LA City Council Backs Prop 33 For Stronger Rent Control

LOS ANGELES, CA — The Los Angeles City Council Tuesday formally backed Proposition 33, a ballot measure intended to allow cities to impose new rent control limits on more types of housing, although some opponents argue it could backfire and block more housing developments.

The City Council voted 8-3 in favor of a resolution introduced by members Hugo Soto-Martinez and Nithya Raman in September. The resolution serves as the city's official position on Prop 33, also known as the Justice for Renters Act, which they say would "protect renters, strengthen communities and ensure housing affordability for all Angelenos."

While council members John Lee, Imelda Padilla and Traci Park voted against the item, Paul Krekorian and Curren Price recused themselves because they are landlords. Councilwoman Heather Hutt and Monica Rodriguez were absent during the vote.

Soto-Martinez said he introduced the resolution because it's been "far too long since we've modernized our laws in California in regard to rent control."

Prop 33 would repeal the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, a 1995 law that restricts rent control housing in the state. Under Costa-Hawkins, cities cannot impose rent control over single-family housing or developments built after 1995.

"It makes no sense that we can (have) rent stabilized units built in 1975, but we don't have the power to do those for buildings built in 1980," Soto-Martinez said. "We know that we've been losing our RSO stock every single year through demolitions, through conversions, and you see those numbers go dwindling down every single year.

"If we're going to solve the housing crisis issue, the homelessness issue, and make sure people can live in the city of Los Angeles, we need to at least have the ability to try to expand that here," he added.

Several groups are supporting Prop 33, such as the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, California Democratic Party, Veterans' Voices, and Unite Here Local 11.

Opponents of the measure such as the California Small Business Association, California Rental Housing Association and the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, among others, argue Prop 33 would make the state's housing shortage even worse.

"Proposition 33 removes a longstanding protection for property owners that prevents city governments from imposing rent control on single-family homes and newly vacant apartments," the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association said in a statement. "It would discourage the construction of new apartments, worsening the housing shortage, because any kind of radical rent control could be enacted by the local government at any moment. Proposition 33 is a wrecking ball to California's housing market. Voters should say No on 33."

According to the Secretary of State's website, the state and some local governments may see a reduction in property tax revenues of at least tens of millions of dollars annually due to likely expansion of rent control.

Voters previously rejected similar measures in 2018 and 2020, according to the Secretary of State.

City News Service