By Lena Sullivan, Tenant Organizer

April 24, 2025

 On Wednesday evening, April 23, more than 100 Los Angeles renters from Council Districts 8 and 10 attended a town hall meeting hosted by the Keep LA Housed Coalition (KLAH), which SAJE co-founded during the pandemic to put emergency eviction protections in place. KLAH has continued to work on renter’s rights issues and is currently focused on reforming the city’s rent stabilization formula. This formula, which determines how much landlords can raise rents on rent-stabilized units each year, has not been updated for decades—in fact, the Los Angeles Housing Department recently issued a report recommending it be retooled to be fairer to renters. Tied to the Consumer Price Index, it currently allows annual rent raises of up to 10%.

 KLAH is asking the Los Angeles City Council to cap annual increases at 3% across the board as a way of keeping rents affordable and families housed. Los Angeles’ housing crisis isn’t just a problem for low-income renters—it’s pricing out the middle class, too. The average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in Los Angeles County is $2,388, which means a renter would need to make $96,000 a year to spend less than a third of their income on housing. Meanwhile, the median income in Los Angeles County is $87,760. Of course, income doesn’t automatically rise by a set percentage every year, so permitting big annual rent increases creates a widening gap between what households make and the housing they can afford.

In addition to a 3% cap for annual increases, KLAH is proposing that yearly increases be based on 60% of the Consumer Price Index, with a 0% floor. KLAH also proposes removing additional increases for tenants whose landlords pay their utilities as well as increases for additional tenants. Finally, KLAH wants this formula to apply equally to all Los Angeles tenants.

 At the KLAH town hall, a panel of renters and advocates from Council Districts 8 and 10 discussed the proposed changes to the rent cap and how it would improve their health—mentally, physically, and financially. Many community members in the audience shared their experiences with rent increases, why they support the demands, and ideas for strengthening KLAH’s campaign. Although they were invited to hear from their constituents, council members Marqueece Harris Dawson (CD 8) and Heather Hutt (CD 10) did not attend, nor any of their staff.

 We hope that the Los Angeles City Council will consider the rent cap beginning in mid-May. Voice your support by submitting written public comment to the council using our toolkit here. Learn more about the campaign at CapTheRentLA.org.