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Anaheim voters will not see rent control on November ballot
Tenant advocates in Anaheim had hoped the city would follow Santa Ana in enacting rent control.
(
Trevor Stamp
/
LAist
)
An effort to put a rent control measure on the November ballot in Anaheim has fizzled. That means Santa Ana is likely to remain the only Orange County city with rent control, at least for now.
The group Tenants United Anaheim launched an effort in January to put rent control on the November ballot. The initiative proposed to cap rent increases in the city at 3% annually. It also would have required landlords to pay relocation assistance to tenants forced to move through no fault of their own, such as when an owner takes a rental unit off the market.
Why did it fizzle?
Tenants United Anaheim has yet to release an official statement, but an organizer with the group told LAist the group had decided to suspend signature-gathering in order to improve and strengthen the text of the ballot measure.
This week is the deadline to submit ballot initiatives for the November election in Orange County. The group expects to resume the effort for a future election.
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The context
Tenant advocates in Anaheim had hoped to follow in the footsteps of neighboring Santa Ana, which became Orange County’s first city to adopt rent control in 2021. It was upheld by voters in 2024. The efforts in both cities have faced strong opposition from the California Apartment Association, which represents landlords.
What's next
Some cities have had to pare down their protections for renters after negative court rulings. Los Angeles and Pasadena have stopped enforcing mandatory relocation assistance following legal victories by landlord groups.
Sponsored message
Tenants United Anaheim's members hope their revised rent control proposal will make it on the ballot in 2028.
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