Officials in one West Valley city are taking action to combat a statewide policy gap that leaves residents in affordable housing vulnerable to rent increases that could price them out.
The Campbell City Council voted 4-1 last month to cap affordable housing rent increases at 5%, plus cost of living changes or a flat 10% annually, whichever is lower. The policy applies to all existing and future affordable housing developments and extends rental protections to residents living in affordable housing. Tenant protection laws such as 2019’s Assembly Bill 1482 mainly enforce similar rent caps on market-rate housing and exclude affordable housing with regulatory agreements to keep rent low, a disparity housing advocates said affects the most vulnerable.
The policy will cover existing affordable homes such as the 51 homes that affordable housing organization HouseKeys connects residents to, including a property known as Alvin’s Corner at Penny Lane. There are roughly 2,461 people experiencing poverty in a city of nearly 44,000, according to 2020 and 2022 census data. Vice Mayor Sergio Lopez voted no even though he supported the protections, citing concerns about other aspects that would require small housing projects to convert at least 15% of homes into affordable housing or pay a fee.