Sherman R. Frederick
Ross Valley Reporter
Fairfax became the first town in Marin to approve rent control. However, precisely when the controversial idea might actually be implemented remains murky.
The muddy waters of rent control stirred again at Wednesday’s (Nov. 1) Town Council meeting in which a citizen petition was heard calling for the town to delay implementation until after voters weigh in on it in a referendum vote scheduled for November 2024 election.
At the end of the discussion, the Council asked town staff to prepare a report on costs should rent control be implemented.
During the discussion, members of the public expressed concern about the high costs of resolving rent-control disputes.
Mayor Chance Cutrano said he thought some of the numbers thrown about during the comment period made things more confusing. He called some of it “disinformation.”
Councilmember Bruce Ackerman likened it to the cost of running a fire department. You can’t take the total budget of the fire department and divide it by the number of houses that burn down in a year and then conclude it would be cheaper to let homes burn.
He told fellow council members that the proper path is to “agendize” implementation of rent control and potentially move it forward. He said he liked the idea advanced by Vice Mayor Barbara Coler to get a pilot program of sorts going because it will start to give renters some idea of whether they can afford to live in Fairfax next year.
Councilmember Stephanie Hellman added: “I’ve been pressing and pressing and pressing for implementation. We just want the truth out in the community, when the time comes to vote.”
Town Manager Heather Abrams at one point during the discussion said “I’m not sure how to get clarity tonight.” But later said she’d work to bring back ideas to the council for more discussion.
Meanwhile, the town of Larkspur last week put implementation of rent control on hold pending a public vote in November.
Larkspur Mayor Gabe Paulson explained the delay this way: “I think without better data we’re going to go in emotional circles. We’re trying to set up good policy. We’re trying to move in a way where the community can stand behind it.”
(You can reach the writer via email at ShermFrederick@gmail.com.)
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