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AP17:119

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 27, 2017
Contact:
SOS Press Office
(916) 653-6575

Proposed Initiative Enters Circulation

Expands Local Governments’ Authority To Enact Rent Control On Residential Property. Initiative Statute.

SACRAMENTO – Secretary of State Alex Padilla announced the proponents of a new initiative were cleared to begin collecting petition signatures today.

The Attorney General prepares the legal title and summary that is required to appear on initiative petitions. When the official language is complete, the Attorney General forwards it to the proponent and to the Secretary of State, and the initiative may be circulated for signatures. The Secretary of State then provides calendar deadlines to the proponent and to county elections officials. The Attorney General’s official title and summary for the measure is as follows:

EXPANDS LOCAL GOVERNMENTS’ AUTHORITY TO ENACT RENT CONTROL ON RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY. INITIATIVE STATUTE. Repeals state law that currently restricts the scope of rent-control policies that cities and other local jurisdictions may impose. Allows policies that would limit the rental rates that residential-property owners may charge for new tenants, new construction, and single-family homes. In accordance with California law, provides that rent-control policies may not violate landlords’ right to a fair financial return on their rental property. Summary of estimate by Legislative Analyst and Director of Finance of fiscal impact on state and local government: Unknown, but potentially significant, changes in state and local government tax revenues. Net decrease more likely than net increase. Potential increase in local government costs of up to tens of millions of dollars per year in the long term, likely paid by fees on owners of rental housing. (17-0041.)

The Secretary of State’s tracking number for this measure is 1837 and the Attorney General’s tracking number is 17-0041.

The proponents of the measure, Michael Weinstein, Elena Popp, and Christina Livingston, must collect the signatures of 365,880 registered voters (five percent of the total votes cast for Governor in the November 2014 general election) in order to qualify it for the ballot. The proponents have 180 days to circulate petitions for the measure, meaning the signatures must be submitted to county elections officials no later than June 25, 2018. The proponent can be reached c/o Fredric D. Woocher and Beverly Grossman Palmer at fwoocher@strumwooch.com, bpalmer@strumwooch.com, or (310) 576-1233.

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