If at first…Revamped rent control question could hit ballot in 2020

Last November, California voters handed a stinging defeat to Proposition 10, the initiative that would have opened the door to rent control statewide. Now, as affordability issues continue, the same force behind the failed ballot measure is hoping for a second chance.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation is proposing a new measure that would greatly expand the number of properties that eligible for rent control, much like Prop 10 tried to, according to Curbed. The group is hoping to garner enough signatures for the November 2020 ballot.

The new initiative would allow any residential property that was built as late as 2005 to qualify for rent control. That’s a stark contrast from the current law in Los Angeles, which prohibits rent caps only on buildings constructed before October 1978.

The new proposed measure would also give local cities and counties greater flexibility in applying rent control rules. It will aim to be less confusing to voters than Prop 10, which emphasized eliminating the state’s Costa Hawkins Rental Housing Act rather than focusing on affordability issues, according to AIDS Healthcare’s Michael Weinstein.

Real estate developers and other businesses spent more than $100 million to fight Prop 10, making it one of the most expensive campaigns in state history. Supporters, meanwhile, contributed about $25 million combined — most of which was led by Weinstein’s foundation. [Curbed] — Natalie Hoberman