California’s Prop 21 Endorsed by Over 300 Organizations and Elected Officials

Housing justice advocates and champions of Proposition 21 are proud to announce that a coalition of over 300 key leaders and organizations from all over the state of California have endorsed Prop 21. The November 2020 state ballot initiative will give local municipalities control to address California's housing affordability crisis.

With election week here and families still waiting for affordable housing, Prop. 21 is necessary ailment to the millions of renters in California. Over 300 federal and state elected officials; local city councils; and social, housing, and racial justice organizations have agreed that Prop. 21 is a key answer to addressing California’s affordable housing crisis. The measure has received the endorsement of the California Democratic Party, the California Nurses Association, California Federation of Teachers, as well as the endorsements of Leilani Farha, former United Nations special rapporteur on the Right to Housing and global director of The Shift. Additional endorsers include U.S. Representative Jimmy Gomez, former Ohio State Senator and former National Co-Chair, Bernie 2020 Nina Turner, Congresswomen Karen Bass, and a suite of California’s tenant advocacy and social justice organizations, including the statewide Housing Now! California coalition (which consists of over 100 labor and housing justice organizations), Housing California, CHIRP LA and Property Owners for Fair and Affordable Housing, as well as major labor unions, such as AFSCME California PEOPLE. The Campaign has also locked-in the endorsements of every elected rent control board member in the state. (See Full List Below)

"Our initiative is more urgent than ever, as millions of renters face the worst economy in this country for a century. We cannot afford to carry on as we have to address our deteriorating housing crisis," said René Christian Moya, campaign director of YES on 21. "Onward with Prop. 21!"

The measure first qualified for placement on the November California ballot in early February after the backers submitted over one-million voter signatures in support of the measure. Signatures of 623,212 California voters were needed to qualify the measure. (For random sample qualification, the number was 685,534 signatures).

"As someone who has traveled the world investigating the grave impact that the global housing affordability crisis has had on human rights, I understand how important Prop 21 is to the health and well-being of every family and individual in California.” Said Leilani Farha, former United Nations special rapporteur on the Right to Housing and global director of The Shift. “Prop 21 will protect renters made vulnerable by the business practices of corporate landlords. Through staggering rent hikes and stagnant wages, these tenants are often one paycheck away from displacement or homelessness. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this has the potential to be a death sentence. This is why I support Prop 21 and its measures to ensure that tenants in California can stay in their homes."

The rent control ballot measure has gained increasing urgency during the COVID-19 pandemic, as millions of Californians already struggling with the state’s high housing costs have now lost work and income in the nation’s shuttered economy.

California is home to one in four homeless people in the United States. Earlier this year, the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority (LAHSA) released its 2020 Los Angeles homeless count—which took place in January before the coronavirus pandemic wreaked medical, social, and economic havoc across the region. The report showed a double-digit percentage increase: up 13% in Los Angeles County to 66,433 individuals despite hundreds of millions spent by city and county officials. In the City of Los Angeles, the count jumped 14% to 41,290 homeless individuals living unsheltered or on the streets.

Proposition 21

When passed, Proposition 21 will remove current state law restrictions, giving cities and counties the power to implement and expand rent control policies that limit how much rents can increase each year. It would allow local communities to:

• Expand rent control to more buildings while exempting newly constructed buildings
• Exempts Single-Family homeowners who own up to two homes
• Allow limits on rent increases when a new renter moves in

Housing Is A Human Right (HHR) is the housing advocacy division of AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), and the leading sponsor of Proposition 21. The full slate of endorsements includes:

Federal Leaders
Senator Bernie Sanders
Congresswoman Maxine Waters
Congresswoman Barbara Lee
Congresswoman Karen Bass
U.S. Representative, Jimmy Gomez
Leilani Farha, former United Nations special rapporteur on the Right to Housing and global director of The Shift
Nina Turner, former Ohio State Senator, former National Co-Chair, Bernie 2020

State Leaders
California Democratic Party Senior Caucus Chair, Ruth Carter
California Democratic Party Delegate AD39, Roxann Nazario
California State Assembly Member & Chair of the California Latino Legislative Caucus, Lorena Gonzalez
California State Assembly Member, Adrin Nazarian
California State Assembly Member, Ash Kalra
California State Assembly Member, Miguel Santiago
California State Assembly Member, Richard Bloom
California State Assembly Member, Rob Bonta
California State Assembly Member, Wendy Carrillo
California State Assembly Member, David Chiu
California State Board of Equalization, Tony Vazquez
California State Senate President Pro Tempore Emeritus, Kevin De Leon
California State Senator, Ben Allen
California State Senator, Maria Elena Durazo
California Insurance Commissioner, Ricardo Lara
Dolores Huerta, Founder, Dolores Huerta Foundation & Co-Founder, UFWA
Former Executive Director, Emerge California, Kimberly Ellis

Cities and Local City Leaders
Antioch Unified School District Board of Trustees Member, Debra Vinson
City Council of the City of East Palo
City of Alameda Council Member, Jim Oddie
City of Artesia Mayor, Ali Sajjad Taj
City of Berkeley Council Member, Ben Bartlett
City of Berkeley Council Member, Kate Harrison
City of Berkeley Council Member, Rigel Robinson
City of Berkeley Mayor, Jesse Arreguin
City of Delano Council Member, Brian Osorio
City of Farmersville Council Member, Ruben Macareno
City of Farmersville Mayor, Greg Gomez
City of Hawthorne Mayor, Alex Vargas
City of Hayward City Councilmember, Aisha Wahab
City of Kingsburg Council Member, Jewel Hurtado
City of Los Angeles Council Member, Herb Wesson
City of Los Angeles Council Member, Mike Bonin
City of Los Angeles Council Member, David Ryu
City of Los Angeles Council Member, Paul Koretz
City of Madera Council Member, Santos Garcia
City of Monterey Council Member and Vice-Mayor, Alan Haffa
City of Oakland Council Member, Dan Kalb
City of Oakland Mayor, Libby Schaaf
City of Porterville Council Member, Daniel Peñaloza
City of San Jose Council Member, Magdalena Carrasco
City of San Luis Obispo Mayor, Heidi Harmon
City of Santa Monica
City of Santa Monica Council Member, Sue Himmelrich
City of Santa Monica Mayor, Kevin McKeown
City of Simi Valley Council Member, Ruth Luevanos
City of West Hollywood
City of West Hollywood Commissioner, John Erickson
City of West Hollywood Commissioner, Sepi Shyne
City of West Hollywood Council Member, John Duran
City of West Hollywood Council Member, John Heilman
City of West Hollywood Mayor, Lindsey Horvath
Council on American Islamic Relations Los Angeles President, Hussam Ayloush
Democratic Delegate for the 41st Assembly District, Joseph Salas
Ducor Community Services District Member, Ruth Martinez
Forgiving for Living Inland Empire CEO, Wendy Gladney
Former Richmond City Councilmember, Richmond Progressive Alliance leader, Jovanka Beckles
Los Angeles Community College Board Trustee, Andra Hoffman
Los Angeles Community College Board Trustee, Scott Svonkin
Los Angeles Community College Board Trustee, Steve Veres
Los Angeles County Supervisor, Sheila Kuehl
Los Angeles Unified School District Board Member, Jackie Goldberg
Monterey County
Monterey County Board of Supervisors
Muslim Democratic Club of Southern California Board Member, Lisa Ali
Riverside Community College Board of Trustees, Jose Alcala
San Francisco Board of Supervisors
San Gabriel Valley Youth Advocacy Program President, Richard Nichols
Santa Barbara City College Trustee, Jonathan Abboud
Tulare County Supervisor, Eddie Valero

Local Rent Stabilization Board Members
Berkeley Rent Board Commissioner, Alejandro Soto-Vigil
Berkeley Rent Board Commissioner, Igor Tregub
Berkeley Rent Board Commissioner, James Chang
Berkeley Rent Board Commissioner, John Selawsky
Berkeley Rent Board Commissioner, Mari Mendonca
Berkeley Rent Board Commissioner, Maria Poblet
Berkeley Rent Board Commissioner, Paola Laverde
Berkeley Rent Board Commissioner, Soli Alpert
Berkeley Rent Board Vice Chair, Leah Simon-Weisberg
Santa Monica Rent Board Chair, Nicole Phillis
Santa Monica Rent Board Member, Anastasia Foster
Santa Monica Rent Board Member, Caroline Torosis
Santa Monica Rent Board Vice Chair, Naomi Sultan

Statewide Democratic Organizations
Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club
California Black Women's Democratic Club
Cal Berkeley Democrats
California Democratic Party
California Democratic Party's Renters Caucus
East Area Progressive Democratic Club
Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club
Heart of L.A. Democratic Club
Pacific Palisades Democratic Club
Progressive Democrats of the Santa Monica Mountains
San Diego Democrats for Equality
San Francisco Democratic Party
Santa Monica Democratic Club
Sonoma County Democrats
Southern CA Americans for Democratic Action
Stonewall Democratic Club
The East Bay Young Democrats
Wellstone Progressive Democrats of Sacramento County
West Los Angeles Democratic Club

Statewide Progressive Organizations
Courage California
Democratic Socialists of America
Green Party of California
KmB / Pro-People Youth
LA Progressive Community
LA Progressive Community
Our Revolution
San Francisco Berniecrats
San Francisco League of Pissed off Voters
San Francisco Women’s Political Committee

Housing Justice, Homelessness Services and Advocacy Organizations
ACCE Action
Affordable housing NOW (Santa Cruz County)
Affordable Housing Network of Santa Clara County
Alameda Renters Coalition
Berkeley Tenants Union
Beverly Hills Renters Alliance
Burbank Tenants’ Rights Committee
Burrito Project L.A.
CAIR-CA
California Coalition for Rural Housing
Chinatown for Equitable Development (CCED)
CHIRP LA
Coalition for Economic Survival
East Palo Alto Council of Tenants (EPACT)
East Palo Alto Council of Tenants (EPACT) Education Fund
Eviction Defense Network
Glendale Tenants Union
Healthy Housing Foundation
HEART LA (Housing Equality & Advocacy Resource Team)
Housing California
Housing Now! California
Inner City Law Center
Inquilinos Unidos
LA CAN
LA Community Legal Center and Educational
Los Angeles Center for Community Law and Action (LACCLA)
Los Angeles Tenants Union (LATU)
Oakland Tenants Union
Pasadena Tenants Union
Peninsula for Everyone
Pomona United for Stable Housing (PUSH)
POWER (People Organized for Westside Renewal)
Property Owners for Fair and Affordable Housing
San Diego Tenants United
San Francisco Tenants Union
Santa Monicans for Renters Rights
Small Property Owners for Reasonable Controls - Long Beach
Southern California Association of Non-Profit Housin
Tenants United Santa Ana
Tenants Together
The Anderson Valley Housing Association
Union de Vecinos, Eastside Local of LATU

Community Health Organizations
African American Wellness Center for Children & Families
AIDS Healthcare Foundation
APLA Health
Healthy Active Streets
California Nurses Association
CALOR (AIDS Service Organization)
Community Health Council
JWCH Wesley Health Center
Latino Health Access
Reed For Hope Foundation
San Francisco Human Services Network
TransForm
WORLD (Women Organized to Respond to Life-Threatening Diseases)
Bay Area Regional Health Inequities Initiative

Labor and Economic Rights Organizations
AFSCME California PEOPLE
Bay Rising Action
California Federation of Teachers
Pomona Economic Opportunity Center
SEIU California
Strategic Actions for a Just Economy (SAJE)
TechEquity Collaborative
UAW Local 2865
UNITE HERE Local 11
United Auto Workers ( UAW) Region 8

Environmental Advocacy Organizations
ACT-LA
Active San Gabriel Valley
CEJA - California Environmental Justice Alliance
Healthy Active Streets
Sierra Club
Sunrise Claremont Colleges
Sunrise Movement Sacramento
The California League of Conservation Voters
TransForm

Social and Racial Justice Organizations
ACLU of California
ACLU of Northern California
ACLU of Southern California
Advancement Project
American Federation of Teachers 1521
APIENC (API Equality - Northern CA)
Asian American Pacific Islanders for Civic Empowerment Education Fund
Asian Law Alliance
Black Lives Matter Los Angeles
Black Lives Matter Long Beach
Black Skeptics Los Angeles
Brown Beret National Organization (BBNO)California Alliance for Retired Americans
California LULAC
Chinese for Affirmative Action
CHIRLA (Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights)
Courage California
Dolores Huerta Foundation
El Clan Theater Company
Ground Game Los Angeles
Helping Hands of USA
Hollywood National Organization for Women
Impulse Group
L.A. LGBT Center
LA Voice
Latinas for Reproductive Justice
Los Angeles Alliance for a New Economy (LAANE)
Los Angeles Urban League
National Action Network Los Angeles
National Forum for Black Public Administrators
National Lawyers Guild - Los Angeles
National Organization of Black County Officials, Inc. (NOBCO)
Oakland Rising Action
Our Own
People's City Council - Los Angeles
Project Islamic HOPE
RootsAction
Social Security Works
Somos Familia Valle
Sweet Alice Harris, Parents of Watts
The Fund for Santa Barbara
TransLatina Coalition
UC Student Association (UCSA)
UnidosUS
Veteran Voices
Western Center on Law and Poverty

News and Media Community Organizations
Artistry Group
Bay Area Reporter
Consumer Watchdog
Daily Bruin
KnockLA
L.A. Times
Los Angeles Blade
Mountain View Voice
Random Lengths News
San Diego Jewish World
San Jose Inside
Silicon Valley De-Bug
The Shift
This Filipino American Life Podcast
Thomas Morrow, Publisher, Inland Valley Newspaper (Ontario/Upland area)

Faith-Based Community Organizations
3CLA Christian’s Community Center of Los Angeles
Baptist Ministers Conference of Los Angeles and Southern California
Bend the Arc: Jewish Action
Black Jewish Justice Alliance
Concord Church
Echo Park United Methodist Church
Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace
Los Angeles Catholic Worker
National Council Of Jewish Women Los Angeles
St Rest Friendship Church

Faith-Based Community Leaders
Apostle Derrick Butler, Jesus Joy Jubilee National Fellowship, Inc.
Bend the Arc: Jewish Action
Bishop Nathaniel C. White, Greater Bethel Missionary Baptist Church
Bishop Robert Douglas, President, Inglewood Ministerial Alliance, Jacob’s Ladder — Inglewood, CA
Dr. Cynthia Jimmerson
Dr. Donald R. Robinson, Community Missionary Baptist Church
Dr. T. Elliott, The Ship
Minister Jennifer Starr Batieste
Minister Jerri Fair, Weller Street Missionary Baptist Church, Los Angeles
Overseer Janice Brown, First Faith World Ministry
Pastor Al James
Pastor Alex Toussaint, St. Andrews Baptist church, Los Angeles
Pastor Anthony Green, Second Baptist Church
Pastor Bill Hemphill, Concord Church, Los Angeles
Pastor Bill Turner, New Revelations Baptist church, Pasadena
Pastor Craig Worsham, Agape Church of Los Angeles/ National Director of Faith-Based & Community Partnership for National Association of Real Estate Brokers — Los Angeles, CA
Pastor Curtis Smith, Destiny Christian Center, Stockton, CA
Pastor Donald Robinson, Community Baptist Church, Redlands
Pastor Donald Wilson, New Mt. Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, Los Angeles
Pastor Donnell Townsend, Pilgrim Baptist Church, San Diego
Pastor E. Wayne Gaddis, Greater St. Augustine Baptist Church, Los Angeles
Pastor Eddie Anderson, McCarty Memorial Church — Los Angeles, CA
Pastor Edward Flowers, Freewill Baptist Church, San Diego
Pastor Eric Miller, True Vine Baptist Church, San Diego
Pastor Eugene Bryant, New Philadelphia Baptist Church, Los Angeles
Pastor Eugene Gordon, Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church, San Diego
Pastor George Underwood, Emmanuel Bible church, Los Angeles
Pastor Gerald Burgess, First Antioch Baptist Church, Los Angeles
Pastor J L Sorrells, Greater Holy St. John Baptist Church, Los Angeles
Pastor J W Brown, Welcome Baptist Church, Los Angeles
Pastor Jack Wilson, Solid Rock Mission Church, Los Angeles
Pastor James McKnight, Congregational Christian Fellowship— Los Angeles, CA
Pastor James Perkins, True Frienship Baptist Church, Inglewood
Pastor Jared Moton, Ebenezer Baptist Church, San Diego, CA
Pastor JoAnnette Dixon, Ambassadors for Christ, Los Angeles
Pastor Joy Johnson, President, Sacramento Area Congregations Together, Sacramento
Pastor KW Tulloss, President Baptist Ministers Conference of Los Angeles & Southern California
Pastor LA Keese, bethany Baptist Church, Los Angeles
Pastor Larry Aaaron, Hallelujah Temple Penecostal Church
Pastor Linda Wright, Do- Right Christian Center, Los Angeles
Pastor Louis Lewis, Southern Baptist Church
Pastor Marvin Dean, Mt. Sinai Baptist Church, Los Angeles
Pastor Melvin King, Divine Deliverance Ministries—Los Angeles, CA
Pastor Michael Fisher, Greater Zion Church Family — Compton, CA
Pastor Michael Island, Weller Street Missionary Baptist Church, Los Angeles
Pastor Najuma Smith-Pollard, Word of Encouragement Community Church/Center for Religion & Civic Culture—Los Angeles, CA
Pastor Nathaniel Haley, United Christians Baptist Church, Los Angeles
Pastor Nathaniel Martin, New Light Institutional Baptist Church, Los Angeles
Pastor Norris Dean Jarmin, Linda Vista Second Baptist Church, San Diego
Pastor Patrick Ross, Greater True Light Baptist Church, Los Angeles
Pastor Prentis Lewis, Greater Star Light Baptist Church, Los Angeles
Pastor Quan Morgan, Calvary Baptist Church, Santa Ana
Pastor Regina Young, Calvary CME Church, Pasadena, CA
Pastor Ronald Bolden, Greater Mt. Zion Baptist Church, Los Angeles
Pastor Roshod Hall, People’s Independent Community Church — Los Angeles, CA
Pastor Rueben Ford, Parks Chapel, San Fernando
Pastor Stan Richards, Beacon of Light Baptist Church, Los Angeles
Pastor Sylvester Washington, New Pleasant Hill Baptist Church, Los Angeles
Pastor Tecoy Porter, Genesis Church, Sacramento, CA
Pastor Terri Wilson, Good News Baptist Church, Los Angeles
Pastor Thom Washington, Christian’s Community Center of Los Angeles—Long Beach, CA
Pastor Torrey Collins, St. Rest Friendship Church, Los Angeles
Pastor Troy Vaughn, Inglewood Community Church/Christ Centered Ministries —Inglewood, CA
Pastor Welton Pleasant, Christ Second Baptist Church, Long Beach
Pastor William Smart, SCLC - LA Chapter
Pastor, Philip Lewis, New Mt. Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church — Inglewood, CA
Reverend Dwight Pledger
Rev. John W. Carr
Reverend Margaret Winn
Reverend Al Sharpton
Reverend Johnathan Moseley, Western Regional Director, National Action Network
Reverend Ricco Daughtery, United Christians Baptist Church, Los Angeles
Reverend Ricky Williams, United Christians Baptist Church, Los Angeles

Proposition 21 is sponsored by Homeowners & Tenants United, with significant funding by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. To learn more, visit yeson21ca.org and housinghumanright.org.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201028006220/en/

Ged Kenslea, AHF Communications Dir., [email protected] (323) 791-5526 cell