ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) – Charles Edwards is a merry self-described hillbilly from Tennessee who knows much about Victorian-era railroads and not so much about political campaigning.
But this year, the 77-year-old retired city gardener will be knocking on doors in Alameda to persuade voters of this maritime city on San Francisco Bay to support a citizen initiative to cap rent increases. Last June, the rent on his one-bedroom flat increased 24 percent to $1,300, leaving him $289 a month for utilities, food and other expenses.
“Like I say, I don’t like doing it, but I’m pushed in a corner, I feel like,” Edwards said.
Once upon a time, the concept of rent control was largely limited to costly, coveted cities such as San Francisco or New York where there were too many people and not enough apartments.
But tenant demand for protections is shifting to San Francisco Bay Area suburbs as priced-out workers flee to sleepy bedroom communities in search of cheaper dwellings. The region known for a sizzling tech-fueled economy has added 440,000 jobs but only 50,000 new housing units, according to the business-sponsored Bay Area Council.