by Ryan Sabalow
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Sen. Aisha Wahab implored her colleagues to think of hospitalized patients and struggling families as she pitched a proposal to give tenants a full two weeks to pay their past due rent before their landlords could start the eviction process.
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“This is a very small ask from the state of California,” Wahab, a Democrat representing the Fremont area, recently told her fellow lawmakers. “(It’s) very small to allow people 14 days to either ask for family members and loved ones to give them money to stay housed, to ask their cities or any of the other nonprofits that help people with rental assistance stay housed, or to even be able to wait for their check.”
Despite Wahab’s pleas, her Senate Bill 436 failed to advance out of the Assembly Judiciary Committee last week.
It was the latest example of progressive Democrats’ struggles to add protections for California’s 17 million renters, despite lawmakers otherwise taking aggressive steps this year to address the state’s housing and homelessness crises.
Just this week, after a decade of failed efforts, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation to reform the state’s signature environmental law to stop activists from using it to block housing construction. The proposal easily passed the Senate and Assembly, despite angering the state’s influential environmental groups.
But when it comes to giving tenants more power and easing some of the nation’s highest rents, California voters and the 120 senators and Assembly members who represent them have largely balked.
Last fall, California voters decisively shot down a rent-control initiative that would have allowed local governments to block landlords from raising rents. A more aggressive rent-control measure never received a hearing this spring in the Assembly Judiciary Committee, even though it was authored by San Jose Assemblymember Ash Kalra, the committee chair.
Another bill to limit fees landlords can charge tenants on top of monthly rent was held until at least next year, despite the author being San Francisco Assemblymember Matt Haney, the chair of the Assembly Housing Committee.
The stalled bills were a remarkable display of how difficult it is for lawmakers to pass rental protection measures since committee chairs usually are influential. Wahab chairs the Senate Housing Committee.
Her measure, which would have extended the start of the past due eviction process from three days to two weeks, is the latest setback for the Legislature’s 10-person legislative Renters’ Caucus, which counts Wahab and Haney as members.
Renter protections divide Democrats
What makes the death of Wahab’s bill especially unusual is that it happened during a committee hearing in public view and featured Democrats joining Republicans to shoot it down. As CalMatters reported, most legislation killed in the California Legislature dies quietly behind the scenes, without a vote. It’s also rare for Democrats to vote “no” on a fellow Democrat’s bill.
The Assembly Judiciary Committee’s debate highlighted the tensions between the Democratic supermajority’s progressive and more moderate members on rental protections.
Socialist are takers. They seldom are involved with producing wealth.
The Radicalism of the Socialist Party now known as Democrats has finally reached that point of no return.
The producers of wealth by creating what the people need at a price they can afford are fleeing the State.
In real estate it is called “scraping the bones”……. While the likes of Wiener, Newsom, Limon, and the radicals like Bass continue to take and take to the point there is no reason to stay in a State that uses law to steal producers give up or leave.
You voted for them.
Did someone mention the massive gasoline tax increase?
I find it quite hopeful that California Democrat lawmakers join Republicans in balking at extending renter’s protections, especially in SF where renters are already quite adequately protected with minimum 1% rent increases in most years. A tenant having a job loss or other financial problems should be able to work with the landlord for a grace period, and if the difficulties are known in advance, should have gone to family members or banks then to ensure the rent can be paid timely. That said, many, if not most, landlords do NOT begin eviction proceedings on the 4th day after the due date, but do give tenants some leeway, especially smaller landlords. While some moderate rent control is tolerable, severe limitations are historically proven to decrease housing.
Many people do not think California can be saved, but moments like this give all of us hope.