Larkspur is a city of renters. About half of all Larkspur households rent their homes. These are working families, seniors on fixed incomes, and young people trying to start their lives. Yet without local tenant protections, many are just a rent hike or two away from being forced out of their units.

It’s already happening at some of the city’s largest apartment complexes. In 2022, a giant corporate landlord called Prime Group bought Skylark Apartments for a staggering $300 million. Looking to maximize their profits and recoup their investment, they immediately began raising rents 10% per year for existing tenants, while ignoring their complaints about shoddy living conditions and threatening tenant organizers with illegal evictions. We can expect similar stories to unfold across the city if action is not taken now to stabilize rents and protect tenants from arbitrary eviction.

The rent stabilization law passed by the Larkspur City Council is a joke. That’s why we’re going to the ballot.

In the summer of 2023, the Larkspur City Council passed the weakest local rent stabilization law in the entire state, despite Marin County having the most expensive rents in California. The ordinance caps annual rent increases at 7%, far more than the vast majority of Larkspur renters can afford, and barely any better than existing state law. It’s a slap in the face for thousands of working families and seniors struggling to make ends meet renting their home in Larkspur.

That’s why a coalition of renters, homeowners, tenant associations, and local labor and community organizations have come together to launch a ballot initiative to pass REAL rent control in Larkspur. On May 6th, 2024, community members submitted 1,166 signatures to the City of Larkspur, 28% above the 911 valid signatures needed to qualify for a ballot measure.

To learn more and get involved in the ballot measure campaign to pass real rent control in Larkspur, go to: www.larkspur4rentcontrol.com