State Senator María Elena Durazo introduced a bill in March to strengthen the California Tenant Protection Act, advocating for a reduction in the cap on rent increases to 5% and the elimination of loopholes that allow landlords to evict tenants without “just cause.” However, compromises were made during negotiations, resulting in the removal of the rent cap provision and the reduction of other provisions. Despite the disappointment of renters’ rights groups, the bill passed the Senate. Other pro-tenant legislation, including a bill to limit security deposits, is still active. This indicates a growing influence of renters in the Capitol, even though landlord and real estate groups continue to spend large sums on lobbying and supporting candidates.
The California Apartment Association, a major landlord group, has spent nearly $7 million directly lobbying state lawmakers and over $140 million in political committees it controls since 2017. On the other hand, tenant advocacy groups have much lower budgets. The influence of landlords is further exacerbated by the fact that a quarter of California’s legislators in 2020 were landlords, while only a few state lawmakers rent their homes.
This lopsided influence leads to slow progress on tenant protections and hinders efforts to address homelessness. For example, the California Apartment Association argued that Durazo’s proposal was unnecessary because it would amend the existing California Tenant Protection Act, which already required “just cause” for evictions and set a rent increase cap of 5% annually. However, Durazo justified her bill by citing the economic impact of the pandemic on tenants.
While progress has been made in passing renter-friendly legislation, real estate groups still actively oppose such measures. Lawmakers have attempted to amend the Ellis Act and the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, but these efforts have mostly been unsuccessful. Despite some setbacks, advocates see signs of progress as lawmakers are forced to publicly record votes on housing-related bills that challenge existing laws.
The debate is likely to continue, with the AIDS Healthcare Foundation collecting signatures to repeal rent control exemptions under the Costa-Hawkins law. This ongoing battle between renters and landlords underscores the importance of tenant advocacy in shaping housing policy in California.
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