In San Pablo, tenant advocates have taken a significant step towards placing a rent control measure on the November ballot. On Tuesday, they submitted more than 1,500 signatures to the city, surpassing the required threshold to trigger a vote on the measure. City officials will now undertake the process of verifying the signatures, paving the way for the initiative to potentially be presented to voters in the upcoming election.
The proposed measure seeks to curb rent increases and bolster renter protections in San Pablo. It aligns with similar efforts unfolding across the Bay Area, where renter and landlord groups are actively engaging in ballot box campaigns to either expand or roll back tenant protections. In Berkeley, a measure is being pushed to expand renter protections, while in Concord, a campaign is underway to repeal a recently approved rent control law.
These initiatives are a response to the expiration of pandemic-era eviction moratoriums and rental assistance programs, which provided a lifeline to low-income tenants facing financial hardship and job losses. With these emergency measures now lapsed, tenant groups are turning to voters in the hope of securing permanent renter protections.
The Bay Area’s housing market has been characterized by soaring costs, with the typical apartment rent in the region exceeding $2,500 per month, significantly higher than the national average of less than $1,400. Many residents struggle to keep up with these astronomical housing expenses, making rent control a pressing issue for tenant advocates.
Veronica Martinez, a local social justice advocate and San Pablo tenant for over 25 years, has voiced her support for the rent control measure. She emphasizes the difficult choices tenants face, often having to prioritize rent payments over essential needs like food.
Opponents of rent control argue that it can negatively impact small landlords, particularly those still recovering from the economic fallout of the pandemic. They contend that restricting rent increases discourages developers from constructing additional housing, exacerbating the region’s housing shortage. Additionally, they cite studies suggesting that rent limits can reduce the availability of rental units and diminish overall affordability as tenants remain in rent-controlled properties for extended periods, and some landlords may opt to withdraw their units from the rental market.
The proposed ballot measures in San Pablo and other Bay Area cities, including Redwood City, Pittsburg, and Larkspur, share common elements. They aim to cap annual rent increases at 60% of the inflation rate, with a maximum limit of 3% or 5%, depending on the specific measure. These measures also seek to strengthen enforcement of existing renter protections and include provisions against tenant harassment.
It is important to note that the proposed rent caps would not apply to single-family homes and condos, nor would they affect apartments built after 1995. Landlords would retain the right to charge market-rate rent to new tenants, and property owners would have the option to petition for rent increases beyond the local limits in certain cases.
At the state level, California enacted a law in 2020 that caps rent increases for older apartments at 5% plus inflation, or 10%, whichever is lower. Over 20 cities across the state have also implemented local rent control laws, including Oakland, Richmond, San Jose, Mountain View, East Palo Alto, and San Francisco.
The upcoming vote on the rent control measure in San Pablo is expected to be closely watched, with potential implications for the broader debate on housing affordability in the Bay Area and beyond.
