[We live in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, yet our
current housing system denies so many hard-working people basic
dignity, stability, or safety. ]
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ACROSS THE US, CITIZEN ACTION PUTS THE HOUSING CRISIS ON THE BALLOT
 
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Gianpaolo Baiocchi
November 8, 2022
Common Dreams
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_ We live in one of the wealthiest countries in the world, yet our
current housing system denies so many hard-working people basic
dignity, stability, or safety. _

Los Angeles Democratic mayoral candidate Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA)
speaks to residents from Hillside Villa, a 124-unit multi-racial
low-income rental community. Bass is in a tight runoff race with
Democratic mayoral candidate Rick Caruso, a billionaire real , Mario
Tama/Getty Images

 

TODAY, VOTERS WILL CAST ballots in one of the most critical elections
in recent history. Conspicuously absent from coverage despite its
priority for many voters is housing. Half
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of Americans struggle with housing insecurity, unable to find
affordable housing for their families, cover rent increases, or
protect themselves from illegal harassment and evictions. In major
cities like Los Angeles, the housing and homelessness crises
consistently rank as the top issue on voters’ minds.

Across the country, local candidates and elected officials refuse to
entertain strong proposals to change the status quo, inevitably owing
to the outsized influence of real estate industry donations on local
elections. According to watchdog site OpenSecrets
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estate industry groups have already spent over $187 million nationally
during this election cycle, and over $419 million during the 2020
presidential election. Of course, their influence shapes policy long
after election day.

In Los Angeles, recently leaked recordings featuring three city
councilmembers and the local labor federation president reveal how
many elected leaders talk when they believe no one is listening.
Amidst racist and anti-indigenous remarks, the leaders discussed
putting a fourth councilmember’s renter-heavy district “in a
blender
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The district was eventually redistricted to weaken renters' power.

Frustrated with government inaction, activists and housing experts
have taken matters into their own hands. Housing measures on the
midterm ballot—with notable examples in California, Florida, and
Colorado—have largely flown under the radar in national media, but
would have as big, if not greater, impacts on people's daily lives as
candidate races. These transformative initiatives go beyond
traditional policy approaches that rely on market fixes like vouchers,
tax incentives, or zoning.

Back in Los Angeles, sixty percent of renters spend more than one
third of their paycheck on rent. Forty-two thousand
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students, workers and seniors live under bridges, on sidewalks, or in
shelters. A broad coalition of 230 housing experts, homelessness
service providers, community organizations and labor unions have
placed Measure ULA [[link removed]] on the ballot. An
innovative approach that pairs affordable development with
homelessness prevention, ULA would add acquisition of existing
buildings and social housing including community land trusts and
housing co-ops to traditional affordable housing construction. It
would also provide direct income assistance for seniors and people
with disabilities and legal counsel to tenants facing eviction. If
passed, Measure ULA would be overseen by a citizens committee, and
paid for by a one-time tax on multimillion dollar real estate sales.

On the other side of the country, communities in Florida are at the
epicenter of a similar housing emergency. Rent in metro Orlando has
jumped 30 percent overall, ans 60 percent
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in some neighborhoods. Yet corporations are raking in profits while
Floridians are priced out of the state. Guided by the fundamental
principle that everyone deserves access to safe, accessible,
affordable housing, activists with Florida Rising
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Stabilization Ordinance
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a temporary one-year measure which would cap rent increases for more
than 100,000 rental properties with 4 or more units at the Consumer
Price Index, a measure of inflation currently at 9.8%.

In Denver, a ballot initiative is just days away from ensuring the
right to counsel for renters. Denver's Initiated Ordinance 305—also
known as No Eviction Without Representation
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(NEWR)—would provide free, universal access to legal counsel for
Denver renters facing eviction. This would, in turn, stop unjust
evictions and reduce homelessness. Over 9,000 evictions are filed
annually in Denver, and that number is creeping towards pre-eviction
levels. However, half of evictions fail in court when renters have
legal support.Under the current system, renters only have
representation 1% of the time, often losing cases that were legally
theirs to win, compared to over 90% of landlords. This rings true
nationally as well—in eviction cases, only 3 percent
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of tenants nationwide are represented, compared to 81 percent
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of landlords. A victory for Denver's Initiative 305 would ensure that
renters get the due process they deserve on a playing field that has
long been anything but level.

Ballot initiatives like these can break legislative logjams, cut
through real estate industry influence, and give voice to citizens
angry with slow and hidebound legislators. They can also attract
significant opposition from the real estate industry.

The LA ballot measure is opposed by large property owners and real
estate interests who have amassed over $5 million to defeat it.
Florida Rising and their partners face stiff opposition from the
Florida Apartment Association and the Florida Realtors Association,
who have not only spent millions to oppose the proposed ordinance but
have sued Orange County to get it removed from the ballot (the matter
remains unresolved with voting already started). And NEWR Denver’s
100% volunteer-run campaign faces steep opposition fundraising, whose
average donation is 1500 times larger than theirs.

The proposals in Los Angeles, Florida, and Denver are smart,
grassroots-driven, people-first local solutions that place the needs
of communities over profiteering and greed.  But they are just a
small step towards true affordability, equity, and justice in the
housing industry. We live in one of the wealthiest countries in the
world, yet our current housing system denies so many hard-working
people basic dignity, stability, or safety. Now that the pandemic has
so sharpened the housing crisis, we should expect to see more
citizen-led initiatives like this in the face of inaction from state,
local, and federal politicians.

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Gianpaolo Baiocchi, Ph.D., is the Director of the New York University
Urban Democracy Lab, and is co-author, along with H. Jacob Carlson, of
the forthcoming book Housing is a Social Good.  He has advised
housing justice groups like The Right To The City Alliance, Housing
Justice For All, the Kansas City Tenants’ Union, among others.

Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel
free to republish and share widely.
 

* Housing Crisis; Housing Ballot Initiatives; Tenants Rights;;
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