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by Martha Beetley
Measure E is an opportunity to vote for housing stability in Redwood City.
Measure E gives voters a chance to stand up as a supportive and welcoming city where working families can put down roots.
Almost half of our city’s residents are renters, who are experiencing increases in rents that are burdening their budgets and forcing many to consider leaving. Rents have increased dramatically in recent years, and the average two-bedroom apartment is now more than $3,800. Wages have not increased at the same rate as rents, so workers are making difficult choices to move to smaller apartments, work multiple jobs, or crowd two or three families into a living space. Overcrowded conditions add a lack of privacy to the financial stress so many are feeling.
Measure E will keep costs stable by allowing predictable rent increases of 60% of inflation or 5%, whichever is lower; guarantee landlords a fair return on their investment; require “just cause” for evictions (e.g., failure to pay rent, breach of lease, owner moving into the unit); protect against the use of intimidation and lack of repairs to push people out of their homes; and prevent homelessness through higher relocation assistance for no-fault evictions. A vote FOR Measure E is a vote in favor of reasonable profits for landlords and affordable monthly payments for renters. It provides for waiver applications when a landlord has unusual expenses.
I am fortunate enough to be a homeowner, and I enjoy the stability of maintaining my own residence. I know that costs for remodeling and renovation have increased for all consumers. However, I have heard the unsettling testimonies of many renters who are living with moldy walls, non-functioning appliances, rodents and pests, and other unsanitary conditions. Some of their landlords are non-responsive to the complaints, often inviting the renters to leave if they didn’t like the conditions they were dealing with. This is unacceptable in our town, and I am very disappointed that members of the City Council would not take on this housing crisis directly. When any of our neighbors are forced to live in unsafe and unhealthy conditions, we must all speak up!
The California Apartment Association-sponsored opposition to our locally-
sponsored Measure E claims that a 5% yearly rent increase isn’t enough for its bank accounts. But we know that 87% of the rental property in Redwood City is owned by corporations with headquarters far from Redwood City, even out of California. The corporations do not play a positive role in our neighborhoods; they do not prioritize the stability of our schools and our small businesses. They are dealing in fear and misinformation as the basis of their campaign to keep rents high. Measure E will be paid for by a fee on landlords, per unit that they own, not by the taxpayers or by homeowners. This means the corporate landlords who own the majority of apartments in Redwood City will pay the largest share.
Residents of nearby Mountain View, who have had a similar rent control measure in place for nearly ten years, enjoy greater rent stability, while property values and the city’s overall prosperity continues to climb. Redwood City could offer this same stability while continuing to pursue more building of affordable housing. Rent control AND new construction will provide the homes we need for a thriving Redwood City.
Vote YES on Measure E to support renters, to support a long-term commitment to our diverse community. We need rent control and tenant protections to keep
Redwood City the affordable, growing, multi-generational, vibrant town that we love.
Martha Beetley is an official proponent of Measure E, a Redwood City
homeowner, and a community volunteer with Faith in Action Bay Area. She is a retired
educator and is active in the Redwood City community, including volunteering at her
granddaughters’ elementary school. Her husband is a retired lawyer and her son is a
secondary teacher in the local high school district.
