California voters on Tuesday rejected Proposition 21, which would have allowed cities to enact more restrictive forms of rent control.
It’s the second time in two years that voters have weighed in on the issue. Proposition 10, which would have repealed the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, was soundly defeated in 2018 by a nearly 20-point margin.
In early returns Tuesday night, Prop. 21 appeared to be trailing by a similar margin, with about 63% of voters against the measure, compared to about 37% in support.
“It feels (like) a huge weight off the shoulders,” said Sid Lakireddy, the president of the California Rental Housing Association, which opposed the measure, “especially this year with the pandemic, everybody going through what they are going through. I think this was the last thing any of us needs.”
Prop. 21 would have allowed cities to impose rent control on buildings more than 15 years old. Some single-family homes and condominiums would have also been open to rent control, with exemptions for landlords who own two or fewer buildings.
