California DSA Organizes for Propositions 5 and 33—the ARCH Campaign
If voters pass Propositions 5 and 33 on the November 2024 state ballot, we will take a couple of important steps toward addressing the housing crisis in California. That’s why California DSA has endorsed the ARCH campaign—Affordable Rent-Controlled Housing.
California voters on November 5th can take back control over local rents from the developers and real estate industry that have stymied rent control efforts for decades. By passing the Justice for Renters Act—Prop 33—cities and counties will regain the ability to set rent rate regulations by repealing the Costa-Hawkins Act that currently prohibits vacancy control and other rent control policies.
For good reasons, California DSA has made this effort our priority campaign. Housing costs are the largest driver of poverty in California. Real estate comprises roughly 45% of all financial assets globally. These are related phenomena: the consolidation of real estate by large holding companies has accelerated gentrification, displacement, eviction, rent burden, and homelessness. Rent increases are a major driver of inflation. Speculation and absentee landlordism are rampant. Urban redevelopment and the privatization of public housing into “affordable” housing has not resulted in the alleviation of poverty, but merely its relocation.
As socialists, we say enough: everyone deserves a home, regardless of their ability to feed the rent-seeking economy! Passing Prop 33 is a strong step toward making housing a human right.
Build Social Housing
California also needs to de-commodify housing and to improve public infrastructure. Prop 5 would lower the voter threshold from a two-thirds supermajority to 55 percent to approve local general obligation bonds and special taxes for affordable housing and public infrastructure projects. This would make it easier to generate public funds toward housing that is built as a public good, rather than as a commodity investment.
The California DSA ARCH campaign will work with pro-tenant state-wide housing coalitions and will complement local fights this November to win tenant protections, elect rent board members and support pro-tenant DSA-endorsed candidates. All DSA members engaged in electoral work are encouraged to include Prop 33 and Prop 5 materials in your canvassing and outreach.
Passage of Prop 33 and Prop 5 would reset the table for housing organizing. In both cases, socialists and our allies would start from a stronger foundation to improve the lives and economic conditions of workers, specifically their right to housing, while being disadvantageous to the interests of capital. Although these propositions do not fully achieve the policies we want, they will make it much easier to win those policies.
The coalition supporting Justice For Renters/Prop 33 is led by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which has organized two prior initiatives to repeal Costa-Hawkins, and is very active in local and state housing issues. ACCE, which is a community-based organization that engages grassroot supporters in pro-tenant struggles throughout California, and organizes progressive campaigns state-wide, is also playing a lead role in the campaign. Labor unions including UNITE/HERE, United Teachers Los Angeles, United Union of Roofers, San Francisco City College Federation of Teachers, and the California Nurses Association, along with a diverse array of advocacy groups including Housing NOW!, CHIRLA, IE Votes, ACLU-SoCal, ADA, the Poor People’s Campaign and Housing is a Human Right have endorsed Prop 33.
Working class solidarity and militancy
Realtors and landlord-friendly legislation like Costa-Hawkins are just some of the ways that Real Estate capital shapes the world we live in. The fight does not begin or end with any one piece of legislation. We aim to investigate, educate, and organize in and across our communities, drawing inspiration from and working collaboratively as tenants in struggle. In this work we seek to build a campaign that fosters working-class solidarity and militancy that carries into the next fight, wherever and whenever (and whatever) it is.
Now is the time to join the California DSA ARCH campaign for Affordable Rent-Controlled Housing.
Fill out the interest form to join the campaign.
Have your DSA chapter and local organization pass a support resolution.
