For the third time they lost at the ballot box. In many respects, tenants today are singing a different verse of the same song. Housing is nearly impossible to find, especially in the fall when students return, and once found it's prohibitively expensive. Income has risen at less than half that rate. Policymakers question the university's willingness to take responsibility for housing its own.
Developers blame environmental policies for making it impossible to build.
Tenants blame landlords for gouging. Landlords of properties purchased after Proposition 13 point to high taxes. Other landlords say they're only charging what the market will bear. And much as the tenants would like landlords to give them a break out of the goodness of their hearts, it probably won't happen. In such a climate it's not surprising to hear some people grumbling about rent control again.