LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) has endorsed the Justice for Renters Act, a statewide ballot initiative that would expand rent control in California.
The measure is 23 words and reads as follows: ‘The state may not limit the right of any city, county, or city and county to maintain, enact or expand residential rent control.’ It would give local communities the right to stabilize rents and make apartments more affordable for low-income and middle-income renters.
“We couldn't be more honored than to have the endorsement of Bernie Sanders, the political conscience of our nation. If there is one thing you know for sure about Bernie, it is that he is on the side of working families and opposed to the greed of corporate vultures such as the California Apartment Association,” said Michael Weinstein, president and cofounder of AHF which is sponsoring the Justice for Renters initiative.
Weinstein continued, “Bernie and I grew up in rent-controlled apartments in Brooklyn so we both know firsthand how important affordable housing is to a person’s stability. We also know that rent control in New York refutes the lie that rent control kills development as you can barely recognize the skyline that has sprouted across Brooklyn.
“What distinguishes Bernie from so many other elected officials is his absolute independence from the special interests that dominate our politics in California and make it impossible to pass any meaningful renters’ rights relief in Sacramento.
“Like Bernie, we don't give up on a cause like justice for renters which is why we are sponsoring this initiative for the third time.
“We remind everyone how valuable Bernie's endorsement is based on how convincingly Bernie won the Democratic presidential primary in California in 2020.”
The Justice for Renters campaign kicked off in May 2023 in Los Angeles with the announcement that more than 810,000 signatures -- far more than the 546,651 needed to qualify – had been collected and submitted in support of the proposed statewide rent control measure. In July 2023, the Secretary of State’s office certified the initiative for inclusion on the November 2024 ballot.