Rent-control ordinance submitted in Redwood City

And it looks like the battle is just beginning. Joshua Howard, executive vice president of Local Government Affairs for the California Apartment Association, said the organization “opposes efforts to bring stricter rent control to California communities, including Redwood City.” 

With legal counsel, the CAA sent a letter to the city clerk, city attorney and city manager saying the petition violates the “full text” requirement of the Elections Code requirements. It claims the petition does not properly inform voters that existing protections — such as the right to a fixed-term lease and to receive relation assistance if asking to move through no fault of their own — would ultimately be repealed should the measure pass. 

Leah Simon-Weisberg, an attorney with the California Center for Movement Legal Services who helped draft the language of the ordinance, said these claims are unfounded. By arguing requirements for referendums apply to initiatives, the CAA “is trying to stop popular policies by creating confusion based on misinformation.”

“The courts have always prioritized if people can understand what you’re voting on and there’s currently no confusion,” Simon-Weisberg said. “We provided the text of the measure and did so sufficiently.” 

Clara Jaeckel, a renter in Redwood City and leader for Faith in Action, said that the efforts by CAA and other companies that represent corporate landlords does not compare to what they’ve heard after months of talking to neighbors and gathering signatures.

“This is a measure that’s designed to protect and benefit everyone in the city, homeowners, landlords and renters. It’s designed to let landlords have a fair return on investments, it helps neighborhood stability overall,” Jaeckel said. “We’re talking to our neighbors and we’ve had a positive response so we’re going to continue.”  

As the first citizen-led initiative in Redwood City, the petition shows the importance of affordable housing and protecting current residents, Jaeckel said.  

“The people who are at the head of it and designing that measure are those who are most affected by high rents in Redwood City including working class and immigrant leaders,” Jaeckel said. “That’s important because it shows that this is something that the community needs and what the community wants.”

Trinidad Villagomez, a renter in Redwood City and leader with Faith in Action, said that when she experienced a sudden $400 increase in her monthly rent, her only solution was to get another job to cover the costs. 

“I joined this effort to ensure that the thousands of families who are experiencing the same situation can live with greater stability in their homes and be healthy in their homes and so they don’t have to suffer from the same situation I did, which is so debilitating,” Villagomez said. 

Current state law mandates certain tenant protections, some of which were passed in 2019, including the prohibition of rent increases over 10% for most tenants — or 5% plus cost-of-living changes — over a 12-month period, and landlords have to fulfill certain criteria if they want to evict tenants. 

According to state law, acceptable eviction reasons include taking the property of the rental market entirely, undergoing substantial remodeling, or what’s considered at-fault evictions, such as breaking lease terms, nonpayment or causing nuisance. 

The proposed ordinance would enact right-to-return policies that guarantee tenants can move back into the properties after such remodeling has taken place. Landlords would also have to fill out a form detailing renovation plans — as construction on the property is sometimes used as a harassment tactic — to avoid unnecessary delays or unexpected interruptions in residents’ daily lives. The anti-harassment provisions of the ordinance complement the rent stabilization in an effort to curb deceitful landlord tactics. 

East Palo Alto is the only city in San Mateo County with a comparable rent control policy to the proposed ordinance, approving a 4.2% maximum increase on applicable properties this fiscal year. 

Linda Goldman, homeowner and organizer with Faith in Action, said while this single ordinance will not be able to solve all of the issues surrounding affordable housing, it is a start. 

“We feel a majority of the people in Redwood City want everyone to have a safe and dignified place to live and that’s what it comes down to,” Goldman said. 

The city clerk certified there was an excess of signatures, have officially accepted the petitions, and will transmit them to the county’s Elections Office for verification. The City Council will have to formally vote to include the measure on the November ballot by Aug. 9.