Rent control qualifies for Redwood City ballot

“Todos unidos,” or “all united” is the phrase that got organizers through the hard work. 

The San Mateo County Chief Elections Office confirmed that the required number of valid resident signatures were submitted to qualify the Redwood City Fair and Affordable Housing Ordinance for ballot consideration. 

The measure will include a rent control cap of 5% and strengthened protections to prevent unjust evictions of tenants.

Should the ordinance pass, landlords would have to obey the rent cap but could petition for higher rent increases if operating expenses necessitate it. Single-family homes, condos and all new units built since 1995 would be exempt; the focus is on stabilizing existing multifamily properties. State law already caps rent changes to the lesser of 5% or CPI.

The City Council will consider the measure at its next meeting, June 8, and either adopt the measure as city law immediately, or place it on the ballot for voters to consider it in November. 

Should the measure be placed on the ballot, it will likely see opposition from the California Apartment Association and the San Mateo County Association of Realtors, two organizations that have adamantly opposed any rent control measures. 

SAMCAR opposes rent control because it “discourages investment and reduces housing supply” which could effectively make affordability worse, Executive Officer Alane Gilbrech said in a previous statement when the signatures were submitted. 

Still, organizers see it as a way to create stability for the working class.

“I think it’s a huge opportunity for us as a community to do a really good thing for ourselves and our neighbors and build a stable and diverse city,” volunteer Clara Jaeckel said. 

As a renter herself, the measure, if passed, would mean there’s a “stronger chance I can keep up with my rent,” Jaeckel said. It would also mean she has an extra layer of protection from corporate landlords, she said. 

Over 85% of multi-family rental units in Redwood City are owned by corporations and real estate trusts, according to Faith in Action Bay Area. Most renters are considered “rent-burdened” which mean they pay more than 30% of their income on housing. 

Volunteer Amelia Garibay would not benefit from the ordinance if it passed, but seeing the impact increasing rents has had on the community was too unbearable to ignore. 

“This community is mine, we are one,” Garibay said in Spanish. “If it affects somebody else it affects me. Even if I won’t benefit from the protections, I benefit from everybody being healthier and stronger.” 

When Garibay received the news that the initiative qualified for the ballot, she was so excited she could barely eat all day, she said. The Faith in Action Bay Area team felt a similar sense of pride and relief after years of work. 

We are seeing and hearing and feeling all the worries of the community, we feel the burden and stress that our community is under,” Garibay said. “As a team we felt we did what we needed to do and what the community is asking of us.”

In 2024, the same group of organizers attempted to get rent control on ballots through the same process, but the amount of qualified signatures fell short. This time around, organizers needed to gather more than 4,500 signatures of residents living within the city’s boundaries. Hundreds more than needed were counted and verified as valid. 

The success of qualifying the second time around showed the work it takes to bring a grassroots effort to fruition. The community organizers’ efforts have resulted in the first successful citizens-led initiative to qualify a measure on the ballot in Redwood City. 

“When we work together, we can change what our community needs,” Garibay said. “It wasn’t the easiest job. We went door knocking all over the city to get the signatures necessary. We were working really hard. It shows that with hard work we can do it.”  

For now, Faith in Action Bay Area leaders are preparing to spread the word of what the measure could mean for residents in Redwood City. 

“In the next phase, we’ll be talking all summer to let people know,” Jaeckel said.