Rent stabilization, the modern form of rent control, has been a hot topic in Salinas for years now, and the Weekly has covered it every step of the way. It’s now coming to a head in this November’s election, with Measure H, which seeks to repeal the four rental ordinances enacted by a former Salinas City Council in 2024.
For this week’s cover story, we sought to bring readers up to speed on how Salinas got to this point, as well as to answer the question of whether rent stabilization actually works. The result is two stories, one by my colleague Celia Jiménez, who covers Salinas and has watched this unfold over years. The other is by me, Pam Marino, on the housing beat.
In “Home Team,” Jiménez chronicles the grassroots efforts to save the ordinances, after the current council voted to repeal them, just a few months after five new members were elected. Citizens then gathered together to defeat the vote by gathering 10,448 voters’ signatures for a referendum. (The result is Measure H, which voters will decide on Nov. 3.)
In the story “Working Order,” I sought to answer the question of whether rent stabilization works by reviewing a number of studies on rent control and rent stabilization. The ultimate finding is that settling on an answer is complicated.
Rents continue to climb at a time when all living expenses are spiraling upward against income that trails behind, not just in Salinas, but everywhere in Monterey County. How Measure H shakes out in the election could prove to be a bellwether for other cities moving forward.