Larry Gross, executive director of the Coalition for Economic Survival, a Los Angeles tenant advocacy group, said that despite the delay, the bill’s introduction in itself has created the possibility of changes once considered far-fetched. Before AB 1506, the only repeal bill submitted was one in 2000 that never came up for a vote, according to Bloom’s office.
“It’s the beginning of a groundswell,” Gross said.
The Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee is expected to hold informational hearings as early as May on rising rents, including the role that Costa-Hawkins has played in the state’s affordability crisis, according to the office of committee Chair David Chiu (D-San Francisco), coauthor of the repeal bill with Bloom and Rob Bonta (D-Oakland).
Bloom said the potential for a repeal to hamper construction is an important issue that “we ought to air and discuss carefully,” given that a housing shortage is a major factor in skyrocketing rents.
Still, he said, more must be done to help renters now.
“This bill really places a laser focus on what we can do to address the immediate needs of tenants,” Bloom said.