By ANUSHA SHANKAR
On a 3-1 vote, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors took an official stance Tuesday supporting Proposition 33, which proponents say will allow expansion of local rent control measures and protect tenants.
If passed in November, Prop 33 would repeal rent-control restrictions enacted under the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act of 1995 and increase authority for cities and counties to enact residential rent stabilization measures.
Supervisor Holly Mitchell abstained from the vote, while Supervisor Kathryn Barger — who has previously disagreed with the board on other rent control measures — voted no.
“My ‘no’ vote is a reflection of my unwavering belief that adding more rent control policies ultimately harms housing markets and communities in the long-term,” Barger said in a statement.
“Rent control can discourage landlords from maintaining or investing in their properties, leading to a decline in the overall quality of housing. It can even drive some property owners to withdraw their units from the rental market, which will make our housing shortage worse.”
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Barger said the county must invest in strategies that address the root cause of the housing crisis through better policies to support affordability.
Introduced by Supervisors Hilda Solis and Lindsey Horvath, Tuesday’s motion calling for support of Prop 33 stated that said more than half of county residents are renters, and a majority of them are cost-burdened.
The motion also contends that California renters pay 50% more for housing compared to other states and in 2022, 30% of them paid rent that was more than half their income.
“With Angelenos paying the bulk of their income on housing, they are cutting back on other essentials including food, clothing, medical, and transportation costs,” the motion states.
“To protect tenants from unaffordable rent increases, many local jurisdictions enact rent stabilization policies, which limit the amount that a landlord can raise the rent each year.”
According to the motion, the Costa-Hawkins Act limits rent control ordinances by local jurisdictions by prohibiting the such laws from applying to single-family homes or to housing built after February 1995.
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The passage of Prop 33 would allow local jurisdictions to “protect tenants by making rent more affordable and predictable,” according to the motion.
Members from the coalition yeson33.org were in attendance at the board meeting on Tuesday, offering their support to the motion.
Some of the participants included West Covina Mayor Brian Tabatabai, former Santa Monica Mayor Sue Himmelrich and members of the Santa Monica Rent Board, UNITE Here Local 11 and local residents.