Listen to this note:
Civic coalitions have submitted 6,395 voter signatures to the Redwood City Clerk in an effort to pressure the City Council to put a rent control resolution on the November ballot.
According to the Affordable Redwood City organization, the proposal seeks to keep the city affordable, diverse and vibrant for those who live, work or study there.
In this regard, it details that the rent control resolution:
- Keeps Redwood City rents affordable and protects tenants from massive rent increases.
- Provides a fair rental return for our local family landlords.
- Prevents unfair evictions by protecting tenants who follow the rules.
- Help people put down roots and support strong neighborhoods in Redwood City by preventing displacement.
- It can only be changed or amended by a vote of you, the people, not the government.
Faith in Action Bay Area leaders and community partners said rent increases will be limited to a reasonable amount so residents can focus on making ends meet without fear of their rent increasing each year, while ensuring a fair return for mom-and-pop landlords.
They detailed that “it will also protect tenants from unfair evictions and address the problems of harassment by unscrupulous corporate landlords that have been well documented in Redwood City for years.”
After tenants move into a home, landlords could raise rent each year by no more than 5 percent (or 60 percent of the inflation rate based on the Consumer Price Index, whichever is lower).
Landlords can request a larger rent increase if their operating expenses have increased. This measure does not limit rent increases between tenancies. Single-family homes, condominiums, and all new units built since 1995 are exempt from the rent stabilization portion of this measure.
“The measure clarifies and strengthens the ‘just cause for eviction,’ requiring landlords to provide one of a list of approved reasons before evicting a tenant, to prohibit arbitrary and unfair evictions that destabilize families and neighborhoods. It also provides fair relocation benefits to tenants who are evicted for a reason that is not their fault,” they state in their statement. web site.
They noted that the Redwood City Manager and City Council will oversee the city's rental program that will set annual guidelines, provide community education, connect tenants and landlords with legal services, collect data on rental rates, and oversee the petition and hearing process.
It is worth noting that the 6,395 signatures of registered voters collected and submitted to City Hall on Tuesday, May 21, are well above the 4,389 required to place the referendum on the ballot, in addition to having several months before the deadline to submit proposals, which is in August.
After the signatures were submitted, the petitions were counted by the City Clerk's Office staff at the Redwood City Library, with the petitioners present.
Once the necessary signatures were confirmed, they were accepted. Now all that remains is to verify them, and if so, the city council will vote to determine whether the proposal will be on the November ballot.
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