Dear Mayor Mueller and Members of the City Council,
I urge you to reject the Tenant Relocation Assistance Ordinance proposed by the City’s Housing Commission.It is rent control which
has been conclusively demonstrated to diminish the quantity and quality of affordable rental housing in cities which have adopted
it.
Because rent control results in higher rents going forward the only true beneficiaries are the tenants in place when the
legislation is adopted – and of course the legal profession which promulgates it and reaps the rewards of the bounty of fees it
generates.
Forty four states and most of California have no form of rent control. In October 2017 the Palo Alto’s City Council considered and
rejected rent control. Then Councilman now Mayor Eric Filseth said at that time (as quoted in the 10/20/17 Palo Alto Weekly),
“Rent control has a strong tendency to help a few people right away and hurt a lot more in the long run.” Let us follow the lead
of our neighbor and reject these well intended but misguided policies.
I thank you for your time and consideration
Sincerely,
Curt Conroy
