Measure C Protects Sacramento's Renters

They tried to stop it but the Devil is a lie!

After gathering more than 44,000 signatures, Measure C qualified for the ballot. The City of Sacramento made many attempts to prevent this from being on the November ballot including suing one of its proponents and staunch housing and tenants advocates because they refused to go against more than 44,000 Sacramentans and did not rescind their signature.

Measure C will stabilize Sacramento communities especially those that are experiencing gentrification and ongoing displacement by some of the fastest-growing rents in the country such as Oak Park and North and South Sacramento. Measure C limits rent increases to the rate of inflation, eliminates unjust evictions, and creates an unpaid democratically elected rent board to settle disputes. By voting ‘Yes’ on Measure C, people will be able to stay in their homes and it has the potential to greatly reduce vulnerability of displacement.

The unemployment rate in Sacramento County in June 2020 was 13.6% compared to last year’s estimate of 3.7% according to a report from the State of California Employment Development Department attached to a Sacramento Employment Training Agency board agenda. Thousands of Sacramentans have lost their jobs due to COVID-19. Scores of Sacramentans are struggling to pay the bills. Many of them being seniors, essential workers, teachers, and even small “mom and pop” landlords.

Measure C is one solution to this crisis. What will Measure C do? Here are a few takeaways:

1. Limiting rents to the Consumer Price Index (CPI) and no more than 5% annually

2. Require just cause for a landlord to evict a renter, and

3. Create a democratically elected volunteer rent board to settle landlord and renter disputes

For many of us, especially low-income to middle class, home affordability is out of reach. Housing insecurity has been and continues to be on the rise. Sacramento has an affordable home shortfall of 55,578. In Sacramento county, 81% of extremely low-income households are paying more than half of their income on housing costs. Rent prices have been increasing for the last ten years and Sacramento continues to build more buildings and businesses and and grow in population size. Yet, wages and salary schedules for essential workers and even government employees are not keeping pace to protect existing affordability.

The fight for Measure C is just beginning. Please join in support and follow Sacramento for Real Rent Control. Sacramento for Real Rent Control is a coalition of community and labor organizations pursuing real rent control through the Sacramento Community Stabilization and Fair Rents Charter Amendment (also known as Measure C) on the 2020 ballot.