Bill Bernfeld contributed to Law360’s “Calif. Real Estate Regulation To Watch In The 2nd Half Of 2019,” elaborating on Prop. 10, a measure which failed California voter approval and would have lifted rent control in more than a dozen California cities. After that failed measure, rent control groups are now mobilizing efforts to cap rents to avoid any jumps by more than 15 percent over the course of a three-year period.
“It’s certainly not a dead issue,” said Bernfeld. “Part of the problem with Prop. 10 was that it really wasn't clearly written. It had a double negative in it ... Most voters on a ballot initiative, if there's uncertainty on it, just vote no. This time around, having learned the lesson of Prop. 10, rather than pursuing something that's so sweeping, their goal is to weaken it. They're coming back for a second bite at the apple.”