05/22/2024
Delano Rent Control To Come,
Delano Leads Central California to Offer Rent Stabilization and Tenant Protections Against Corporate Landlords
62.6% of renters in the City of Delano are rent-burdened, paying over 50% of their income on rent and need protections from runaway rent hikes
DELANO, CA - In a groundbreaking effort to address the housing affordability crisis, concerned citizens of Delano have come together to advocate for rent control. Today marks a pivotal moment as the campaign turned in thousands of signatures from Delano voters to qualify a rent control initiative for the upcoming November ballot. Rent control, as an answer to the housing affordability crisis, is a closer possibility for Delano. Today local community members Lupe Martinez and Yolanda Vega, the proponents of the measure gather to address the achievement
Delano voters soon get the chance to say “yes” to rent control.
The rapidly spreading of unaffordable rental prices at the hands of corporate landlords has reached the City of Delano’s front door step. Delano, like many cities across the nation, faces a critical housing affordability crisis. Skyrocketing rents at the hands of large corporate landlords have been indiscriminate in leaving families struggling to make ends meet, elders living off social security benefits and long-term residents at risk of displacement. In many cases across the Central Valley, corporations have purchased rental properties, only to harass tenants into leaving so they can raise rents for new tenants. The number of apartments affordable to those earning less than the median household income ($53,639) for the City of Delano have consistently declined, forcing multi-generations of families living under the same roof just to survive as rent prices keep soaring. Delano’s population consists of 75.7% Latinos/Chicanos and 14.3% AAPI which are the most rent-burdened families.
Johnny Itliong son of legendary labor organizer Filipino leader and co-founder of the UFW, “My father [Larry Itliong] always said this fight is about housing- it's always been about housing, we cannot afford to wait another 60 years to bring a solution to the housing crisis!”
The initiative comes as rents skyrocket across California at the hands of corporate and out-of-town landlords quickly buying up property.
Citizen led initiatives are rare in Delano, but with over half of renters considered rent-burdened (including 85-90% of very low income and farmworker families), many rural community members feel they have no choice but to take on corporate landlord greed themselves. There has been nearly a 40% increase in rents since 2020 and nearly 42% of the City of Delano’s population are renters. Throughout the past few months hundreds of community members have been canvassing Delano homes gathering signatures from voters to combat the crisis. If passed, the measure introduces rent caps at 3% limited to once a year and tenant protections to the city ordinance.
“I am here as a mother, who has witnessed first hand the trauma caused by the housing crisis- fighting for a better future for my children and the hundreds of children in the city suffering due to the lack of affordable housing”, said local community member Yolanda Vega, a proponent of the measure. “Parents shouldn’t have to choose to traumatize their children just to survive, Delano needs tenant protections and rent stabilization for Delano families to keep families and children housed. Let’s not settle for the reality forced on us by corporations the time for change is now”.
The proposed rent control initiative aims to stabilize housing costs, protect vulnerable communities, and foster a more equitable city. Despite the slow recovery for many households from the pandemic, rents have risen at unreasonable rates despite lack of livable housing conditions. The average rent of a 1 bedroom apartment in Delano is now over $1,700 per month, and a three bedroom unit for a family costs an average of over $2,000 and is still rising every day.
“The price of rent has more than doubled while minimum wage stays the same- I’ve had to go into debt, send my children out of state, and worked overtime daily missing important moments with my family just to live paycheck to paycheck to pay rent” said Humberto Ortiz who has been directly impacted by the cost of rent in the City of Delano. “We need rent control…Cesar Chavez didn’t know what would come from the strikes but it ended up helping so many people… this is not just an issue for very poor people this is affecting blue collar workers with good jobs as well”.
Delano becomes the only city in the entire Central Valley to place rent control on the November ballot. In direct response to the rising rent costs throughout Delano and across the state of California due to corporate landlords. The City of Delano once again becomes the historic catalyst of change for good by being the first city in the Central Valley to lead rent control for their city. This solution to the affordable housing crisis echoes the legendary farmworker movement, based out of the same city, led by the iconic Cesar Chavez.
“The community is struggling, watching hard working farm-worker families have to survive on less than minimum wage while rents skyrocket is heartbreaking”, said Delano community leader Lupe Martinez, one of the proponents of the measure. “The Delano farmworker movement continues to be even more prevalent today, farmworkers are the most vulnerable to the unattainable rent prices which exhaust over 70% of their salaries just on rent alone with two to three generations living under one household. As the epicenter of such great change across the nation all those years, Delano is once again ready to lead the movement for not online farmworker’s housing human rights but for all”.
One of the nation’s largest corporate landlords, CAA, has publicly opposed the Delano rent control ballot verbally and funds opposing campaigns across the state- all while lining their pockets with millions of dollars from charging inhumane rents to Americans living paycheck to paycheck. This is not simply a housing issue, this is a housing affordability crisis affecting the hardworking people of Delano. Over 60% of renters in the City of Delano are rent-burdened, paying over 50% of their income on rent and need protections from runaway rent hikes. According to statistical analysis of data from the Department of Housing and Urban Development and the American Community Survey, the risk of homelessness dramatically increases when rents surpass 30% of a household’s income (Zillow). In the City of Delano, a 20% increase in unsheltered homelessness already increased 20% between February 2022 and March 2023. Rent control is needed now to prevent families from being exploited by the inhumane prices charged by out of town corporate landlords.
The Ordinance will promote neighborhood and community stability, healthy housing, and affordability for Delano by controlling excessive rent increases and arbitrary evictions to the greatest extent allowable under California law, while ensuring mom & pop landlords a fair and reasonable return on their investment. The issue of skyrocketing rents has extended beyond housing and has now started to affect local Delano business owners unable to afford rent hikes for their establishments, leaving no choice but to end the business due to rental costs.
Rent control has historically proven to be a valuable answer to the housing crisis. Academic studies conducted by University of Southern California found that rent regulations “do not necessarily increase the rent of non-regulated units and may actually keep rent more affordable for all.” The concept of rent control is not a new idea as often categorized- in the late 1970s, inflation rose and rents spiked so L.A.'s rent stabilization ordinance “ended dramatic rent increases for incumbent tenants by limiting the rate by which rents could be increased.” Helping thousands of families to avoid displacement.
As the encroaching threat of corporate landlord monopoly has reached The City of Delano, the time is now to prevent the displacement of our people from where they were born and have raised their families. It is in the hands of the people of Delano to lead the city to affordable housing through rent control.
Rent control is one step closer to becoming a reality after Delano Fair Rents submit close to 3,000 signatures to the city clerks office to get rent control in the city on the November 2024 ballot.
