AP18:091
For Immediate Release
June 15, 2018
Contact:
SOS Press Office
(916) 653-6575
New Measure Eligible for California’s November 2018 Ballot
Expands Local Governments’ Authority to Enact Rent Control on Residential Property. Initiative Statute.
SACRAMENTO Secretary of State Alex Padilla today announced that an initiative is eligible for the November 6, 2018, General Election ballot.
In order to become eligible for the ballot, the initiative needed 365,880 valid petition signatures, which is equal to five percent of the total votes cast for governor in the November 2014 General Election.
An initiative can qualify via random sampling of petition signatures if the sampling projects a number of valid signatures greater than 110 percent of the required number. The initiative needed at least 402,468 projected valid signatures to qualify by random sampling, and it exceeded that threshold today.
On June 28, 2018, the Secretary of State will certify the initiative as qualified for the November 6, 2018 General Election ballot, unless the proponent withdraws the initiative prior to that date pursuant to Elections Code section 9604(b).
The Attorney General's official title and summary of the initiative 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 proponents of this initiative are Michael Weinstein, Elena Popp, and Christina Livingston. The proponents can be reached c/o Fredric D. Woocher and Beverly Grossman Palmer at fwoocher@strumwooch.com, bpalmer@strumwooch.com, and (310) 576-1233.
For more information about how an initiative qualifies for the ballot in California, visit http://www.sos.ca.gov/elections/ballot-measures/how-qualify-initiative/.
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