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As you watch these results, keep in mind:
- There more more than 22.6 million registered voters in California.
- In 2020, the last presidential election, more than 16.1 million Californians cast a ballot.
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Get full results:
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Keep in mind that in tight races the winner may not be determined for days or weeks after Election Day. This is normal. Here's why.
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In California, ballots postmarked on or before Nov. 5 are counted toward the results as long as they arrive within seven days of the election. The California Secretary of State's Office is scheduled to certify the final vote on Dec. 13.
What's at stake in this race
About a dozen cities in Southern California have some form of local rent control. That list includes Los Angeles, Inglewood and Santa Ana.
But a 1995 state law puts limits on what kinds of rent regulations cities across California can impose. The goal of Proposition 33 is to repeal that law and allow cities to enact tougher forms of rent control, which supporters believe could make the cost of housing more affordable.
Opponents however, which include landlord groups, realtors and business advoates, say rent control is a policy that doesn’t work, and that tightening the rules would hurt mom and pop landlords.
Follow Prop 50 as it heads to the ballot
Why this race mattered
Prop. 33 would repeal the Costa–Hawkins Rental Housing Act. This 1995 state law is the reason why cities can’t impose rent control on certain types of housing.
If you’re renting a single-family home or condo in California, you’re excluded from local rent control rules, thanks to Costa-Hawkins. Local rent control also doesn’t apply to anyone living in an apartment built after Feb. 1, 1995 (or even earlier in some cities, such as L.A. where the cut-off date is Oct. 1, 1978), again because of Costa-Hawkins.
Another big element of Costa-Hawkins is known as “vacancy decontrol.” This provision allows landlords to charge whatever the market will bear once a unit becomes vacant. Renter advocates argue this is why long-term tenants — who tend to pay below-market rates after years of rent increase limits — are often pressured to leave so landlords can dramatically raise rents for their units.
Prop. 33 would scrap all those restrictions and allow cities to pass tougher forms of rent control.
Similar measures have already appeared on the ballot twice, in 2018 and 2020. Both times, California voters rejected them by wide margins.
Follow the money
Go deeper on the issues
- Rent Control Explained: The History Of LA’s Controversial Tenant Protections [LAist]
- How much can my rent go up right now? Here’s your LA rent hike cheat sheet [LAist]
- California rent control is back on the ballot this November — twice [CalMatters]
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