Early results Tuesday night in Berkeley seem to indicate a rejection of Measure CC while Measure BB is narrowly behind. If both dueling rent control initiatives are defeated, the city’s Rent Board, its members and procedures would remain unchanged.
Measure CC was placed on the ballot through a petition drive by the Berkeley Property Owners Association, which represents landlords, said Mayor Jesse Arreguin. As of late Tuesday, 62% of voters were rejecting Measure CC.
As an alternative plan, Measure BB was written by members of the Berkeley City Council, with input from the Berkeley Rent Board. Five councilmembers voted in favor of placing Measure BB on the ballot, while two abstained and one was absent.
Early returns show Measure BB still too close to call, receiving 49.7% votes in support and 50.3% opposed.
Measure BB would set aside funds for a housing retention program, allow tenants representing at least 50% of a building to form an association, and limit the maximum rent increase to 5%, among other changes.
Most of the 26,000 rental units in Berkeley are covered by some portion of the city’s Rent Stabilization and Eviction for Good Cause Ordinance, also called the Rent Ordinance. It includes enforcement and protections for renters and landlords and is administered by an elected commission called the Rent Board.
Arreguin said Measure CC would prevent the Rent Board from being able to provide a rent reduction in the case that a unit is not meeting habitability standards. The Rent Board right now can conduct hearings and apply enforcement, he said, adding that Measure CC would prevent that.
Measure CC would remove the Rent Board’s ability to intervene as an interested party in litigation and modify the board’s powers and duties by requiring a city audit every three years. It would also remove the monthly stipend commissioners receive.
