Three years ago, the voters passed our city’s rent control law (Measure V). While well-intended, it is challenged because it was written behind closed doors without input from the public or the Mountain View City Council. As a result, a law meant to provide stability and prevent displacement of our residents has contributed to the loss of over 700 rental units and is deterring landlords from performing key safety and energy upgrades. Leaving it as written simply isn’t feasible long-term.
The City Council listened to the community during at least six public meetings last year. It heard from renters, landlords, homeowners and legal experts about effective changes that would make the law more workable while minimizing impacts on renters. Measure D is the City Council’s recommended package of amendments to do just that.
Measure D will provide stability by preserving the parts of the current law that work, including rent caps (4% instead of the “up to 5%” as currently allowed), strict eviction protections, and relocation benefits. It will also encourage investment in older housing and clarify areas of the current law that have resulted in costly lawsuits.
Opponents of Measure D are distorting its purpose and potential impact, and they fail to mention that there is a broad coalition of Mountain View community members supporting Measure D that includes the mayor, several city council members, public safety leaders, educators, renters and landlords. Here are some of Measure D’s key elements and responses to opponent claims:
Rent limits: Opponents falsely claim that Measure D will result in frequent 10% rent increases. What they’re not telling you is that current law already allows increases of 10%, and even more in some circumstances. Measure D improves on current law by more firmly capping increases and requiring that the capital improvements eligible for a pass-through must primarily benefit the tenants and not be the result of a property owner’s failure to maintain the property or deferred maintenance. Measure D also prohibits the pass-through of cosmetic or luxury improvements that primarily benefit the landlord’s bottom line.
Limiting pass-through costs: Under Measure D, the Rental Housing Committee would have the ability to set even lower pass-through rates for different types of improvements when it writes regulations. Landlords would still have to obtain the Rental Housing Committee’s approval to issue a rent increase for a specified improvement, but the current paperwork-intensive approval process would be streamlined for key improvements like seismic and energy upgrades, new windows, and other items that clearly extend the useful life of the building or directly reduce a tenant’s utility costs.
Mobile homes: Current law has been determined not to apply to mobile homes, so mobile home residents have asked the City Council to adopt some form of mobile home rent stabilization outside of current law. Measure D clears the way for the council to provide rent stabilization for mobile homes outside of current law, and it does so in a way that is so indisputable that the same mobile home park owner who has fought stabilization for mobile home residents is now spending nearly $100,000 to defeat Measure D. That landlord knows that with Measure D in place, the City Council will be able to adopt a stabilization package that he won’t be able to tie up in court.
Measure D is a pragmatic and balanced improvement to current law. Most importantly, it will help ensure we have high-quality apartments for years to come to house our families, seniors, teachers, veterans, and our diverse community.
Chris Clark and John McAlister are Mountain View City Council members.
