ORANGE COUNTY LEGISLATIVE WATCH B y C hip A hlswede , V ice P resident of E xternal A ffairs
Rent Control Supporters are Getting Desperate… and that Should Scare You Even More
B
y now you have heard that the “Justice for Renters” initiative, underwritten by Michael Weinstein’s AIDS Healthcare Foundation—yes, money intended to provide support services to AIDS patients is being used to push for stricter statewide rent control—will be on the November 2024 ballot. However, property owners have started fighting back.
• The coalition to oppose Weinstein has already set out a plan to outraise what it did for its opposition to his previous rent control initiatives— Proposition 10 (2018) and Proposition 21 (2020). • A ballot initiative petition is now also circulating that would ban Weinstein (or others) from using foundation funds for political purposes. • The rental registry in Santa Ana that was launched this summer has been seen as so invasive that property owners and residents, alike, are pushing back on the city’s compliance mandates. • The recall election for Santa Ana City Councilmember Jessie Lopez (Ward 3), who was a major proponent of rent control in Santa Ana, has been set for November 14, 2023. Additionally, there has been considerable progress on AAOC’s lawsuit against the city of Santa Ana which has highlighted major problems in the way the city’s rent control ordinance was passed—with an administrative law judge even recently indicating there may be major problems that the city allowed to occur when it was passed. Furthermore, there has been some notable online coverage on the rent control issue in Orange County— • The OC Independent exposed the issues with the rent registry’s invasive and potentially illegal nature—
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Apartment News
www.aaoc.com
October 2023
Santa Ana Rental Registry Roll Out Criticized As Intrusive and Burdensome—OC Independent (ocindependent.com) • The Voice of OC has identified that the issues surrounding rent control in Orange County will lead to more cities looking at the policy—only to abandon it as a solution—Rent Control Might Be on the 2024 Ballot in Santa Ana; Will Other Cities Follow? (voiceofoc.org) There has been great progress in advocating for property owners’ rights. But that’s when rent control advocates get desperate... The Santa Ana City Council has recently begun working on some egregious policies— • First, council members attempted to require a 2/3 council majority to make future changes to the ordinance. • Then, they tried to override the city attorney’s direction against such a change • Now, they are trying to rush through and place a voter initiative on the November 2024 ballot to make rent control part of the city charter— and require a 2/3 majority to change the policies. In other words—they’re desperate. They know that Councilwoman Jessie Lopez is likely to be recalled this November.
