“For far too long, progressive politicians have backed interventions in the housing marketplace — such as restrictive zoning rules or rent control initiatives like Proposition 10 … that do nothing but limit the supply of affordable housing and drive up prices for the poor and middle-income residents of our state,” said Hoover Institute Fellow Lanhee Chen, policy director for Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign.
“(Proposition 10) will result in a housing freeze, already developers are waiting to see if it will pass before investing in new projects. Smaller landlords will likely leave the rental business completely,” agreed Adama Iwu, lobbyist and co-founder of We Said Enough.
Former U.S. Rep. Tom Campbell, a Republican who represented parts of Silicon Valley and now is a professor of Law and Economics at Chapman University, acknowledged the potential impact on low-income renters. He proposed a potential solution.
Other Influencers acknowledged benefits of rent control, but still expressed reservations about its pitfalls.
“The judicious use and expansion of rent control can and will hold rents down, but unfortunately it will also reduce the number of new rental units built as investors fear they will not be able to gain from their dollars,” said California Democratic Party Chairman Eric Bauman.
But Manuel Pastor, Director of USC’s Program for Environmental and Regional Equity, pointed to potential economic advantages of rent control.
Michele Siquieros, president of the Campaign for College Opportunity, attempted to reconcile the two perspectives, advocating for rent control but pointing out it is only one aspect of an comprehensive affordable housing strategy.
“The reality is that California needs both limits on rent increases that allow low-income and middle-income families the ability to stay housed AND we need major investments in building (denser) housing to address challenges by both public and private investors,” she said.
The attorney for the adult children who were tortured and abused by their California parents for years says they're trying to live their lives as normally as possible and each is grappling with how much they're willing to forgive.