A new initiative could boost the enforcement of tenants rights in Tacoma as organizers start gathering signatures to put the measure to voters.
Tacoma for All, the group that spearheaded an effort to get voter approval for a “Tenant Bill of Rights” in 2023, is starting the process to get voter approval for a measure that would strengthen requirements for landlords to comply with the city’s tenants rights laws. The group has started collecting signatures for what it’s calling the “Safe Homes for All” campaign, with the goal of obtaining about 9,000 by June 15.
If Tacoma for All gets the signatures it needs in time, it would pave the way for the measure to appear on the ballot in November. The group is doing so using Tacoma’s citizen’s initiative process – a process outlined in the city charter that allows residents to ask the voters to approve or reject ordinances, instead of the City Council.
What would the measure do?
The measure consists of several programs and rules that seek to improve landlords’ compliance with the city’s existing tenant protections. Tenants and landlords in Tacoma are subject to the voter-approved “Tenant Bill of Rights,” also known as the Landlord Fairness Code Initiative and the city of Tacoma’s Rental Housing Code…