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.

ADEM Delegate Elections - Results are available

Thank you to all our members who participated!  The results of the ADEM delegate elections can now be viewed at https://adem.cadem.org/ Click on the Results link at the top.

2025 CA Dem Convention - May 30-June 1, Anaheim

The 2025 California Democratic Party convention will take place from Friday 5/30 to Sunday 6/1 at the Anaheim Convention Center.  More information will be available soon about the Renters Council meeting and board elections for our 2025-2027 board.

Call Now to urge Assemblymembers to vote for AB 246, Rent Freeze for Los Angeles

Tomorrow (Tuesday March 3rd) there will be a vote in the Assembly Judiciary committee for Assemblymember Isaac Bryan's AB 246, legislation to enact a one-year rent freeze for fire-ravaged Los Angeles County.

Why we need this bill:  

- Tens of thousands of people have been displaced by the fires and must turn to rental property for housing.

-  Since January 7th, increases in average rents have reached 20%.

- Bad actors have taken advantage of the fires and are raising rents at exorbitant amounts.

- Los Angeles County is under a state of emergency and needs a break from increasing rents.  AB 246 will allow those who have lost jobs and homes and those looking for new rental property to stay in Los Angeles. 

- It is up to elected officials to protect LA residents from price gouging.

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SCRIPT:

Hi, this is (First Name) calling to urge the Assemblymember to vote for AB 246.

 

This is legislation to help fire-ravaged Los Angeles County. I believe that people impacted by the fires should not face increased rents when they have lost homes or jobs or both. 

 

We are asking the Assembly member to please join the Los Angeles County Supervisors in supporting AB 246 and to vote YES on AB 246 at the hearing on Tuesday. 

 

Phone ALL of the Following Legislators:

 

Assembly Member Rick Chavez Zbur

Tel: (916) 319-2051

 

Assembly Member Diane Papan

(916) 319-2021

 

Assembly Member Rebecca Bauer-Kahan

(916) 319-2016

 

Assembly Member Blanca Pacheco

(916) 319-2064

Information for Renters Affected by Wildfires

Larry Gross at the Coalition for Economic Survival has provided a list of resources, including info on how to apply for assistance, as well as how to report illegal rent gouging, at https://myemail.constantcontact.com/Resources-for-Renters-Impacted-by-the-Fires.html?soid=1101570421077&aid=p8c0od5DWN8&

Renew your Membership for 2025

Membership Eligibility

Membership is open to all registered Democrats, as well as those who intend to register to vote as Democrats when they become eligible.  If you need to re-register to vote as a Democrat, please go to https://registertovote.ca.gov/

Dues Options:

Regular Member, $10

Housing Friend, $25

Housing Patron, $50

Housing Activist, $99

Pay your Dues
We are now accepting dues for membership for 2025, which covers members for all of 2025 and up through the first 2026 CADEM Convention. All members have the same voting rights.

https://secure.actblue.com/donate/carent2025

We have a number of generous members that donate more than the amount or set up a monthly additional donation. You can use the same link above to make a additional contribution.  There is no contribution limit. This year is an extremely important election year and your donations will be especially helpful in us supporting candidates, rent control ordinances & events to get the renter vote out statewide. 


Fee Waiver:

If dues are a financial hardship, please use the Fee Waiver membership form: https://forms.gle/6zBMLdJLRZhrJP2VA 


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!

https://youtu.be/DffybqXg24Q


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


Fact Sheet: https://www.merkley.senate.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/End-Hedge-Fund-Control-of-American-Homes-Act-1-page-Summary.pdf

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