Tacoma needs more affordable housing
This proposal makes housing, including affordable housing, harder to develop and more expensive. Rents will go up.
More Bureaucracy, higher costs, services cuts
It directs the City to create a new bureaucracy to license rental units and investigate and adjudicate tenant complaints. The City’s estimated annual cost to do this is $8 to $10 million. It directs the City to recoup this expense with per unit licensing fees. Yet, it delays recoupment for 18 months to 3 years. Meanwhile, this will worsen the City’s $40M budget shortfall, deepening cuts to fire fighters, public safety, and housing.
Fees will increase rents
It imposes licensing fees that will lead to higher rents. Recouping $8 to $10M will require an average annual per unit licensing fee of $191. This will lead to higher rents.
Strong renter protections already exist
Tacoma already has some of the strongest renter protections in the country. Vote no.
Hold Outside Corporate Slumlords Accountable:
In Tacoma, we stand up for our neighbors. We cannot allow outside real estate investors to threaten housing affordability with illegal rent hikes or force families to live with hazardous black mold. Measure 1 establishes basic enforcement and protects renters from retaliation when they organize and speak out.
Protect Working Families & Small Landlords:
Most Tacoma tenants rent from out-of-town landlords prioritizing profit over safety and affordability. Measure 1 protects affordable housing, while offering resources to small landlords. Responsible property owners won't be impacted.
Repeat Offenders and Corporate Landlords Pay:
Enforcement should be funded by repeat violators and corporate landlords exploiting our neighbors—not taxpayers. Measure 1 does exactly that, while largely exempting nonprofits.
Reject Dark Money Corruption of Elections:
Outside real estate interests spent nearly $400,000 trying to buy Tacoma's 2023 election and block tenant protections, flooding mailboxes with deceptive claims while illegally hiding spending. Tacomans saw through their lies before, and we will again. Vote YES on Measure 1!
Initiative Measure No. 1 concerns tenant safety and protection laws.
\nThis measure would improve compliance with tenant safety and protection laws through: landlord education and training, recognizing tenants’ right to organize, requiring landlords to bargain in good faith with tenant unions, establishing a public landlord information database, providing for City and private enforcement of tenant safety and protection laws, imposition of penalties and cost recovery, requiring landlord rental licensing and fees, authorizing revocation of landlord business licenses, prohibiting retaliation, and establishing certain exemptions.
\nShould this measure be enacted into law?
", "CategoryID": "1", "CategoryType": "Local", "CommitteeAgainst": "Committee Members: Michael Mirra, Ben Lackey, Mark Melsness
michaelmirratacoma@outlook.com
Committee Members: Tyron Moore, Kiss’Shonna Curtis, Bill Hanawalt
www.TacomaForAll.info
This measure would, if passed, amend the Tacoma rental housing code (RHC) and business license code, make certain provisions of state landlord tenant law enforceable under the RHC, add an administrative complaint process and additional enforcement provisions to the RHC and Tacoma landlord fairness code, and require the City to develop and implement new tenant programs and rules implementing all provisions of the Initiative.
\nThis measure would, add additional landlord and tenant education requirements; expand existing landlord database requirements; allow tenants to organize; require landlords to bargain with tenants in good faith; authorize private enforcement by tenants and representative organizations; provide a right to appeal relocation decisions; allow tenants to file administrative complaints requiring investigation and enforcement by the City; require the City to implement a tiered rental licensing program for all landlords with per unit fees; authorize revocation of business licenses for certain violations by landlords; transfer to impacted tenants penalties imposed for violations; require city reimbursement of costs and attorney’s fees expended by tenants and representative organizations when successfully defendiing or enforcing the Initiative; require inspections of landlord properties for violations involving habitability or tenant safety; and, prohibit landlords from retaliation against tenants and waivers of tenants’ rights.
", "FinalPassageVotes": "", "FiscalStatement": "", "FullTextURL": "", "Jurisdiction": "CITY OF TACOMA", "JurisdictionID": "CTW270023", "JurisdictionType": "CTW270023", "JurisdictionTypeID": "CTW", "LastUpdated": "", "LastUpdatedBy": "", "MeasureID": "7309", "MeasureName": "Initiative No. 1", "RebuttalAgainst": "Landlord groups spread fear with wild claims. The News Tribune reported “the City has not published any studies” and won’t dedicate “staff time to... analysis of initiative” costs. Don't be fooled: similar Washington programs run on small $10 to $35 per-unit landlord fees—too small to raise rents or push out responsible landlords. Measure 1 allows quick fee collection, protecting taxpayers and city services. Renter rights mean nothing without enforcement against slumlords. Vote yes!
", "RebuttalFor": "Tacoma already requires landlords who violate landlord duties to get a license, called a “provisional license”, with fees up to $2,000. Balancing competing needs is the City’s annual budget challenge. The proposal dodges that deliberative process. It requires spending $8-10M on another licensing program, all amid a $40M budget crisis. This redirects funds from other public services, including affordable housing, while not adding a square inch of housing in Tacoma.
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