Yesterday, after more than 6 hours of public comment, the San Jose City Council voted to prioritize landlord profits over the needs of San Jose’s most vulnerable tenants. Mayor Sam Liccardo and Councilmembers Johnny Khamis, Lan Diep, Dev Davis, Chappie Jones and Tam Nguyen voted to keep annual rent increases at a rate of 5%, opposing a proposal to instead tie rents to CPI. Councilmember Nguyen flipped from this previous position of supporting renters to standing with the landlords.
Hundreds of tenants and housing advocates testified before the Council, sharing the massive economic hardships they face as rents continue to skyrocket at a rate that far outpaces their incomes.
The 5% cap, not supported by Vice Mayor Magdalena Carrasco and Councilmembers Sergio Jimenez, Raul Peralez, Don Rocha, and Sylvia Arenas, was not only a blow to renters, many of whom are struggling to keep a roof over their heads, but a clear indicator that true compromise was never an option.
The Mayor and Council majority failed to adequately address the most pressing survival issue for many of San Jose residents. As such, it is only a matter of time before rent control returns to Council.
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