Rent Control Archives - Knock LA

Topic Rent Control

Housing

LA’s Housing Nightmare Is Crushing My Hollywood Dreams

The artist soul of Los Angeles is threatened by skyrocketing rents

Chris York

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September 6, 2024

city council recap featured image collage

News

Here’s What You Missed in the Last Week of July at LA City Council

City Council extends COVID-19 state of emergency and temporary renter protections, approves anonymous LAPD donation, and rejects police brutality settlement.

Sarah Michelson

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August 12, 2022

Elections

Alexandria Contreras Thinks the Downey City Council Lacks vision

“Something has to change. And it has to be the people on City Council”

Joe Brizzolara

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October 28, 2020

Elections

KNOCK.LA Says Yes on 10

Rent control is good.

Steve Ducey

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September 23, 2018

Elections

Legalize Rent Control – Yes on Prop 10

Rent control is good and we need more of it.

Jacob Woocher

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July 12, 2018

six burlington elementary students stand behind a red table. the child in the middle speaks into a microphone while the others hold protest signs.

Activism

The Biggest Rent Strike in LA History: Burlington Tenants vs. Slumlord Attorney Lisa Ehrlich

In rapidly changing Westlake, hundreds of tenants — almost exclusively Latinx — are fighting back.

Jacob Woocher

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April 12, 2018

a crowd of protesters hold up red signs with white letters that read "we need rent control!"

Analysis

Universal Rent Control is The Most Vital Policy Response to LA’s Housing Crisis

We need this now.

Jacob Woocher

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January 25, 2018

a graphic poster reads why is my rent skyrocketing a guide to understanding the harmful limits on rent control because of the costa hawkins rental housing act 001: Vacancy Decontrol: why rent can skyrocket between leases. vacancy decontrol lets landlords raise rents unlimited amounts when an apartment becomes "vacant" or between leases. this means that if the tenant on the lease moves out, the landlord can double or triple the rent for the remaining tenants overnight. it also rewards for landlords who evict and harass rent-controlled tenants out of their unit so they can attract higher-earning tenants in. vacancy decontrol is a big reason places like San Francisco that have rent control still have high rents. 002. single family homes exemption and the threat of wall street landlords. Under Costa Hawkins, if you live in a single family home (only one unit in the building) or condo, you aren't protected even in cities that have rent stabilization ordinances. this exemption was passed because landlords of single-family homes were considered "mom and pop" small landlords. But that's not the case anymore. Following the economic collapse of 2008 - Wall Street began buying up foreclosed single family homes in bulk and turning them into rentals. In California today, Wall Street is landlord to more than 15,000 families in single family homes with no rent control. 003. new construction exemption. homes built after 1995 have no rent control. Thanks to Costa Hawkins, no building built after 1995 or the year a city passed rental protections can be covered by rent control. For example, San Francisco passed tenant protections in 1979, and thus, hasn't been able to protect almost four decades of housing. Since Costa Hawkins is a state law, it has tied the hands of cities to update their local laws and protect their tenants. The law is out-of-date and unfair. #RepealCostaHawkins #RentControlNow

Analysis

A Revolution for California Housing: Repealing Costa-Hawkins (Yes on Prop 10)

Rent control is one of the foremost demands of grassroots movements organizing around housing justice.

Jacob Woocher

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January 4, 2018