How to Get Rent Control for Everyone

Voting for Prop 10 will help more people get rent control in SF and the rest of California.

This information comes from the San Francisco Democratic Socialists of America  and the day of action that is happening all over California today.

There’s an important measure on the ballot this November that, if passed, will lead to far more rent control in San Francisco and the rest of California. It’s called Prop. 10.

Why support Prop 10?

Prop 10 is worthy of your support because Costa Hawkins is so bad for our communities. Costa Hawkins, a state law enacted at the behest of landlord and corporate development lobbyists, is legislation that effectively prevents municipalities across the state from enacting comprehensive rent control. The reason we here in San Francisco cannot have rent control on buildings built after 1979 is because of Costa Hawkins! The reason an apartment’s rent jumps a bajillion dollars when the master tenant moves out is Costa Hawkins! In a majority renter city, we should not be handcuffed to the whims of the landlords.

And while we struggle to figure out how we can afford a future in the city, Costa Hawkins remains in place: a cruel measure that allows predatory landlords to feast on the soul of the city. Costa Hawkins is one of the major reasons why it’s so damn hard for artists and musicians and teachers and nurses and people who maybe don’t make a bajillion dollars to live here now. Costa Hawkins is also what makes it so you can’t have rent control on single-family homes. No rent control on single-family homes has led to too many working class families getting forced out of homes in which they’ve lived for years. And even if SF’s stock of single-family homes isn’t so substantial, remember that Costa Hawkins is a statewide scourge, meaning that all our friends and neighbors in cities with lots of single-family homes, like Sacramento, are prevented from having rent control protections. End Costa Hawkins and make housing more fair and affordable in California!

How can someone get involved in the Prop 10 campaign?

Many ways! For starters, if someone wants to help out, every weekend until November 6th the Prop 10 campaign is joining forces with mobilizations for Prop C, the measure that will tax the rich to end the homelessness crisis. We’ll be getting the word out, dropping lit at doors, and talking to our neighbors. Check with Prop C for more info! There’s also a Prop 10/Prop C combo phone bank every Tuesday at 5:30 PM at the Tenant’s Union in the Mission (558 Capp St). If you want to get more involved in housing work in the city and help to ensure a stable, secure, affordable future for all our neighbors, please join us at the DSA SF Housing Committee. Email housing@dsasf.org or join us every other Monday at 350 Alabama St. Next meeting is Monday, September 10th!