Subjects: Event, Advisory

Amidst Explosion of Homelessness, Rental Affordability Headed for 2020 Ballot

On Thursday, December 5, 2019, a coalition of California renters advocates, elected officials, and social justice organizations will host a trio of press conferences and rallies across the state, at various times and locations in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego, to announce and celebrate the submission of nearly one million signatures?far more than enough needed?to qualify the Rental Affordability Act for placement on statewide ballots for November 2020. The initiative will allow for the expansion of rent control in California. Signatures of 623,212 California voters are needed to qualify the measure.

Housing Is A Human Right (HHR), the housing advocacy division of AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), and the leading sponsor of the RAA, is also very excited to announce the endorsement of the Rental Affordability Act by a suite of California's most well regarded tenant advocacy and social justice organizations, including the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE), the Eviction Defense Network (EDN), and the Democratic Socialists of America, Los Angeles (DSA-LA).

When passed, The Rental Affordability Act will remove current restrictions in state law, 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.
• Exempts Single-Family homeowners who own up to two homes.
• Allow limits on rent increases when a new renter moves in.

Amy Schur, Campaign Director of ACCE, said, "The Rental Affordability Act would help keep millions of renters in their homes by allowing for the expansion of rent control protections. It would help preserve the integrity of our communities, and provide greater peace and stability to seniors, families, and working Californians who are currently falling prey to exorbitant rents."

Elena Popp, Founder and Executive Director of Eviction Defense Network (EDN), says, "Common sense reforms like the Rental Affordability Act are necessary to stem the bleeding of California's historic housing affordability and homelessness crises. Renters are being squeezed dry by predatory, Wall St. landlords. That must end now."

"California's existing rent control laws are outdated and insufficient for preventing unscrupulous landlords from using unfair loopholes to exploit tenants, and drive more and more residents into homelessness," said Arielle Sallai, Chair of DSA-LA's Housing and Homelessness Committee. "We need strong, comprehensive protections for renters, and the Rental Affordability Act meets the bill."

Housing Is A Human Right Campaign Director, René Christian Moya, said, "While the national real estate industry is gearing up to spend untold millions against the Rental Affordability Act in California next year, our campaign is rallying a broad, grassroots coalition of working class renters and their advocates. We look forward to the fight ahead, and to passing the Rental Affordability Act next year."

Michael Weinstein, Cofounder and President of AHF, the organization sponsoring the initiative, said, "75% of Californians hold a positive to very positive view of rent control. The housing affordability and homelessness crises are the most pressing social justice and public health emergencies in our time, especially in Southern California. We must take action to stop it now. To that end, we intend to bring the issue directly to California voters next November."

The Rental Affordability Act is sponsored by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation.

Learn more at https://www.rentcontrolnow.org/

News published on 4 december 2019 at 23:05 and distributed by: