Hundreds of families from across California joined affordable housing advocates at the state Capitol on Monday to show their support for two legislative proposals aimed at the high cost of living in California.
The rally was organized by Housing Now, a statewide coalition of more than 150 organizations, to support Senate Bill 567, which would lower the maximum allowable rent increase to 5% and prevent landlords from evicting tenants without a legal reason, and Assembly Constitutional Amendment 10, which would add housing as a fundamental human right to the state constitution.
SB 567 is authored by Sen. Maria Elena Durazo, D-Los Angeles, while Assemblyman Matt Haney, D-San Francisco, introduced ACA 10.
Lupe Arreola, executive director of Tenants Together, a statewide tenant advocacy group that is part of Housing Now, addressed the crowd during the rally.
“Do you believe in rent control for everybody? Do we believe that we should not be spending the majority of our income on rent? Do we believe that the land is for those who work it — which is us?” she shouted.
Existing state law caps rent increases at 5% plus a cost of living increase set by the Consumer Price Index, with a maximum of 10%. Under the the bill, rent could not be increased more than the percentage change in the cost of living, or 5%, whichever is lower.
The constitutional amendment would call on state and local jurisdictions “to respect, protect, and fulfill” the housing right by all appropriate means “to the maximum of available resources.”
