.

Needed to pass

A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.

Left–right lean

Unclear: our AI read of the official summary isn't confident enough (we require 70%) to place this on the left–right spectrum, so we don't. Read the summary and decide for yourself.

The YES and NO lines are SpectrumVote's plain-language reading of the official text above; the official text is what you vote on.

Official text: source

Background

The San Bruno City Council placed this measure on the ballot by Resolution No. 2026-075, adopted July 28, 2026 by a 5-0 vote (Hamilton, M. Medina, Salazar, Alvarez and Mayor R. Medina), according to the resolution filed with the San Mateo County Elections Office.

Ordinance No. 1284 is a 1977 voter initiative requiring voter approval before City approvals of buildings over three stories or 50 feet and certain residential density increases; the resolution states that state housing laws such as the Density Bonus Law, SB 9 (2021) and SB 79 (2025) have since pre-empted much of its housing-related effect while it still constrains commercial development.

The resolution cites the loss of the Crossings Hotel project in 1999 and a major employer's decision to expand elsewhere as effects of the ordinance, and states that future projects would remain subject to General Plan, zoning, discretionary and environmental review.

Put on the ballot by San Bruno City Council, 5-0, July 28, 2026 (Resolution No. 2026-075).

From official source.

Next elections here

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• City of San Mateo Measure H — Transactions and Use Tax Measure
• City of San Mateo Measure F — Charter Amendment Measure

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Quick answers

What does a YES vote on City of San Bruno Measure S mean?

San Bruno would repeal its 1977 Ordinance No. 1284, which requires voter approval before the Council can approve buildings over set height limits, density above 1974 zoning, multi-story parking structures and certain roadway changes.

What does a NO vote on City of San Bruno Measure S mean?

Ordinance No. 1284 would stay in place, and those projects would still need voter approval.

How many votes does City of San Bruno Measure S need to pass?

A simple majority: more than half of the YES and NO votes on this measure must be YES. Leaving it blank doesn't count either way.

Should I vote yes or no on City of San Bruno Measure S?

SpectrumVote doesn't endorse anyone or tell you how to vote. Read what a YES and a NO vote each do, and the official text, then decide based on what you want to happen.

When is the vote?

The general election was Tuesday, November 3, 2026. Counts are unofficial until each state certifies its results over the following weeks; your state or county election office has the official results.