Rent control is officially in effect in Mountain View, thanks to a judge’s April 5 decision upholding a controversial ballot measure.
Measure V, approved in the November 2016 election, can now be implemented after Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge William J. Elfving denied a preliminary injunction and lifted a retraining order by plaintiffs, the California Apartment Association, to stop the measure’s implementation. The CAA filed a restraining order against the measure Dec. 21, just a few days before it was to take effect.
“The moving parties have not offered persuasive evidence that they will suffer irreparable harm,” Elfving said in his decision. “Instead, the balance of harm weighs in favor of the measure. Without the protections afforded by the measure, some residents of Mountain View face excessive rents and arbitrary evictions, and the City of Mountain View will be handicapped in its effort to comply with a state-mandated plan to address housing needs. In contrast, the landlords are allowed a fair and reasonable return on their investment.”
Measure V, called the Community Stabilization and Fair Rent Act, limits rent increases to between 2 and 5 percent annually, and establishes a Rental Housing Committee to oversee implementation and resolve disputes with binding arbitration.
Look for more on the story in the Town Crier’s April 12 print edition.
