Yes, not maybe: Seattle needs rent control

Seattle urgently needs rent control to stop Seattle’s out-of-control rent hikes! Rents now average over two thousand dollars a month, and one of our neighbors in District 3 is evicted every other day. But we don’t need statistics to explain what most working people can see plain and clear: the rent is too damn high!

That’s why renters — and everyone who believes Seattle should be affordable for all — are fighting back! And that’s why Kshama’s council office has launched Seattle’s campaign for rent control!

Organizing alongside the Tenants Union of WA State and Be:Seattle, they are about to smash their goal of collecting 10,000 signatures on their petition for rent control. We’re also using our re-election campaign to build momentum for rent control, and we’re proud that we’ve collected an additional 6,000 petition signatures in support of rent control.

Please join us at next Saturday’s important rally to get active in the movement for rent control and learn more about the legislation Kshama will soon be bringing forward for universal rent control, free of corporate loopholes. Please RSVP and invite your friends!

RENT CONTROL RALLY!

July 20th, 6pm

All Pilgrims Christian Church (500 Broadway E)

Notably, when asked yes or no by the Seattle Times, Kshama was the only District 3 candidate to clearly answer that yes, Seattle needs rent control!

All other candidates answered “no” or “maybe.” Working people can’t say “maybe I’ll pay” when their landlord suddenly demands higher rent. But too many candidates say “maybe” when faced with the most crucial issues that working people face daily in Seattle. All too often, “maybe” signals a willingness to side with big business, rather than a commitment to stand up for working people.

Big business and Seattle’s wealthiest real-estate developers are deeply afraid of our movement for rent control. They are prepared to go to all lengths to keep Seattle’s rents sky high. That’s why billion-dollar luxury real-estate developer Vulcan (responsible for the development of Amazon’s headquarters in South Lake Union) has already dropped $80,000 into the Chamber of Commerce’s mammoth PAC.

We can’t let Amazon, big business, and big developers buy this election. We’re proud that our grassroots campaign cancelled out Amazon’s big $200,000 donation from earlier this year. This month, as we build for a big rally for rent control and build our movement for rent control, we need to raise $80,000 to #CancelOutVulcan! Please donate today.

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David Ball-Romney commented 2019-07-15 15:45:59 -0700

I take issue with how our society calculates the rate of inflation. In the late 1990s, I rented a small apartment on Capitol Hill for less than $400/month; did the minimum wage increase like our rental rates? “Area Median Income” increases when rich people move into the area, it’s not an indication that the income of the long-term residents has changed at all! So tying rental rates to AMI will mean that people who have been living in the area will gradually be supplanted by those moving into the area with higher paying jobs. I recommend a graduated excise tax on apartments that are out of reach for those earning the minimum wage. (Which would have the side-effect of owners of rental property demanding raises to the minimum wage.) This city—-ANY city—-must ensure that a person working full-time can afford a comfortable place to live. I know that it’s not reasonable, at this time, to compel large corporations entering into a municipality to construct a number of new rent-rate-fixed homes equal to or less than in price to current rates, though I see no reason why we cannot at this time ask. “Hey, large corporations potentially adding to our rental woes, would you contribute to Community Development Corporations, so that you make less of a negative impact upon the communities you wish to inhabit?”