Rent Control Advocates Turn to California's Initiative Process after Bill Fails

By repealing Costa-Hawkins, buildings constructed after 1978 in Los Angeles and San Francisco and after 1995 in some of the small group of other cities with rent control, would lose their exemptions. Other restrictions, such as "'vacancy de-control'— the ability of a landlord to set new market-rate rents after a tenant moves out of a rent-controlled unit, as well as exempted single-family homes from any rent controls," described by land use planner Reuben Duarte in his April Planetizen blog on the unsuccessful Bloom legislation, would also be eliminated.

However, it would still be up to cities to determine whether they want to be covered by rent control, but by eliminating Costa-Hawkins, it would likely stiffen the opposition of groups like the apartment association. So while the initiative would be good for those cities that have rent control, it might make it less likely that other cities would adopt rent control, either by ordinance or initiative.

The last word goes to Duarte's last words:

While protecting the rights of existing residents is important and necessary, rent control is the wrong solution to the problem of an overarching environment of high housing costs. There is near climate change-like consensus among economists that rent control is a long-term negative for municipalities. The appropriate solution ... is to push for policies that increase the number of units of all types be constructed. [See latest new housing laws that aim to do just that].

Hat tip to MTC Headlines.