California might have escaped the clutches of rent control this election cycle, but it will resurface again.
On Tuesday, Proposition 33, which would have expanded local options for rent control, was on a path to defeat.
But regardless of the ultimate result, this issue is far from over because California's rental affordability crisis is far from over. There remains a dire need to respond to the rental crisis in our state.
Prop. 33 didn't pass because it was too complicated for voters to understand how it would have helped them immediately. And quite frankly it doesn't go far enough. It would have given local city governments the choice to control rents of any type of housing for new tenants. But it didn't say that local governments had to do it. What we need in California is a proposition that actually requires rent control.
Opinion
The Prop. 33 campaign made much of big corporations buying up property, as one might think. But that's only a small part of the story. There is a much bigger tug-of-war happening between tenants and private landlords.
Less than 2% of single-family homes are owned by investors with 10 properties or more, statewide, according to the California Research Bureau. I have asked normal citizens and politicians who opposed Prop. 33 why they are against it. The overwhelming thought was they were worried for private homeowners who wanted to rent out their home. We have to shift this focus from caring about one potential landlord to the thousands of Californians who use the majority of their hard earned money just to make rent.
But the reality is that renting is no longer something that just young college kids do.
According to the Public Policy Institute of California, 49% of men rent their home, only 3% lower than men who are homeowners. In the case for women, 51% are renters compared to 48% homeowners.
Nearly 30% of California renters spend more than half their income on rent -- higher than in any other state except Florida and Louisiana, according to the Public Policy Institute of California. That is simply unsustainable.
According to the U.S. Census, 44% of Californians are renters, the largest in any other state besides New York. The high rental costs are a current problem in California, and it will be on in the future as well.
There is a reason why this proposition had to be on the ballot. Renting has gotten out of hand and more importantly the developers and property owners with the most power have done little to nothing. Neither have the Democrats in the California Legislature, who are in their pockets. The establishment didn't want Prop. 33 passed. According to data, more than $5.5 million was donated to oppose the prop. The developers and corporate investors have shown us what matters most to them: money. Giving government the power to keep rental prices from going too high is what Calif is the only response to a free market that gives little power to the tenant.
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Rent control will pop up again because it's a significant way in which tenants can feel like they are protected. The problem that voters will have confront is how they want tenants to be protected.
The price of rent will continue to skyrocket and Californians will have not choice but to keep up, but at some some point we have to stop the rising costs.
Everyone can agree that there is an issue with rental prices. People will tell you that they can barely make ends meet, but they cannot seem to get behind a solution. This same public wants to do something about the homeless crisis. Many on the streets simply could no longer afford the rent. We know there is a problem and therefore a solution is out there. It's rent control.
A better future for hardworking Californians begins with taking their struggle seriously. Until such time that California gets its act together and builds enough affordable and middle-class housing, the market for the available rentals is stacked against the renter. Too many Californians have to forget about Christmas presents so that they can have a place to sleep. Some modest protections from over-priced rent isn't too much to ask.