In 2024, California presented 10 propositions that would be on the election ballets for citizens to vote on. Proposition 33 let voters decide if they would allow local governments to impose rent control.
Proposition 33 failed with 62% of voters opposing the proposition. Landlords are still able to raise up to 10% each year of a tenant’s rent.
Today, California still deals with housing crisis and rent control issues. I have been somewhat fortunate in my housing situation but still have to deal with a landlord that raises rent every year along with lease issues.
There are still many students on campus that wish they could move but various circumstances keep them at home. Many students stay home with family because they can’t afford rent alone or even with a roommate. There are still many struggling with rent, or the requirements it takes to move to a stable living.
Bradford Morrison, a food and nutrition major, described how when he had dealt with homelessness it was a constant struggle with food and anxiety. Agreeing that if proposition 33 had passed it could have helped students with ease of housing.
I also believe that if the prop were to pass it would lift the difficulties of the housing crisis in California off of many people’s shoulders. The FMCoC’s 2023 PIT count says that 4,493 are unsheltered in Fresno and Madera county.
Not having to worry about high rental prices when looking to move or be anxious over if you would be able to fit the next year’s rent raise in the budget.
It’s clear that many students struggle with high rent, and for those who don’t live in their parents homes, they consider themselves privileged and lucky, rather than it being an accessible norm.
James Aguilar, a food and nutrition major, talked about how nowadays many one bedrooms cost around $1,200 to $1,300. He also detailed his struggle growing up under difficult circumstances that affected his ability to have stable housing.
Me and Aguilar talked about our rent prices, we considered ourselves lucky for what we pay but how difficult finding situations like ours is for many.
“A lot of us are getting financial aid but not everybody is. And I mean, it affects everybody, let alone students right? We’re already broke,” Aguilar said.
The opposers of proposition 33 had argued that if the prop were to pass, it would make housing less lucrative, leading to more housing issues. I think people are already struggling with rent as is, and to convince voters to turn down a proposition that would let local governments decide how the rent should be is terrible.
C’jay Pacheco, a studio arts major, was formerly homeless. Talking about being taken advantage of by a racist boss, almost being jumped, sleeping under bridges and more.
“When it comes to working and being homeless, you tend to notice your almost kind of fucked if you dont know someone who is in a home. A lot of jobs require a postal address of some kind, and won’t hire you if you don’t have one,” Pacheco said.
Pacheco had even said once they were in a position to finally have a place to stay after working multiple 15 hour shifts, they had quickly lost it because their job laid them off to experiment with AI.
It’s a disservice when in California, one of the more progressive states, a proposition that could prevent issues such as Pacheco’s that multiple other students have dealt with, is turned down.
Many students have similar stories, unstable housing situations that lead to homelessness and the constant fight to have the access back to stable living. Yet with proposition 33 being turned down it is sad to admit that students and California residents will continue to have difficulties struggling with rent and housing.
