Ballots arriving soon…remember to vote early! Not yet registered? October 19th is the deadline to register to vote in Alameda County. For more information, see the link at https://www.acvote.org/index.

All eligible voters will be mailed a vote-by-mail ballot beginning October 5th for the November 3rd general election and you can track your ballot using the using the “voter profile” link at https://www.acgov.org/rovmvp_app/mvp.do.

Castro Valley Matters continues our California Propositions-2020 blog series on the 12 state propositions. Next up, Proposition 21, which grants cities more power in enacting rent control.

Prop	Name	Brief Description
21	Rent Control	Allow cities to pass stricter rent control measures

According to CalMatters.org, Prop 21 would “allow cities to pass rent control measures on almost all rental housing, as long as it’s more than 15 years old.

Renters got a break last year, when the state enacted a law capping annual rent increases at around 8%. But another, older state law doesn’t let cities enact their own, stricter rent control laws for single-family homes or rental housing first occupied in the past 25 years. Nor can cities prevent landlords from raising the rent on new tenants to market rates.

There are still a few exemptions built into Prop. 21. For example, cities still wouldn’t be able to cap rent increases by “mom-and-pop landlords,” who own no more than two small properties such as single-family homes or condos.

If the measure passes, cities and states may lose revenue in the “high tens of millions per year,” according to an analysis by the Legislative Analyst’s office, because landlords will pay lower property taxes.”

What a “Yes” Vote Means	What a “No” Vote Means
A “Yes” vote on Proposition 21 would give California cities greater rent control power over landlords with properties older than 15 years, except mom-and-pop landlords owning no more than 2 small properties.	A “No” vote on Proposition 21 means California law restricting cities from enacting stronger rent controls would stay in place.

The following people and organizations have either endorsed Proposition 21 and urge you to vote “Yes” or are opposed to Proposition 21 and want you to vote “No”.

Wants You to Vote “Yes”	Wants You to Vote “No”
Michael Weinstein, president of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation California Democratic Party Eviction Defense Network Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders	California Apartment Association Gov. Gavin Newsom Essex Property Trust and Prometheus Real Estate Group California Seniors Advocates League

Need to know more? Check out these useful links to find more details on this proposition.