Real estate industry spends big to defeat Bay Area rent control measures
on November 7, 2016
Richmond has emerged as a key battleground for those on both sides of the rent control debate, as the fate of the city’s Measure L—and other Bay Area ballot measures like it—could set the tone for future legislation in cities across the state.
So far, the real estate industry has spent about $188,000 in opposition to Richmond’s Measure L—over triple the amount spent in support of the measure.
“We work vigorously to stop it wherever it’s proposed,” said Mike Nemeth, a spokesperson for the California Apartment Association (CAA), a housing industry trade group that has spent more than a million dollars fighting the Bay Area’s six rent control initiatives this election season. “Our spending reflects the level of our concern.”
Rent control advocates in Richmond say going head-to-head with CAA and its nationally-funded committee in such a high-stakes race has been an uphill battle.
“Rent control is popular,” said Dan Harper, organizing director of the state-wide renters’ rights group Tenants Together. “I think that’s why they’re spending so much money.”
Read the rest of the story by Catherine Schuknecht and Reis Theibault at the East Bay Times.
2 Comments
Richmond Confidential welcomes comments from our readers, but we ask users to keep all discussion civil and on-topic. Comments post automatically without review from our staff, but we reserve the right to delete material that is libelous, a personal attack, or spam. We request that commenters consistently use the same login name. Comments from the same user posted under multiple aliases may be deleted. Richmond Confidential assumes no liability for comments posted to the site and no endorsement is implied; commenters are solely responsible for their own content.
Richmond Confidential
Richmond Confidential is an online news service produced by the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism for, and about, the people of Richmond, California. Our goal is to produce professional and engaging journalism that is useful for the citizens of the city.
Please send news tips to richconstaff@gmail.com.
[…] voters also approved Measure L, instituting rent control and just cause for eviction. Measure L was this election’s flashpoint, […]
We are glad Measure L passed. But now may landlord is changing the time when I can pay my rent. Before this passed we had until the 5th to pay rent now he wants it on the 3rd of the month. Since he can not charge me $320.00 for this coming year he wants to charge me a late fee for not having it by the 3rd. Which is in my lease to pay by the 5th. He has to pay for his Tessla car some how not that he can only charge me $36.00 not $320.00.
What a rip off.