Tenants 'Crushed' After California Renter Protections Bill Stalls in the Legislature | KQED

"In late April, Kalra transformed it into a two-year bill, vowing to resurface the bill this year after buying more time to work on it with lawmakers. Tenants rights advocates were feeling hopeful about its chances this time around, especially after Gov. Gavin Newsom called out the 2019 law in his State of the State address, saying it was "the strongest statewide renter protections in America.""

"Still, Kalra wanted to win over skeptical colleagues. Early in Tuesday's hearing, he announced he would remove a controversial provision extending tenant protections to those renting single-family homes, individually owned condos and duplexes. "It's all on the table," Kalra said, "if folks are willing to come to the table to have those conversations meaningfully." Despite the concessions made, reactions to the bill were mixed. Some committee members spoke in favor, while others raised concerns about its impact on the already expensive rental market."

"Committee members also took issue with the bill's lowered rent cap. Existing law allows property owners to annually increase rent by 5% plus the cost of living, or up to 10%. As inflation has increased in the years since the law was passed, the amount landlords can raise rents has crept closer to that 10% threshold. AB 1157 would have cut that in half, limiting landlords to a 5% annual increase."

AB 1157 faced opposition from realtor and builder groups who warned it would hinder housing supply. The bill was converted into a two-year measure to allow more negotiation time with lawmakers. Tenant advocates grew hopeful after the 2019 law was praised as strong statewide renter protection. A provision to extend protections to single-family homes, individually owned condos and duplexes was removed to win support. Committee reactions were mixed, with some members citing government overreach and potential market impacts. The bill proposed lowering the rent increase allowance to a flat 5% annual cap, down from the existing 5% plus cost-of-living or up to 10%.

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