The purpose of the Renters Council is to act as a driving force in the development of a tenants’ rights and protections agenda within the California Democratic Party for the benefit of the 18 million Californian renters.
The Council shall promote policy and legislation consistent with our principles and support those Democratic Party office holders and officials proposing and carrying out such policies.
Apply now for endorsement!
Running in the November 2024 election? Apply now for our 3rd round of endorsements.
https://forms.gle/KjQyzgUeTQDnw2D99
View questionnaires and recorded speeches from candidates who applied for our first round of endorsements.
Candidate Questionnaire Responses
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1aENRYUPgGnW43h4T9tV135uFSE_l6BPhoDemdymwfzY/edit?usp=sharing
Alphabetical by office they are running for.
Candidate Speeches
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEdvL2TkZd4 (most candidates)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cvWF-JWjeJso4yCy3TeST3eKrpujsl5Q/view (Danny)
Berkeley Mayor Election
Kate Harrison: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEdvL2TkZd4&t=160s
Adena Ishii: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1svTq9byQMaWkrAf0GAFw0q2cfordN2LK/view?usp=drivesdk
Sophie Hahn: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1F01564RFqKPJolSNpJ-5kMiIT7UINsfp/view
2024 Endorsements
State Propositions
YES on Prop 5 Local Government Financing: Affordable Housing and Public Infrastructure (ACA 1). This Proposition would make it easier to pass local measures to fund housing.
YES on Prop 33 Expands Local Governments' Authority to Enact Rent Control on Residential Property (Justice for Renters Act). This Proposition would allow cities to expand rent control.
NO on Prop 34 Restricts Spending by Health Care Providers Meeting Specified Criteria (Protect Patients Now Act of 2024). This Proposition would ban some organizations from supporting ballot measures.
State Assembly
AD24 - Alex Lee
AD44 - Nick Schultz
AD57 - Sade Elhawary
State Senate
SD9 - Marisol Rubio
SD25 - Sasha Renée Pérez
SD29 - Eloise Gómez Reyes
Local Endorsements
Northern California
AC Transit Ward 6: Jesse Gunn
Berkeley Mayor: Kate Harrison
Berkeley City Council District 2: Jenny Guarino
Berkeley Rent Board: Avery Arbaugh, Xavier Johnson, Alfred Twu, Dominique Walker
Emeryville City Council: Sukhdeep Kaur
Fairfax Town Council: Chance Cutrano
Foothill-De Anza College Board Area 5: Forest Peterson
Fremont Mayor: Vinnie Bacon
Hayward Unified School Board: Austin Bruckner Carrillo, Sara Prada
Mountain View City Council: IdaRose Sylvester
New Haven Unified School Board: Jatinder (JP) Sahi
Oakland City Council D3: Carroll Fife
Oakland City Attorney: Ryan Richardson
Palo Alto City Council: Cari Templeton & George Lu
Richmond City Council District 1: Melvin Lee Willis, Jr
Richmond City Council District 5: Sue Wilson
Richmond City Council District 6: Claudia Jimenez
Santa Clara County Supervisor: Sally Lieber
San Leandro City Council D6: Robert Aguilar Bulatao
San Francisco Supervisor D5: Dean Preston
San Mateo City Council D2: Charles Hansen
Vallejo City Council D3: Tonia Lediju
Central California
Marina City Council District 3: Mike Moeller
Monterey City Council D3: Eric Palmer
Monterey City Council D4: Gino Garcia
Pacific Grove Mayor: Dionne Ybara
Salinas Mayor: Chris Berrera
Salinas City Council D3: Cary Swensen
Southern California
Alhambra City Council D4: Katie Chan
Burbank City Council: Konstantine Anthony, Mike Van Gorder
Culver City Council: Bryan "Bubba" Fish, Nancy Barba
Los Angeles City Council D2: No Consensus
Los Angeles City Council D14 - Ysabel Jurado
Pasadena Unified School District D6: Tina Wu Fredericks
San Diego City Council D3: Coleen Cusack
Santa Ana Mayor: Benjamin Vazquez
Santa Monica City Council: Dan Hall, Ellis Raskin, Barry Snell, Natalya Zernitskaya
Santa Monica College Board: Anastasia Foster
Santa Monica Rent Control Board: Phillis Dudick, Kay Ambriz
West Hollywood City Council: John Erickson, Danny Hang
Recording of our November 12 meeting is now available!
2:14 Justice for Renters ballot measure
9:58 Treasurer's Report
11:35 Secretary's Report
14:35 NorCal Report
- 15:00 Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA)
- 18:47 Alameda County Tenant Protection Legislation
- 23:22 Jennifer Esteen (Alameda County Supervisor D4 candidate)
- 28:38 Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) Part 2
- 34:36 Emeryville Affordable Housing Update
- 40:27 Fairfax Rent Stabilization Update
- 48:02 Cassandra James (Solano County Supervisor candidate)
- 51:14 Jackie Elward (Senate District 3 candidate)
- 55:50 Marisol Rubio (Senate District 9 candidate)
- 59:06 Jovanka Beckles (Senate District 7 candidate)
- 1:04:40 Protecting Solar for Renters
- 1:06:23 Sacramento Update
1:07:54 Central Report
- 1:10:24 Veronica Vazquez (Kern County Supervisor candidate)
- 1:17:57 Delano Rent Stabilization ballot measure
- 1:18:49 Central Coast Updates
1:26:54 SoCal Report - Rent stabilization, Measure ULA
- 1:30:25 Barrington Plaza evictions & Ellis Act Renovictions
- 1:33:33 Don't Sign the Patient Protection Act
- 1:35:34 Nick Schultz (Assembly District 44 candidate)
Announcements
- 1:37:54 Children's Caucus update on school board elections
- 1:42:29 Rose Penelope Yee for Congress (CA-1)
- 1:43:20 Rally to Support State Scientists
- 1:45:45 Coleen Cusack for San Diego City Council District 3
- 1:46:16 Genesis Coronado for Assembly District 52
- 1:47:35 Legislation Update
Ask your Congressmember & Central Committees to support the End Hedge Fund Control of American Homes Act, S.3402 and H.R.6608
The End Hedge Fund Control of American Homes Act seeks to put an end to the harmful practice of Wall Street hedge funds buying up single-family homes. Single family homes lack the tenant protections often available to apartment residents, putting tenants at risk of high rent increases, habitability issues, and unjust evictions.
Details of the proposed law:
• Bans hedge funds from owning single-family homes and requires them to sell at least 10% of the total number of single-family homes they currently own to families per year over a 10-year period.
• Subjects hedge funds to a $50,000 per single family home per year tax penalty on the number of single-family homes owned above either zero or a scheduled 10% reduction per year over 10-years winding down to zero.
o After a 10-year full phase-out, all hedge funds will be completely banned from owning any single-family homes.
• Imposes a 50% tax on the fair market value of any future hedge fund purchase of a single-family home.
• Tax penalties paid by hedge funds are reserved for down payment assistance for people seeking to purchase homes sold by hedge funds.
• Ensures the tax penalty focuses on problematic actors by excluding nonprofit organizations, public housing agencies and other government entities.
• Includes an explicit certification process for a purchaser of a hedge fund owned home to confirm that they do not own a majority interest in any other single family residential real estate
News article: https://www.businessinsider.com/housing-market-affordability-investors-hedge-funds-wall-street-democrats-bill-2023-12
Official text
https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/6608?s=5&r=1
https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/3402?s=4&r=2
