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Politico
28-05-2025
- Business
- Politico
Renter-protection bills are too damn risky
TENANT TROUBLE: Renter-protection bills have been running into a wall of resistance in Sacramento, even as legislative leaders insist affordability concerns are top of mind for them. And State Sen. Aisha Wahab — one of the few lawmakers aggressively pushing tenant-related legislation — is facing a barrage of negative ads from the California Apartment Association as she whips votes on the Senate floor. The Apartment Association, a deep-pocketed trade group that represents landlords and developers, is targeting Wahab's proposals to limit rental fees and give tenants more time to pay overdue rent before they can be evicted, arguing those measures would destabilize the rental market and drive up costs. Tenant legislation has never been an easy lift in California, but the issue seems to be especially challenging now, as Democrats increasingly favor easing the construction of new homes as a solution to the state's notorious housing affordability crisis. It's been six years since former Assemblymember David Chiu pushed a bill capping rent increases statewide — which also included significant new eviction restrictions for landlords — through the Capitol. 'Housing and homelessness is the No. 1 issue for the majority of Californians,' said Wahab, a Hayward Democrat. 'This Legislature cannot ignore the issues that renters are facing, and these are bills to address and alleviate some of the pain points.' In the years since California lawmakers approved an annual 10 percent limit on rent increases through 2029, the Apartment Association has successfully used Covid pandemic rent relief programs to beat back new tenant legislation, including a proposal to lower and extend the cap. The group has made mom-and-pop landlords central to its lobbying efforts and emphasized that its members have already taken financial hits. It's also highlighted failed statewide ballot measures that would have made it easier for local governments to enact rent control, saying it's clear voters are opposed to the issue. 'Fundamentally, voters and housing leaders understand that the key to solving our housing crisis is creating more housing at every level — not putting more regulatory burdens and restrictions on people providing housing,' said Nathan Click, an Apartment Association spokesperson, in a statement. Lawmakers are often loathe to go up against the powerful trade group because of its willingness to play in elections, but Wahab has not shied away from the conflict. In addition to her tenant legislation, she has tried to block bills meant to fast-track housing construction — a stance the Apartment Association is also targeting in its ad campaign. She's been critical of the benefits such proposals provide developers and argues they should include more stringent density and affordability requirements. Wahab doesn't buy the popular philosophy that more housing will eventually add up to lower rents and home prices. Tenants, she argues, are so hamstrung by high rental costs they can't even dream of purchasing a home. 'Has it translated to lower-cost rents? No,' she said. 'Has it translated to lower-cost home ownership opportunities? No. So what it has translated to is the developer benefits by putting the cost savings of all the streamlining efforts into their own pocket.' Legislative Renters' Caucus chair Matt Haney, a San Francisco Democrat, is trying to straddle the line between pro-development and tenant-rights advocates, saying he supports rent control but also wants to make it easier for developers to build housing. 'I don't accept that it's an either/or,' he said. 'Over the long term, we absolutely have to build a lot more housing, and the housing shortage is directly connected to the high rents that Californians pay, there's no doubt about that.' Still, he added, it may be years before the additional housing stabilizes and lowers rents. 'Californians can't wait that long,' he said. Haney is now negotiating with the Apartment Association on his own bill dealing with rental fees, which he and Wahab contend are being used to get around the rent cap. Wahab believes she has the votes she needs to advance her bills to the Assembly ahead of next Friday's deadline. But this year's most ambitious tenant legislation didn't make it very far. A proposal from Los Angeles Democrat Isaac Bryan that would have frozen rents in Los Angeles County after the wildfires couldn't get off the Assembly floor. San Jose Democrat Ash Kalra tabled legislation that would have lowered the state's annual limit on rent hikes to 5 percent after facing blowback from fellow Democrats. 'We have a very effective lobbying core that speaks on behalf of the small percentage of Californians that are landlords, versus renters that can't afford that same degree of ferocious lobbying on a daily basis in Sacramento,' Kalra said. IT'S WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. This is California Playbook PM, a POLITICO newsletter that serves as an afternoon temperature check on California politics and a look at what our policy reporters are watching. Got tips or suggestions? Shoot an email to lholden@ WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY TRANS SPORTS FALLOUT: A day after President Donald Trump threatened to withhold funding from California over a law that allows transgender students to participate in women's sports and called out a transgender athlete, the Justice Department announced it has opened an investigation into the issue. Justice officials said in a statement today that the probe would look into whether California's rules violate Title IX, a federal law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in schools. The investigation marks the latest clash between the Trump administration and deep blue California over transgender athletes — a hot-button topic Gov. Gavin Newsom waded in earlier this year when he broke with Democrats, calling it 'an issue of fairness.' The DOJ said it sent letters of legal notice to California Attorney General Rob Bonta and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Tony Thurmond as well as the district where the transgender athlete attends school and the state's governing body for high school sports. 'Title IX exists to protect women and girls in education. It is perverse to allow males to compete against girls, invade their private spaces, and take their trophies,' Harmeet K. Dhillon, assistant attorney general for Civil Rights, said in a statement. 'This Division will aggressively defend women's hard-fought rights to equal educational opportunities.' The state's law, which passed in 2013, allows transgender students to participate in school programs and sports teams and use facilities consistent with their gender identities. — Eric He IN OTHER NEWS DELAY OF LAUNCH: Readers eager to get their hands on Newsom's memoir will have to wait just a little bit longer. The governor's book, titled 'Young Man in a Hurry,' has been delayed from May 13 to Feb. 24, spokesperson Lindsey Cobia confirmed to Playbook. 'In January, the governor postponed the release of his book so he could focus on the Los Angeles wildfires and LA's recovery,' Cobia said in a statement. EVEN WHEN I LOSE, I'M WINNING: Michael Tubbs may be trailing Fiona Ma's fundraising numbers in the lieutenant governor's race, but he does now boast financial support from a legend: John Legend. The 'All of Me' singer — whose legal name is John Roger Stephens — gave $5,000 to Tubbs, campaign finance filings show. Legend and Tubbs were linked up through shared Hollywood connections, and Legend was aware of Tubbs' work as mayor of Stockton where he piloted a universal basic income program, according to a spokesperson for Tubbs' campaign. — Blake Jones WHAT WE'RE READING TODAY — The San Francisco school board today dropped plans for alternative grading after the proposal received widespread blowback, including from political figures. (San Francisco Chronicle) — The U.S. Postal Service is still trying to reach about 330 people who lost their homes in the LA fires and are owed tax refunds because their properties dropped in value. (Los Angeles Times) — San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie's Instagram is a hit. (San Francisco Chronicle) AROUND THE STATE — San Diego Community Power will open two battery and solar storage projects to meet their renewable energy goals. (San Diego Union-Tribune) — Anaheim Hills homeowners voted against continuing to fund water pumps installed in the neighborhood after a 1993 landslide. (Orange County Register) — Oakland moved dozens of community-installed speed bumps in Highland Terrace, causing neighbors to complain once again about reckless driving. (San Francisco Chronicle) — compiled by Nicole Norman
Epoch Times
30-04-2025
- Business
- Epoch Times
California Rent Control Bill Withdrawn by Lawmaker
California's newest legislation to lower the statewide rent control cap and increase tenant protections was pulled by its author on April 29. 'I am grateful my colleagues on the Assembly Housing Committee acknowledged the pressing need to take action to support tenants statewide and stabilize the rental market,' Kalra said in a The California Apartment Association, which represents more than 13,000 members, welcomed the news. 'This outcome reflects the power of a coordinated effort between [the association's] lobbying team and our members,' said Tom Bannon, chief executive officer for the California Apartment Association, in a According to the association, thousands of rental housing providers wrote letters to lawmakers, and more than 150 came to the Capitol to oppose the bill in person. Related Stories 3/28/2023 3/7/2016 'Their voices, combined with strategic advocacy from our government affairs team, played a key role in halting this damaging legislation,' Bannon said. Kalra's rent control bill was passed last week by the Assembly's Housing and Community Development Committee. The legislation would lower the state's yearly rent-hike cap from 5 percent plus inflation, which cannot exceed 10 percent annually, to 2 percent plus inflation, with a maximum increase of 5 percent allowed each year. 'Housing is a human right, and we must do what we can to help keep people in their homes,' Kalra told the Assembly committee at the April 24 Kalra, a San Jose Democrat, also included a provision that would make the state's Tenant Protection Act of 2019 permanent. When the original rent control law was enacted six years ago, it had a 10-year limit. State law allows cities and counties to impose a lower cap. According to the lawmaker, 35 cities and counties have passed different rules for stabilizing rents, which Kalra said has created a 'hodgepodge' of laws. California is home to about 17 According to the nonpartisan think tank Public Policy Institute of California, the state's rental share is topped only by New York's rental market, which houses 46 percent of its population. Kalra's proposed legislation would remove the state's existing exemption for single-family homes and make them subject to the rent cap. San Diego renter Tammy Alvarado told committee members that she and her family rent a single-family home that is not covered by the state's rent control laws. 'It seems so unfair,' Alvarado said. A house is available for rent in Los Angeles on March 15, California Apartment Association—a statewide trade group for apartment owners, investors, and developers—testified against the measure. 'Rent control discourages new housing, does not resolve supply, and it exacerbates affordability,' said Debra Carlton, executive vice president of the association, quoting from a legislative analysis of the bill. She added that single-family homeowners who currently rent their properties to families would not be able to do so if lower caps were passed. California voters rejected a similar statewide rent control law last year when 60 percent of them voted against An available home in Los Angeles on Feb. 1, proposition aimed to repeal a state law prohibiting rent control on single-family homes and apartments completed after Feb. 1, 1999. The proposition was pushed by the group Housing Is a Human Right. It was the third In anticipation of the possible passage of Prop. 33, multifamily housing permits
Axios
03-04-2025
- Business
- Axios
New California renter protection bill aims to cut "unpredictable" housing fees
More protections may be coming for California renters under a new bill aimed at cutting unexpected fees attached to rent. State of play: Democrat Assemblymember Matt Haney, along with Attorney General Rob Bonta, introduced AB 1248 earlier this week. It aims to create more financial stability for renters by preventing landlords from bypassing state rent cap laws with unpredictable fees for services like pest control and trash collection. The bill's authors claim the practice of charging extra fees has become increasingly more prevalent after a 2019 state law implemented new rent hike limits. Haney argues those costs should be accounted for in rent. What they're saying:"Housing costs in California are already high and added fees only make it harder for renters to budget and stay financially stable. These unfair and unpredictable costs are nothing more than a scam that drives up housing expenses and leaves tenants paying far more than they expected," Haney said in a statement. By the numbers: California has the second-highest renter-occupied housing rate (44%) in the U.S. behind New York (46%), with about 17 million renters, according to the U.S. Census data. Zoom in: In San Francisco, renters make up the majority, representing about two-thirds of the city's households. About two in every five San Francisco renters are considered rent burdened as of 2023, spending more than 30% of their household income. The bill could especially help prevent large corporate landlords from charging extra fees that tenants have historically had a difficult time legally challenging, according to Randy Shaw, the executive director of the Tenderloin Housing Clinic. Between the lines: Landlords would be required to include all costs within the rent instead of charging separate fees and would be prohibited from adding new fees to the rent during a tenancy. Landlords would also be prevented from using a rent payment towards late fees or other charges before the rent itself, which could help avoid "an outstanding monthly rent balance" that leaves tenants more vulnerable to eviction, according to Tuesday Rose Thornton, a staff attorney at the Eviction Defense Collaborative. The other side: The legislation could have negative unintended consequences on the rental market because landlords might need to account for some fluctuating fees that could lead to higher rents, said Debra Carlton, executive vice president of state government affairs at the California Apartment Association. Carlton added that there's no evidence suggesting property owners are circumventing California's Tenant Protection Act since many housing fees have been common practice long before the state law went into effect. The intrigue: In San Francisco, where tenant protections are among the strongest in the state, market-rate tenants could be affected more significantly than rent-controlled ones because additional fees incorporated into the rent could be considered an illegal increase under the city's strict rent control laws, Thornton added.
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Landlords may soon be required to provide stoves, fridges under proposed California bill
A recently introduced California bill aims to require landlords to provide stoves and fridges in rental housing. State law doesn't require units to include a refrigerator, a standard in other parts of the country. A 2022 Los Angeles Times story found that L.A. and Orange Counties have the fewest refrigerator units among large urban areas nationwide. Assembly Bill 628 was introduced by State Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (D-Inglewood); if passed, it would require California landlords to provide stoves and refrigerators for all apartment leases after Jan. 1, 2026. Los Angeles County sales tax hike takes effect: What you need to know The bill initially called for landlords to provide stoves and fridges purchased within the last 10 years, but after pushback from the California Apartment Association, that was removed, according to LAist. Now, the bill specifies that stoves and fridges must be in good working order and 'capable of safely generating heat for cooking purposes and capable of safely storing food, respectively.' However, the bill will include some exemptions. Permanent supportive housing, single-room occupancy, a unit in a residential hotel, and a dwelling unit within a housing facility that offers shared or communal kitchen spaces to its residents, like an assisted living facility, would be exempt from the bill. The bill is currently undergoing a first committee review. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Associated Press
11-03-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
They tried to pay their overdue rent. Their landlord wouldn't accept it
Crouching on the sidewalk in front of his apartment building in San Francisco's Tenderloin neighborhood last Monday, Bradford Berger shuffled through legal papers in a wrinkled manila folder. It was a stressful morning; he was scrambling to get ready for a chemotherapy appointment with his wife, who'd been diagnosed with lymphoma the month before. In two days, sheriff's deputies were scheduled to evict the two of them from the subsidized apartment they'd shared for the last 15 years — even after a local rental assistance program offered to pay the landlord, an affordable housing nonprofit, the back rent they owed. It was a gloomy way to mark their anniversary for the couple, who've been married 19 years as of this month. It was also a fairly common situation, legal aid attorneys say. California law allows landlords to evict tenants for nonpayment regardless of whether they are willing and able to pay their overdue rent. Tenant advocates say that undercuts the effectiveness of rental assistance programs, a key strategy local governments and nonprofits use to keep people housed. They're pushing a proposal in the Legislature that would bring California in line with 21 other states that ban nonpayment evictions for tenants willing and able to pay up. The California Apartment Association, which represents landlords, says the legislation is unnecessary because tenants can already delay evictions if they're facing financial hardship, and has dubbed it one of its top five 'rental housing killer' bills this year. Nonpayment evictions plummeted during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, when California banned them for tenants with pandemic-related financial challenges. They've since spiked in many areas. Of the 166,463 eviction notices filed in the city of Los Angeles between February 2023 and mid-November 2024, for example, 94% were for nonpayment of rent, according to the city controller's office. Rent delinquency accounted for more than 85% of eviction cases in San Mateo County in 2023, a Stanford study found. Statewide data on eviction causes, and how often landlords reject tenants' attempts to pay, is difficult to obtain because eviction records are sealed, court statistics do not always include the cause of the eviction, and much of the negotiation takes place in mediation sessions and informal conversations in courthouse hallways. Cities and counties have also expanded their rental assistance programs in recent years, helping to cover payments for tenants who fall behind due to temporary hardships such as a job loss or medical crisis. In theory, the programs prevent homelessness. But payments can be slow in coming. Jacqueline Patton, supervising litigation attorney for San Francisco's Eviction Defense Collaborative, says the average time from when one of her clients applies to payment actually reaching the landlord is about three months. The landlord needs to cooperate by sharing information about the debt owed and agreeing to accept the payment. Meanwhile, California tenants have just three business days to respond to a landlord's initial notice that they must pay rent or be evicted. After that, the property owner can proceed with the eviction regardless of whether the tenants have paid their bill. Tenants experiencing hardship can petition the court for a temporary stay to give them more time to find new housing, but it's not always granted. '(Tenants) missed a shift, they've applied for rental assistance and time just runs out,' said Juliet Brodie, director of the Community Law Clinic at Stanford University. 'And they end up being displaced and homeless instead of giving that money to the landlord. And the landlord ends up chasing a money judgement that's uncollectible and incurring the cost to turn over the unit.' A 'right to repair' Landlords can work with tenants who've applied for help, and many do, often requiring that tenants commit to a payment plan or pledge to pay on time in the future. 'Owners would rather have the rent than go to court,' said Debra Carlton, executive vice president of government affairs for the California Apartment Association. But tenant attorneys say it's also common for landlords to refuse payment once they've decided to evict. They say that because the property owner can choose whether to allow the tenants to catch up on rent, factors such as the tenants' relationship with an onsite manager, or even their race or disability, can sometimes play a role. 'Discriminating in housing on the basis of a protected class is illegal and we don't want landlords to have a workaround by saying I'll accept rent from some tenants and not others,' Brodie said. Property owners who file a nonpayment eviction may have other reasons to want to evict particular tenants, such as if they are not keeping their unit clean or antagonizing other tenants, said Daniel Bornstein, a San Francisco attorney representing landlords. 'The easiest type to prove is nonpayment of rent,' he said. If tenants can wait to pay their back rent until a sheriff is knocking at their door, he said, there's no incentive to pay on time, rendering the lease meaningless. 'There has to be a line in the sand from a public policy standpoint or there never is an end point when the debt has to be paid.' The bill pending in the Legislature would require a court to dismiss a nonpayment eviction if at any point before tenants are actually removed from their home, they can pay all the rent accrued up to that date. A court would also dismiss the case if the tenants provides proof they've been approved for rental assistance in that amount. 'If you are struggling and able to recoup the funds and pay what you owe, that eviction proceeding should have stopped immediately,' said bill author Sen. Aisha Wahab, a Democrat from Fremont. The bill, sponsored by the renter advocacy groups Public Advocates, Tenants Together and Western Center on Law and Poverty, is one of a number of efforts in recent years to extend the legal timeline for eviction cases, which in California unfold more quickly than a typical civil lawsuit. State lawmakers last year passed a measure doubling the time tenants have to file their official response when a landlord sues them to evict. Backers of those efforts point out that property owners who fall behind on their mortgages or utility bills often have months to catch up before facing consequences. Tenants, they say, should get the same grace. The 21 states that allow renters to redeem their tenancy by paying back rent include blue and red states, according to a survey by the Stanford Community Law Clinic. Some allow tenants to pay their bills all the way up until they are physically evicted, while in others, they must pay before the case goes to trial. In some states, tenants also have to reimburse landlords for at least part of their attorneys' fees. Falling behind Eviction sagas are often convoluted, punctuated by the kinds of misfortunes that disproportionately affect people on the lower end of the socioeconomic ladder. Berger, for example, has supported himself on disability payments since his back was crushed while he worked at a mechanic's job years ago. He said he took in about $900 monthly after deductions, the sole income for the couple and their two cats since his wife stopped work after falling ill; their rent was about $250. 'There's not a lot left for food and cat supplies and laundry,' he said. Last year, the couple fell behind on the rent, according to court documents. 'I was juggling a lot of balls, and I guess I dropped one,' Berger said. Their landlord, the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation, offered a payment plan with the condition that they pay on time going forward. They made two on-time payments, the couple said in court filings, but in December Berger lost his wallet and they again fell behind. The city's rental assistance program deemed them eligible for help, and Berger's wife, Kimberly, wrote to their landlord asking for leniency. 'I am sure that you can imagine the impact that eviction and homelessness would have on me at this moment, given the severity of my disability,' she wrote, attaching a record of her cancer diagnosis. Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation proceeded with the eviction. Through their attorney, Bornstein, they declined CalMatters' requests for an interview. To a landlord, the Bergers might simply look like unreliable tenants, who have more than once failed to pay rent on time. But Bradford Berger says he doesn't understand why an organization that leases property from the San Francisco Housing Authority in order to provide supportive housing wouldn't want to accept his checks. 'They're, like, contractors from the city. I would think they should be recouping as much money as they can however they can,' he said. 'Especially if there's no other problems and it's just strictly financial.' Marvellus Lucas, a comedian and nonprofit outreach worker also living in San Francisco, wondered the same thing. He, too, fell behind on rent after suffering an intestinal infection and helping to pay for his brother's funeral. A second-generation San Franciscan, he worried about losing the $3,150 per month two-bedroom apartment that had become a gathering place for friends who'd been displaced to cities like Vallejo and Antioch. He was relieved when his employer, the Booker T. Washington Community Center, helped him cover the $8,000 debt, he said — then stunned when his landlord (who also declined to be interviewed) moved to evict him anyway. After reaching out to San Francisco's city-funded eviction defense program, he negotiated a settlement and was able to stay in his home. Patton, the Eviction Defense Collaborative attorney, represented Lucas and said Wahab's legislation would be a 'game-changer' for San Francisco's cadre of taxpayer-paid tenant attorneys, helping them save time and energy on similarly straightforward cases. 'It would be so much less posturing – we would just be like, 'We have the money, here is the money, dismiss your case.' Instead of (going) back and forth for three months,' she said. The Bergers weren't as lucky as Lucas. On Wednesday, Bradford Berger said, eight sheriff's deputies knocked on their door to evict them. The Bergers were out on the street, with just enough money for a few nights' hotel stay and no firm plans.
