CAA pushes back as tenant groups pursue Redwood City rent control measure for 2026 ballot

Tenant groups are working to qualify a November 2026 ballot measure in Redwood City that would impose strict rent control, expand just-cause eviction limits and create a new city program funded by annual fees on rental housing providers.

The California Apartment Association opposes the proposal, saying it would expand local rent control beyond existing limits and add new regulatory and financial burdens for housing providers.

The measure would apply to most rental housing in the city, with limited exemptions, and would increase compliance obligations, operating costs and legal risk for landlords and property managers.

Single-family homes, condominiums and housing built after Feb. 1, 1995, would be exempt from rent control only to the extent required by the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act and only while that state law remains in effect.

Key provisions of the proposal include:

• Rolling rents back to Oct. 29, 2025, levels.
• Limiting annual rent increases to 60% of the Consumer Price Index, capped at 5%.
• Applying just-cause eviction rules to covered housing and requiring relocation payments for no-fault terminations.
• Setting no-fault relocation payments at four times U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development fair market rent or $12,000, whichever is greater, with additional payments for elderly, disabled or terminally ill tenants.
• Creating a Rent Stabilization and Tenant Protection Program funded by annual per-unit landlord fees.

The measure also would authorize tenant or city enforcement actions and, in certain cases, damages and attorneys' fees.

This is not the first attempt to impose rent control in Redwood City. A similar measure failed to qualify for the November 2024 ballot after supporters did not collect the required 4,389 valid signatures.

CAA has opposed similar local efforts in Redwood City and across California, arguing that expanding rent control increases regulatory complexity, raises operating costs and discourages housing investment. The association said it will provide updates to members as the ballot qualification process moves forward.