What does Rent Control mean for Carbonera Neighbors?

While the Carbonera Neighborhood has very few rental properties, the upcoming ballot initiative should still be a concern.

Any of your neighbors could find themselves in a situation where they need to rent their home.  For example, they may take a temporary job assignment in another city, or due to illness or disability, they must move to a nursing facility for some indeterminate period of time.  In this case, they may need the rental income from their home to pay the mortgage and property taxes.

However, the proposed ballot initiative --  Santa Cruz Rent Control and Tenant Protection Act   -- could result in multiple occupants in their rented home, regardless of the rental agreement.  Specifically, the limit for an average three bedroom home is about 16 people.  For some of the homes in the Carbonera Neighborhood, this could be as high as 20 to 25 people!  Even if only half the residents in the rented home had automobiles, can you imagine having 10 cars parked on the street for the house next door to you?  

There are many other troubling concerns about this measure; in almost every city where it has been tried, there's been a reduction in rental housing.  True, some renters will benefit short term, but over the long term, most renters will find less housing.

If you would like to attend a meeting to learn more, please contact chiefcarb@gmail.com and we will organize a neighborhood meeting in August.