Why, despite the fact that an overwhelming majority of California voters support rent control, has it been voted down twice by wide margins?
Big Real Estate has pillaged California. Its tentacles are squeezing the lifeblood out of the state, resulting in millions being priced out of affordable housing. They have corporatized rental housing and turned shelter into a commodity.
California has 17 million renters who make up 45 percent of the population. Everyone else knows that renters are struggling under the burden of sky-high rents, and yet the legislature has failed to help renters. Bills to restore local control over rents routinely fail year after year. Big Real Estate pours millions of dollars into political campaigns and even more millions for lobbying.
Why then, despite the fact that every poll shows the overwhelming majority of California voters support rent control, has it been voted down twice by wide margins? The answer is quite simple. Big Real Estate shelled out $175.4 million into misleading and scaring the public, and Gov. Gavin Newsom defied the California Democratic Party’s stance and became the face of “no on rent control” campaigns.
How are the voters to know which campaign is on the side of the renters? Big Real Estate claims rent control hurts renters, and the liberal governor backs them up. They employ sophisticated techniques to confuse and scare people. Under this assault, it is no wonder people vote against their own interests.
Meanwhile, even though the state has spent tens of billions of taxpayer dollars homelessness and so-called affordable housing, the crisis has gotten much worse. It’s because programs never will work if we don’t address the root cause: super-high rents.
Time has run out for Governor Newsom and Big Real Estate to prove that their policies will relieve the misery engulfing California. Our population is declining for the first time ever and is projected to remain flat through 2060. Los Angeles will lose 1.7 million people over that time.
Homelessness is out of control, and millions have to choose between paying rent and buying food. California is ground zero for homelessness in America. Allowing corporate real estate to set housing rates has been an unmitigated disaster. We regulate the price of electricity and gas. Why not rent?
Rent control is not some radical socialist plot. America has had rent control since 1919 and 80 percent of all units were covered during World War II, and it did its job of keeping people housed.
Rent control has been demonized by the very people who profit the most from driving up rents. At the behest of Big Real Estate, more than 30 states have enacted laws severely limiting local rent control.
Fortunately, housing justice forces are not stopping. Rent control will be on the ballot once again in 2024 in California. If Gov. Newsom doesn’t betray us, and we can get our message out effectively despite the aerial bombardment from Big Real Estate, we will win. The bottom line is that we can never give up because the price of housing injustice is broken lives and lives lost.
The opinions expressed here are solely the author’s and do not reflect the opinions or beliefs of the LA Progressive.