North Coast People’s Alliance Endorses Prop 10

Remember opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect that of Redheaded Blackbelt nor have we checked the letters for accuracy.

Noting that high rents can crush a family’s budget and keep working people stuck in poverty, the North Coast People’s Alliance has endorsed Proposition 10, a statewide initiative that would give local governments back the power to make local decisions on rent control.

 “One in three Californians are paying more than 50 percent of their income on rent,” said Mateo Rebecchi, a member of the Steering Committee of the North Coast People’s Alliance. “This is why Californians are taking matters into our own hands, by placing Proposition 10 on the ballot to protect the economic security of our families and neighbors.”

Currently, state law prevents cities and counties from choosing whether they’d like to impose restrictions on rent. Propostion 10, the Affordable Housing Act, would return that power to local governments, while preserving requirements that landlords get a reasonable return on their investment. If Proposition 10 passes, some cities might look into their options and decide against rent control; others might opt for it. Either way, the decisions would be made locally, based on conditions in each community.

 Local communities would have more options to protect families from skyrocketing rents because Proposition 10 repeals the Costa Hawkins Rental Housing Act.

 Adopted in 1995, the Costa-Hawkins Act exempted housing built after 1995 from local rent control requirements, exempted all single- family homes from local rent control requirements, and required all local rent control laws to contain vacancy decontrol provisions, allowing rents to rise sharply after a tenant moves out.

“If we really want more affordable housing, then we should have as many tools as possible available to us to make the best choices for each community,” Rebecchi said. “Proposition 10 will give us one more tool for finding our best path to affordable housing, making California a place where everybody can thrive and have a decent, safe place to call home.”

More information on Proposition 10 is available on the website of the Coalition for Affordable Housing, www.affordablehousing.org

The North Coast People’s Alliance is a non-partisan group that advocates for economic justice, social justice and environmental justice, and helps everyday people get more engaged civic institutions. It’s online atwww.northcoastpeoplesalliance.org.

Carrie Peyton-Dahlberg
vice chair, Steering Committee
North Coast People’s Alliance
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Guest
Guest
Guest
5 years ago

I imagine that the Costa-Hawkins Act was created to encourage landlords to build more housing units because price controls were suppressing it and causing rents on existing housing to go up. Oh well. I suppose there will be a continuous back and forth in the issue because the tension between building enough housing go keep it affordable and essentially paving over the whole coast line, which is where people insist on wanting to live. At least until the rents make it unfeasible.

hmm
Guest
hmm
5 years ago
Reply to  Guest

The central valley is inhabitable. Deadly temperatures and literally poison air.

onlooker
Guest
onlooker
5 years ago

Want rents to go down? Institute controls on mortgages and insurance costs. Landlords who are paying mortgages are paying high rates for both mortgage and insurance.

ED Denson
Guest
ED Denson
5 years ago

We don’t need rent control, we need the county to ease up on building codes, and for God’s sake, tell the city of Eureka to quit destroying people’s homes. In the short run rent control may be necessary while more housing is built, but the consequence of rent control is to make renting untennable for landlords. Let hit at the source of the problem, not the symptom.

hmm
Guest
hmm
5 years ago
Reply to  ED Denson

Our building codes and code enforcement are already abysmal. The average rental in Humboldt is not fit to rent in other cities. Even in Fresno, a shitty apartment a dangerous area will be in better condition than here.

Pat
Guest
Pat
5 years ago

Do you want less housing available for low income families, then install rent control. investors will build less housing as they cannot make ends meet. less housing equals higher rents. Simple supply and demand, if the government would get out of peoples pocket book everything will work out. Remember the 9 most frightening words in the English language.
” Im from the government and Im here to help “

I like stars too!
Guest
I like stars too!
5 years ago

Market dynamics control many things, including rent.

It is very expensive to live in some parts of California.

Trying to control landlords will prove unmanageable.

Move to Lakeview, Oregon. It’s remote but there are houses for less than $80,000! If qualified, your payment will be less than $600/month.

djman
Guest
djman
5 years ago

I’m no fan of rent control, but I do believe that any city with rent control should apply it equally, across the board to all rental property. That is known as equal application of the law.

As it is now, small Mom & Pop landlords have harsh price controls while corporate landlords buy off legislators to maintain their exemption and advantage in the marketplace.

That is 100% corrupt and the exact opposite of free market capitalism. All regulations must apply equally. Yes, even the horrible regulations – like rent control. This will create a consistent, balanced and fair market for all housing providers to compete in.

To be sure, rent control has perverse effects on the market but equal application of the law is 1st & foremost. Put the corporate landlords under rent control, put all the new high-rise, high-density units under rent control just like the Mom & Pops and the market will tell us how well rent control works or doesn’t.

Equal application of the law is a core tenet of democracy! What we have today, instead of democracy, is cronyism.

hmm
Guest
hmm
5 years ago

The solution to unaffordable housing is not to incentivize the wealthy to develop land, which will make them wealthier and the poor poorer. We need more home owners and fewer renters. If workers earned a just share of the profits they generate, many more people could afford to buy their own homes.

The value of land is totally out of proportion to the average income. Banks and the very wealthy own nearly all the land. If you pay a mortgage, you do not own your house, the bank does. You are renting to own.

https://medium.com/@tenantstogether/rent-control-works-a-response-to-business-school-professors-misguided-attacks-1305d9770ff7

hmm
Guest
hmm
5 years ago

Rent Control Works: A Response to Business School Professors’ Misguided Attacks

https://medium.com/@tenantstogether/rent-control-works-a-response-to-business-school-professors-misguided-attacks-1305d9770ff7