More than half of all Angelenos are renters. And since Los Angeles faces a shortage of affordable housing, the next mayor’s decisions about tenant protections and housing development will help determine whether residents across the city can afford to stay.
Councilmember Nithya Raman and Mayor Karen Bass both have focused on helping renters and lowering housing costs, but they have different ways of getting there.
To find the daylight between the two candidates’ policies, The LA Local reviewed their records in office. We also asked each about evictions, ensuring landlords make necessary repairs and how utility bills should be split among units: key issues identified by Los Angeles Tenants Union chapters in Koreatown, Pico Union and Westlake.
Here’s what the candidates have done and what they say they would do next if elected on Nov. 3.
Their records and promises
Bass declared a state of emergency on homelessness on her first day in office in 2022. She also issued an order to speed up approvals for affordable and temporary housing.
For a second term, Bass says she would focus on building more affordable housing and expanding financial assistance for renters who are struggling to stay housed. Her plans include building 10,000 affordable units on public land through partnerships with Metro, the Los Angeles Unified School District and the Los Angeles Community College District.
Bass’ administration has also expanded the Adaptive Reuse Ordinance, which took effect this year and makes it easier to convert vacant office buildings and other properties into housing.
Raman, who has represented City Council District 4 since 2020, has championed changes to the city’s rent control rules that limit annual rent increases, as well as additional tenant protections. She says the city needs to do more to enforce those protections and respond to complaints.
If elected mayor, Raman says she would establish an Office of Tenant Protections within the Housing Department, with leadership focused specifically on renters’ needs. She has also called for changes to how the department investigates complaints about unsafe housing.
“I will staff its leadership accordingly, making sure that we have people in place in the housing department who feel the importance of this issue for LA,” she told The LA Local.
Evictions
One of the biggest concerns raised by tenant groups is the displacement of longtime renters, particularly older adults and other vulnerable residents. The Ellis Act, a California law that allows landlords to evict residential tenants so they can exit the rental business, is one route through which tenants can lose their homes.
Bass wants to expand rental and financial assistance for seniors, people with disabilities and other vulnerable residents, Alex Stack, a spokesperson for her campaign, told The LA Local. Funding from United to House LA, the voter-approved “mansion tax” that raises money for affordable housing and homelessness prevention, and LA County’s Measure A sales tax would help tenants facing financial hardship cover unexpected expenses, such as medical bills or car repairs, Stack said.
Bass also plans to expand Stay Housed LA, which connects tenants facing eviction with legal assistance, rental aid and case managers. Her campaign said she would work with state lawmakers to review laws, including the Ellis Act, to prevent unnecessary evictions and help renters remain in stable housing.
Raman said the city needs to do more to challenge what she describes as bad-faith evictions under the Ellis Act. She pointed to Barrington Plaza on the Westside, where a landlord evicted hundreds of residents under the Ellis Act. A judge blocked the evictions after a lengthy legal battle. Raman has proposed legislation to give the Housing Department more authority to curb these types of legal actions.
The department has not moved quickly enough on the proposal, she said.
“We need to move forward legislation that ensures that the Housing Department can actually push back against bad-faith Ellis evictions. And I’ve put that legislation forward. The housing department has not moved with urgency to address it. As mayor, I will ensure that they move with urgency to address it,” Raman said.
Bass also plans to support organizations that work to prevent evictions. Bass has used the Mayor’s Fund to support nonprofits that help tenants avoid losing their homes and connect them with “wrap-around services,” including attorneys, rental assistance and case managers, Stack said.
Repairs and housing conditions
Bass expanded renter protections, like capping rent increases, and removed outdated utility increases. Her office also implemented the Tenant Anti-Harassment Ordinance, which prohibits landlords from using threats, disclosing immigration status, failing to make timely repairs and other actions to harass tenants. For a second term, her campaign says she would strengthen code enforcement so inspections happen promptly and complaints are thoroughly investigated.
The campaign also plans to expand partnerships with community organizations and legal service providers to improve the quality and responsiveness of tenant services.
Raman has proposed specific changes to how the Housing Department operates, namely creating a dedicated Office of Tenant Protections within it and appointing leadership focused on renter protections.
The city also needs to ensure its Rent Escrow Account Program, known as REAP, works effectively for tenants as it addresses housing conditions that violate city standards, according to Raman. The program penalizes landlords who ignore serious health and safety violations.
At the same time, Raman said the city should help smaller landlords afford necessary repairs. Some own duplexes or triplexes and live in the same properties they rent out, she said, and rising costs can make it difficult for them to maintain their buildings.
“I want to make sure that we’re not inadvertently pushing out smaller landlords out of the business. And I think the city can do much better on both,” Raman said.
Utility bills
Some landlords use a system known as Ratio Utility Billing System, or RUBS, to divide utility costs among tenants. Under the system, tenants may be charged based on an allocation of the building’s overall utility costs rather than their individual usage.
Raman co-introduced a City Council motion in 2022 directing the Housing Department to develop recommendations for an ordinance requiring greater transparency in RUBS billing. Her proposed amendments called for landlords to disclose how charges are calculated, establish a process for resolving disputes and hold third-party billing companies more accountable.
Raman said tenants often have no reliable way to verify their individual usage or determine whether their bills are accurate.
That leaves “many with hundreds of dollars in monthly overcharges and no clear way to verify or dispute their bills,” Raman said.
Bass supports City Council action to keep rents affordable and close loopholes that increase costs for tenants, Stack said. The campaign did not say whether she would seek changes to RUBS billing.
