[dropcap size=big]E[/dropcap]veryone in California wanted rent control, it seemed.
The conventional wisdom was that the housing crisis in California had walloped the voters enough that the concept of returning some form of rent regulation was finally pliable. Prop 10, which would have opened the door for that to happen, should have easily won a majority of “Yes” votes.
As late of September of this year, less than two months before Election Day, a USC Dornsife and L.A. Times poll found that 52 percent of Californians, and 67 percent of polled renters, supported the idea of rent control. But — only 36 percent of those same people planned on voting in favor of Prop 10.
The proposition would have given cities and municipalities a green-light to pursue rent control policies by repealing a state law called Costa-Hawkins, which prevents cities from passing new rent control policies.
Last week, when votes on Election Day were counted, 2.6 million Californians voted in support of Prop 10, while 4.3 million Californians voted against it, the biggest margin of defeat in the proposition races this year. Only the county of San Francisco voted in favor of it — the entire state rejected the thing.