Measure K is a 47-page initiative that was forced onto the ballot by outside interests with no connection to Larkspur. It upends the sensible rent control policy approved by Larkspur voters earlier this year, replacing it with a more extreme initiative that will reduce the supply of available rental housing, making our housing crisis even worse, while creating a new bureaucracy at City Hall. To make matters worse, ‘just cause’ provisions in Measure K will make it difficult to evict problem tenants, even in instances where neighboring tenants are negatively impacted by their neighbors’ bad behavior.

The question that will appear on ballots of City of Larkspur voters in the November 5, 2024 election states: Shall the proposed ordinance, prohibiting residential real property rental rate increases for some rental units that exceed sixty percent of the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index or three percent, whichever is lower, defining a base rent for affected units as the rent in effect on August 3, 2022, establishing a process for consideration of additional rent increases, limiting the grounds for evicting tenants of some rental units, enacting additional housing regulations, be adopted?

Voters weighed in on rent control in the March 5, 2024 election. That measure, which narrowly passed and is now in effect, already restricts rental increases, and was the culmination of more than a year of public workshops and community input. While the City of Larkspur involved the public in that process, this measure, which ended up on the ballot following a signature-gathering effort by an extreme political group, seeks to make it nearly impossible to evict problem tenants, and creates draconian rent control provisions compared to what we have today.

Yes. One of the largest housing providers in Larkspur already offers a means-tested rental assistance program. This housing provider would like to discuss the potential for expanding this targeted rental assistance on a community-wide basis. The ability to pursue this opportunity hinges on the outcome of Measure K. If Measure K passes and the extreme provisions of rent control in Larkspur are enacted, targeted rental assistance simply won’t be possible due to the high cost of complying with the provisions of the measure.

The ‘just cause’ eviction provisions in Measure K creates a bureaucratic process to pursue evictions of problem tenants, putting the burden on the landlord to jump through hoops to address nuisance cases – creating a circumstance that will make it more difficult to evict problem tenants without just cause, even in instances where neighboring tenants are negatively impacted by their neighbors’ bad behavior. This process will negatively affect neighboring renters, and harm the quality-of-life for those living in multi-family rental units.

An independent analysis conducted by City Hall: a 9212 impact study, noted that the cost to implement this measure is likely to cost at least $400,000 to $500,000 annually – to start. According to the City Manager, “the numbers for the initiative program will go up as we build out the program…to $600,000, $700,000, $800,000 the following years.” These costs will likely be passed on to both property owners, taxpayers, and future tenants seeking a rental unit in Larkspur, making starting rental prices even costlier.

In a February 2016 report “Perspectives on Helping Low-Income Californians Afford Housing” published by the State Legislative Analyst’s Office, or “LAO” (an independent, nonpartisan fiscal watchdog), the LAO suggests that rent control is not a sound policy solution to our housing crisis: “…We offer additional evidence that facilitating more private housing development in the state’s coastal urban communities would help make housing more affordable for low-income Californians. Existing affordable housing programs assist only a small proportion of low-income Californians. Most low-income Californians receive little or no assistance. Expanding affordable housing programs to help these households likely would be extremely challenging and prohibitively expensive.” (read the full report “Perspectives on Helping Low-Income Californians Afford Housing” by clicking here).