LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Housing justice advocates and champions of Proposition 21, a November state ballot initiative that will return decision-making on rent control laws to the local level, will come together in mutual support with local rent control advocates and preservationists from Burbank, Mountain View and Sacramento.
The groups will meet to show solidarity and support for each other’s efforts in a VIRTUAL PRESS CONFERENCE on Wednesday, September 16, 2020 at 12:00 p.m. (noon) PT to urge voter support for the statewide Proposition 21 as well as two local rent control measures on the ballot in Burbank and Sacramento. Advocates from Mountain View—which currently has some form of rent control in place—are mobilizing to oppose a November ballot measure to weaken or disband existing rent control ordinances in their communities.
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VIRTUAL PRESS CONFERENCE: Housing advocates behind efforts to institute and/or preserve rent control efforts in Burbank, Mountain View and Sacramento will join backers of Prop. 21 to support each other’s efforts to keep families in their homes |
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Wednesday, September 16, 2020 - 12:00 p.m. (noon) PT |
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Register for Zoom Meeting (link) |
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https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_VCBKabyGRbaklqVQXHfP0Q |
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Participants will receive a Meeting ID and a Passcode unique to each user and not to be shared |
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The two cities that will have local rent control measures on the November ballot alongside Prop. 21 are Burbank and Sacramento. The Burbank initiative, Measure RC, is sponsored by Burbank Tenants’ Rights Committee. In Sacramento, a bitter fight with proponents and the City Council over the constitutionality of Measure C has not kept SEIU Local 1021 from sponsoring and placing the rent control measure on the ballot.
On the flip side, Culver City and Mountain View housing advocates are mobilizing to preserve rent control ordinances already in place by opposing November ballot measures to weaken or disband those existing rent control laws in their communities.
BURBANK:
"At a time when residents' incomes are most at risk, it's more important than ever that local rent control has a chance to stabilize communities. We must get ahead of evictions on a mass scale,” said Gloria Kelly, Burbank Tenants Rights Committee. “Commercial interests that treat housing only as a commodity feel their bottom line is threatened by the local measures. The reaction to Burbank's Measure RC is an example of how far the opposition will go to undermine the validity of the grassroots work."
MOUNTAIN VIEW:
“Mountain View passed rent control in 2016. Rents are still high, but renters know that they are safe from sudden huge rent increases,” said Edie Keating of the Mountain View Housing Justice Coalition. “Rent control doesn't just stabilize rents. Rent control has stabilized the whole community of Mountain View.”
SACRAMENTO:
“Sacramento needs rent control to help stabilize our future. What we have isn't enough. Special interests have worked hard to protect their profits, so someone has to protect our working-class families. That's what Measure C does. It makes sure we have fair rules in place for everyone that won't expire like the state protections do," said Jonah Paul, Sacramento DSA.
"Local Rent Control policies are a clear message of support to the valuable members of our community and essential contributors to our local economy,” said Jorge Rivera of Tenants Together. "When political and real estate interests oppose such measures, it sends a message to the contrary...that renters are non-essential and therefore, not as valued as homeowners. This oppositional message works against a safe and thriving community where all residents are essential to its success."
“It is a privilege to collaborate with such dedicated and compassionate housing advocates seeking to create and/or preserve rent control measures in their own communities. We also greatly appreciate their collective endorsement and support of our measure, Proposition 21,” said René Christian Moya, campaign director of Yes on 21 and director of Housing Is A Human Right. “Now, more than ever, Proposition 21 is needed to help keep California families in their homes, especially at a time when millions of Californians face even further housing insecurity due to the devastating economic impact of COVID-19.”
Proposition 21
When passed, Proposition 21 will remove current state law restrictions, giving cities and counties the power to implement and expand rent control policies that limit how much rents can increase each year. It would allow local communities to:
- Expand rent control to more buildings while exempting newly constructed buildings.
- Exempt single-family homeowners who own up to two homes.
- Allow limits on rent increases when a new renter moves in.
Housing Is A Human Right (HHR) is the housing advocacy division of AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), and the leading sponsor of Proposition 21.
Proposition 21 is sponsored by Homeowners & Tenants United, with significant funding by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. To learn more, visit www.yeson21ca.org and www.housinghumanright.org.
