| Government Affairs |
Measure E Defeated in Redwood City
Redwood City voters have rejected Measure E, delivering an important victory for homeowners, renters, city administration, small housing providers, taxpayers, and affordable housing operators.
The rejection of rent control in Redwood City sends a strong message to county residents that housing policy should focus on affordability, supply, and what makes building housing so expensive rather than imposing additional regulation, bureaucracy, and financial burdens.
The San Mateo County Association of REALTORS® (SAMCAR) and the California Apartment Association (CAA) led the campaign to defeat Measure E, working alongside a broad coalition of community members, local housing providers, current and former elected officials, business organizations, and concerned residents to educate voters about the measure's potential consequences.
Measure E would have repealed Redwood City's existing Tenant Protection Ordinance with expanded regulations that included rent control, additional eviction restrictions, increased relocation requirements, right-to-return provisions, anti-harassment protections, and new administrative requirements.
The measure also threatened to create significant ongoing financial obligations for the city, discourage developer investment in rental housing, reduce renter options, and place additional financial and operational pressure on small, family-owned housing providers.
Specifically, SAMCAR and CAA helped prevent the following consequences of Measure E:
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Reduced rental housing choices: The measure risked discouraging investment in rental housing and reducing the availability and variety of rental options for residents, including future affordable housing.
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Higher costs for small family housing providers and taxpayers: Rental property owners would have been subject to annual per-unit fees and taxpayers were expected to make up any shortfall to finance a new city department. The city's economic analysis estimated program costs of up to $11 million annually.
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Financial pressure on affordable housing operators: The measure could have increased operating costs and created financial challenges for affordable housing operators who serve Redwood City's most vulnerable residents.
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Restrictive rent control: For small family housing providers, limiting annual rent increases to just 60% of CPI, with a maximum increase of 5%, would have made it more difficult to keep pace with rising property taxes, insurance, utilities, mortgage payments, and maintenance costs.
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Expanded regulations on homeowners: The measure would have extended additional just cause eviction and tenant protections to a broader range of properties, including single-family homes, ADUs, condominiums, townhomes, and mobile homes.
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Challenges for housing developers: Developers would have faced the just cause eviction and tenant protection regulations, impacting regulatory, financial, and operational challenges that could have affected project feasibility, development decisions, costs, and discouraged investment in new rental housing.
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Repeal of existing tenant protections: Measure E would have repealed and replaced the city's existing Tenant Protection Ordinance with an expanded and more complex regulatory framework.
Throughout the campaign, SAMCAR emphasized that Redwood City already had meaningful tenant protections in place and that Measure E was to extreme, excessive, and expensive. We argued that housing policy should protect tenants while preserving the ability of property owners to maintain, improve, and provide rental housing.
"This victory demonstrates what can happen when an informed community comes together to protect its neighborhoods and stand up for practical housing policies," said Fernando Peña, SAMCAR Government Affairs Director. "The voters of Redwood City have spoken. They do not want rent control, nor expensive, extreme, and excessive regulations."
SAMCAR extends a special thank you to our members who volunteered their time, contacted fellow REALTORS®, educated clients and neighbors, displayed campaign materials, contributed financially, and helped spread the word about the negative consequences of Measure E. Your participation made a difference.
This campaign was about more than defeating a ballot measure. It was about defending private property rights, supporting responsible housing policies, protecting small family housing providers, and preserving renters' housing choices and flexibility. Stay vigilant, 2028 is right around the corner!
Thank you to everyone who stood with SAMCAR and CAA and helped deliver this important victory!
