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Ready for another fight over rent control?
Six months after a statewide initiative that could have expanded rent control across California was rejected overwhelmingly at the polls, a group of progressive state lawmakers are back with a suite of pro-tenant legislation that faces its first major legislative hurdle this month.
Bills that would allow cities to apply rent control to single-family homes, impose a “rent-gouging cap” on how much landlords could increase the rent year-over-year, and force landlords to disclose reasons behind an eviction notice are all up for crucial early committee votes.
The bills come with the backdrop of yet another rent control ballot initiative looming in 2020.
And even with Democratic majorities and the authors of those bills on a important housing committee, sponsors of the legislation admit the effort could fail this early in the process.
“There are some of the legislators…that you’d think would be better on this issue than they are,” said Michelle Pariset, a policy advocate with Public Advocates, on “Gimme Shelter: The California Housing Crisis Podcast.”
Pariset called out Assemblyman Todd Gloria, a Democrat from San Diego and a renter himself, as an example of a progressive lawmaker who has not yet committed to supporting the bill. She added that tenant groups would like to see more specifics and support from Gov. Gavin Newsom, who called for lawmakers to pass a package of rent stabilization measures earlier this year.
On this episode of “Gimme Shelter,” Matt Levin of CALmatters and Liam Dillon of the Los Angeles Times discuss the tough policy and politics of tenant legislation with Pariset and Assemblyman Rob Bonta, Democrat from Alameda.