As communities across the country have removed old heavy-handed rent control policies, eleven California cities continue to maintain rent control ordinances (governing residential rental housing) and have adopted regulatory schemes that restrict the viable reasons for which a tenant may be evicted. (Aside from the eleven cities, many other California communities have adopted rent control for mobilehome parks. This paper, however, does not address those ordinances.)
This paper provides an examination of the issue, using data available to determine whether the policy goals intended for rent control have been or are being achieved by local government.