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Campaign Kickoff! Come join us! Learn more about Measure E, meet coalition partners, and find out how you can get involved. Everyone is welcome – bring a friend or neighbor!

The Redwood City Fair and Affordable Housing Ordinance, which is anything but fair or affordable, has officially received its ballot designation and will appear before Redwood City voters on November 3, 2026, as Measure E. SAMCAR urges all of our members who live in Redwood City to VOTE NO on Measure E.

In a decisive 6-0 vote, the Redwood City Council has officially opposed the Redwood City Fair and Affordable Housing Ordinance, which will appear on the November 3, 2026 ballot. The Council's decision follows an independent supplemental economic impact analysis that concluded the measure extends far beyond traditional rent control and could have significant unintended consequences for tenants, housing providers, affordable housing, and the City's financial stability. SAMCAR applauds the six Redwood City Councilmembers for carefully reviewing the analysis and taking a position based on the long-term interests of the entire community. We encourage Realtors, property owners, homeowners, and renters to learn more about the measure before casting their vote this November.

MLSListings has released a new podcast discussing key housing policy topics, including AB736 Property Transfer Taxes and Redwood City's proposed rent control measure appearing on the November ballot.

The Redwood City Council voted unanimously on June 8, 2026, to delay final action on a proposed rent control ballot initiative, requesting a supplemental economic impact report before deciding whether to place the measure before voters.

A proposed rent control initiative introduced by a local organizing group, not the city council, has officially qualified for the November 2026 ballot in Redwood City, setting the stage for a major local campaign over housing policy and affordability.

The National Association of REALTORS®' REALTOR® Party recently highlighted the repeal of Half Moon Bay's rent stabilization and rental registry policies as a Success Story highlighting SAMCAR efforts to pursue a disciplined, relationship-based advocacy strategy grounded in data, local experience, and constructive solutions. A significant upshot of this result is that even when rent control policies are already in place, they are not irreversible. REALTOR® associations can play a decisive role by staying engaged after adoption, monitoring program outcomes, electing more supportive candidates, and using credible data to demonstrate when policies fail to meet their goals.

On March 17, 2026, the Half Moon Bay City Council made a rare and significant decision voting 3–2 to repeal both the rent stabilization and rental registry programs. "Programs that were already in place were repealed," emphasized SAMCAR Government Affairs Director Fernando Peña. "That does not happen often." This outcome reflects months of focused advocacy led by SAMCAR on behalf of homeowners, Realtors, property managers, and housing providers in Half Moon Bay and the surrounding unincorporated communities -- the very individuals who make up the backbone of the local rental housing market.

Voting 4-2 with one council member absent, the Redwood City Council on Monday, October 13, 2025, acted in favor of adding three new provisions to the Anti-Displacement Program. Both SAMCAR and the California Apartment Association (CAA) argued against the ordinance, which now includes up to four months of relocation assistance (dismissing state law's one month requirement), expands the property eligibility assistance from five units to two units or more (going after small mom and pop housing providers), minimum lease terms, and providing tenants with the right to return after a substantial remodel at the federal Fair Market Rate (not at previous rent).

The Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, passed in 1995 after a ten-year effort, remains a crucial protection for California property owners and future renters against extreme and damaging local rent control ordinances. Authored by State Senators Jim Costa and Phil Hawkins, it emerged in response to growing concern over cities imposing draconian rent control policies that stripped owners of their basic rights and discouraged investment in rental housing, ultimately threatening future housing availability for renters. Read more for a fact sheet provided by the California Association of REALTORS® (C.A.R.).

On Monday, April 21, SAMCAR and the California Apartment Association (CAA) mobilized members to attend City Council proceedings in San Mateo and Foster City to speak on behalf of housing providers in opposition to city proposals to increase rental regulations in excess of state law. While both cities moved to advance some new rental regulations, SAMCAR presented a comprehensive case in defense of property rights and found common ground on the need for rental assistance and better education about the plentiful resources already available to support the needs of both tenants and housing providers.

After passage of AB 3088, the California Department of Real Estate (DRE) was tasked with developing a tenant, landlord, and homeowner resource website, housingiskey.com, to provide information and resources on this new legislation, and house the soon-to-be revised publication, California Tenants – A Guide to Residential Tenants' and Landlords' Rights and Responsibilities. The Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency (BCSH) has also announced the creation of the "The California COVID-19 Information App for Tenants & Landlords" to help Californians understand their rights and options under the law.

The California State Assembly passed Assembly Bill fourteen eighty-two and the bill has been signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom. SAMCAR and the Coalition for Housing Equality, with the support of the California Association of REALTORS® (C.A.R.), is providing information to REALTORS® and property owners about the implications of this new state law and how to comply. For questions, please contact the C.A.R. Legal Hotline at (213) 739-8282 or legalhotline@car.org

On Thursday, October 17, SAMCAR members gathered at Devils Canyon Brewing in San Carlos for the final 2019 quarterly Speaker Series for presentations on hot topics including ADUs, first time homebuyer programs, fire insurance, title insurance and cannabis, and rent control followed by conversations with each presenter.

Many economists and academic studies have chronicled the harms of rent control including stunted property values, exacerbated shortages of available units and increased deferred maintenance issues. SAMCAR has a long history of supporting quality affordable housing on the Peninsula and we oppose rent control because it is counterproductive to that longstanding objective.

Rent control (AKA rent stabilization) is looming in San Mateo County. It is one of the foremost threats to private property rights and will impact home owners and tenants. Please contact your elected officials to oppose rent control in San Mateo County.