Fair Rents, Fair Bills: Understanding Rent & Utility Regulations

JOIN US VIRTUALLY ON MONDAY, NOVEMBER 17TH 12PM

Join us for a learning session about San José’s Rent Stabilization Program and possible updates to the city’s rules on how utilities are billed in rental housing (known as Ratio Utility Billing Services, or RUBS).

We’ll break down:

  • What rent stabilization means
  • How RUBS works
  • And what these proposed changes could mean for renters and housing providers

You’ll also learn how to share your feedback and get involved as the city considers these updates and how it can impact you.

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August 16, 2018

Gearing up for 2019 Legislation: A Policy Roundtable Discussion

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It was a packed house on Friday, August 10th at the SV@Home Policy Roundtable. Guest speakers Ann Fryman, Legislative Aide for Senator Scott Weiner, and Ken Kirkey, Director of Planning for MTC, talked legislation, summarizing lessons learned over the last year and introducing some new ideas as we gear up for 2019.

Coming off a year where we have seen good progress– with several new promising housing bills and $6 billion in housing funding on the November Ballot– we recognize that there were also some different opinions in the housing advocacy community about some bills, particularly SB 827.  Senate Bill 827, a measure proposed by Senator Wiener that would have established an incentive for building housing near high-quality transit by exempting these developments from certain zoning standards, was opposed by some groups who were concerned about displacement and gentrification.

As we move forward to plan for 2019, it is important that we learn from our experience.  Ideas and priorities coming out of the Roundtable included:

  1. What is the top piece of housing legislation on your 2019 wish list?
    1. Initiatives that increase available affordable housing capital for various groups. Examples: Proposition 1, Proposition 2, and the San Jose Affordable Housing Bond.
  2. SB827 was criticized as being divisive within the housing community, what kind of 2019 housing legislation could unify housing advocates of different backgrounds?
    1. Legislation that is more mindful of the differences between communities throughout the state. Possible solutions include different density tiers for different areas. Others ideas included starting with a pilot program before initiating a Statewide policy and ensuring that we work diligently to limit the spread of misinformation through targeted communication campaigns.
  3. Of the four different buckets of tools identified in the CASA Compact, which action from each group would you choose to prioritize?
    1. Preservation: Flexible housing preservation funding.
    2. Protection: Protection incentives for landlords and jurisdictions.
    3. Production (market and affordable): Entitlement reform to reduce delays and improve compliance with state law.
    4. Production (affordable): Tailored policy and implementation toolkit for local jurisdictions.

SV@Home is compiling these comments and will come back with some specific legislative proposals to share with Senator Scott Wiener, other members of the Bay Area Legislative Caucus, and with the Co-Chairs of CASA– the Committee to House the Bay Area.  We appreciate the many participants at the Roundtable for attending and engaging in a lively and constructive discussion.

The next Policy Roundtable is scheduled on October 12th, with the topic of Protection and Preservation Policies.