UNANIMOUS: All Elected Rent Board Members Across California Endorse Rental Affordability Act

Housing justice advocates and backers of the Rental Affordability Act (RAA), a November 2020 state ballot initiative that will allow for expansion of rent control throughout California, are proud to announce that the ballot measure has received the support of every elected rent control board member in California.

Rent control boards monitor rent protection laws in many cities in California. The endorsement from the elected rent board members is a sign of confidence that the RAA will help renters across California and complement existing renter legislation, such as the California Tenant Protection Act of 2019 (known as AB 1482) which is designed to prevent the most egregious rent hikes across California.

“Support for rent control in California is growing. As the global coronavirus pandemic continues to cause public health and economic devastation, California is facing the deepest recession in 100 years. And millions of renters are facing housing insecurity like never before,” said René Christian Moya, Housing Is A Human Right and Rental Affordability Act Campaign Director.

“We must come together to address the state’s rental affordability crisis. We are proud to have the unanimous support from every CA rental board,” said Moya.

The rent control ballot measure has gained increasing urgency during the COVID-19 pandemic, as millions of Californians already struggling with the state’s high housing costs have now lost work and income in the nation’s shuttered economy.

"The Rental Affordability Act has never been more needed than it is right now. This pandemic poses a direct threat to tenants who have lost income or become sick due to COVID-19. This ballot initiative repeals the state law that prevents cities and towns from passing their own rent control laws. Passage of the RAA restores the ability of our local governments to ensure that the ability to age safely in place is not contingent upon whether one can afford to buy a home," said Nicole Phillis, President of Santa Monica Rent Control Board.

The RAA has now been endorsed by the following elected rent board members:

Paola Laverde, Chair, Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board

Leah Simon-Weisberg, Vice Chair, Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board

Soli Alpert, Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board

James Chang, Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board

Mari Mendonca, Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board

Maria Poblet, Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board

John Selawsky, Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board

Alejandro Soto-Vigil, Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board

Igor Tregub, Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board

Nicole Phillis, Chair, Santa Monica Rent Control Board

Naomi Sultan, Vice Chair, Santa Monica Rent Control Board

Steve Duron, Santa Monica Rent Control Board Member

Anastasia Foster, Santa Monica Rent Control Board Member

Caroline Torosis, Santa Monica Rent Control Board Member

“The Costa Hawkins Act has been strangling our communities for far too long. It is a driver of displacement, gentrification, and corporate speculation. This measure is a balanced, evenhanded compromise that will allow agencies like ours to keep vulnerable tenants in their homes,” said Soli Alpert, Elected Member, Berkeley Rent Stabilization Board.

The Rental Affordability Act is sponsored by Homeowners & Tenants United, with significant funding by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation.

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

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