Rent Control Board at 30
The Santa Monica Rent Control Board had its first meeting of the year. It was the first meeting with new commissioner Robert Kronovet, a Republican landlord and property manager who defeated Santa Monicans for Renters' Rights backed candidate Chris Braun by 62 votes.
While holding a 4-1 majority on the Rent Board is not a crisis, we would be in deep trouble if these kinds of results were to happen again in 2010. SMRR’s leadership has evaluated its campaign weaknesses, and, given sufficient funding and volunteer participation, indicates it should be able to overcome such landlord challenges in the future. But that means SMRR needs you!
In the coming months, the Rent Board plans to analyze the method for determining the annual rental adjustment. The Board also will be discussing the Ellis Act (allows landlords to take units off the rental market) and vacancy decontrol and how we might diminish the effect these statewide laws have on renters in our community.
As the Rent Control Board moves forward with this important work, we need to remind tenants of the benefits of rent control generally, particularly those who recently have moved into the community. Your newer neighbors, who paid market rates when they moved in, need to know that the strong tenant protection laws championed by SMRR provide important benefits to them. Stable rents and eviction protections are valuable to every tenant. Pass it on.