Pros and Cons of Proposition 10: Rent control

In less than a week, California voters will decide on 11 propositions, but many folks up and down the coast will pay extra attention to Proposition 10.

It would change state law allowing more cities and counties to enact rent control rules.

Frank Rodriguez from “CAUSE of Santa Barbara” supports Prop 10.

“For the last few years ‘CAUSE’ has been working against unjust evictions and families being pushed out of Santa Barbara because of rent hikes, especially on the East and West side of Santa Barbara,” said Rodriguez. “We are really doing it to be in support with all of our tenants’ rights organizations across the state and we want to do something proper here in Santa Barbara and address the increasing rent and housing crisis that we have.”

Santa Barbara’s Association of Realtors opposes Prop 10.

“We like to look at it as a supply problem, so the first thing it would do is it would restrict supply because people wouldn’t buy any more single-family homes,” said Andy Alexander, the president of Santa Barbara association of realtors. “The second thing it would do, it would hurt lower-income renters, and the third thing is the housing that exists would become deteriorated because owners would stop investing back into their property.”

A “Yes” vote on Prop 10 would do away with a state law passed in the mid 90’s that stopped any new rent control rules for cities or counties. Some cities like Los Angeles have rent control, but it was in place before the state law was passed and it doesn’t cover any apartments built since the law was approved.

Leaders at CAUSE believe Prop 10 could help the current housing crisis.

“Now we are putting it in front of the voters to really decide, and make real decisions,” said Rodriguez. “We see homelessness becoming a real issue, and we see sky rocking rent pushing people out of Santa Barbara. In Santa Barbara, 24% of Latinos have left since 2011 and that is too high of a number so we really want to address the housing crisis and Prop 10 is the first step.”

“A lot of people that are looking for rentals and struggling think that by passing Prop 10 it’s going to be easier for them to find a rental and the opposite is actually what would happen,” said Alexander.

Proposition 10 would eliminate the current state law on rent control. Any of the changes predicted by either side of the debate would depend on whether or not local governments adopt rent control rules.