News: rent control

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The Burbank city clerk has rejected a rent control initiative targeted for the fall  because tenant activists failed to include legally required wording on their petition and in a newspaper notice. In April, rent control proponents submitted signatures to the city. The city clerk, however, discovered that the petitions failed to include the complete notice of intent to circulate or the statement of reasons. The same omissions occurred in the notice of intent published in the Burbank Leader. “I am hereby rejecting each and every Initiative Petition Section submitted to my office on April 13, 2020,” the city clerk, Zizette… Read More

Tagged: Los Angeles

As scary as the economy seems right now, the financial fallout from the COVID-19 crisis won’t cut as deep as the Great Recession did a decade ago. Chris Thornberg Renowned economist Chris Thornberg offered that assessment during last week’s San Diego Rental Housing Outlook.

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Owners of rent controlled housing in unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County will be hit the hardest under newly approved rental registration fees. The annual fees include $90 for buildings covered by the county’s rent control ordinance and $30 on all other buildings. The county Board of Supervisors approved the charges Tuesday, despite opposition from the California Apartment Association. The fees apply in areas of the county that aren’t in any city jurisdictions.

Tagged: Los Angeles

A  bill that would stop Michael Weinstein from using money from his taxpayer-funded AIDS Healthcare Foundation to further his anti-housing agenda has passed its first test in the Assembly. The bill, AB 1938, advanced Monday, May 18, from the Assembly Health Committee on an 11-0 vote with four abstentions. The bill now heads to the Appropriations Committee.

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The California Apartment Association this week vowed to continue its efforts to fix aspects of a rent freeze measure in Santa Ana that violate the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act. CAA has warned Santa Ana that its rent freeze ordinance runs counter to state law. Unmoved, the council this week voted 5-1 to affirm the measure. The lone no vote came from Councilman Jose Solorio, who acknowledged several issues with the rent freeze and identified conflicts with state law. “I do worry that even though this might sunset, there is still a statute of limitations and landlords … could sue and… Read More

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The California Apartment Association has challenged the city of Santa Ana and Contra Costa County for violating the Costa Hawkins Rental Housing Act. Both jurisdictions, citing tenant hardships caused by COVID-19, imposed bans on rent increases, however, these prohibitions conflict with state law. The Santa Ana rent freeze applies to all tenants and all housing, regardless of housing type or age. The Contra Costa County ban failed to exempt newer units, which is a required under Costa-Hawkins. These moves violate Costa-Hawkins, which prohibits local governments from imposing rent control on single-family homes and condominiums and on apartments built after 1995.… Read More

Tagged: Contra CostaOrange County

A number of groups are now demanding that Gov. Gavin Newsom immediately suspend all evictions in California, regardless of the reason for terminating the tenancy. Organizations including the ACLU and the Western Center on Law & Poverty say Newsom didn’t go far enough in an executive order on eviction protections and COVID-19. That order, issued Monday, made clear that local governments can impose eviction protections for tenants who are unable to pay their rent because of the coronavirus or loss of income as a result of the outbreak. In a joint statement, the ACLU, Western Center and Lawyers’ Committee for… Read More

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California’s chief law enforcement officer has labeled the AIDS Health Foundation — the group bankrolling an extreme rent control measure on November’s ballot — as “delinquent” in its nonprofit status, according to a press release from Californians for Responsible Housing. Attorney General Xavier Becerra last week said the foundation, which is headed by anti-housing activist Michael Weinstein, failed to file documents necessary to meet the requirements to claim charitable standing in the state. Attorney General Xavier Becerra “Once again, it appears that Michael Weinstein’s group, which essentially is a drug company masquerading as a charity, is trying to hide the… Read More

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Michael Weinstein and his AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the organization bankrolling a statewide radical rent control initiative, have been accused of violating multiple political finance laws while campaigning to defeat a major housing-production bill. Earlier today, California YIMBY, which stands for Yes In My Backyard, filed a formal complaint with the California Fair Political Practices Committee. The complaint alleges that Weinstein ignored well-established state reporting requirements in spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to oppose  SB 50 by Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco.  The legislation, which died last month on the Senate floor, would have allowed for expedited housing construction, including… Read More

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If Los Angeles housing officials have their way, the “just cause” portions of L.A.’s rent control ordinance will soon apply to the vast majority of units in the city, including those now covered by AB 1482, the newly enacted statewide tenant protection law.

Tagged: Los Angeles