CORRESPONDENCE - WS-1 OPPOSITION

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The objective of this project is to analyze the impact of rent control on several population and housing Issues. The project is organized around six questions: • Goes rent control have an effect on the size of the resident population? • Does rent control have an impact on the quantity of rental housing stock? • Does rent control affect: household composition? • What are the major economic issues involving rent control? • Does rent control have any indirect effects on the demographics of the population? q•OF• =0 The effects of the restrictive rent controls in Berkeley and Santa Monica, implemented j ustprior to the 1980 Census, can be measured through the changes in population, housing, and other variables which occurred during the 1986.1990 decade tinder rent control, Natal[ cities with rent control are Included in thisstudy, as it is only those with restrictive rent control that may upset the balance between renters` needs and market forces, resulting In a systematic Was that may include those for whom the ordinances are supposed to protect. The restrictive rentcontrol ordinances in these t,wocities were created to meet perceived needs of the community by attempting to meet stated goals. These ordinances were designed to achieve the following goals: • Assist certain subgroups, such as the elderly and disabled, families with children; and minorities to find and remain in rental housing. • Preserve and protect affordable rental housing and existing rental housing stock. • Maintain the rich racial, ethnic; and economic diversity within the community, The research process used in this report was designed to test whether progress toward these goals have been achieved during the 10 years between the 1980 and 1990 Census. All data are from the STF-3 summary tables in the Census reports, A simple comparison of'population and housing variables for these two census years would not be a fair test, however, because external economic, social, and demographic factors unrelated to rent control have been operating, In orderto control for the effect of these external factors, the changes in these two cities were compared in each case to the changes which occurred over the same tune period in the counties in which they arelocated—Alameda and Los Angeles counties, The use of the counties for comparison should correct for external economic, social, and other factors which should have similar effects on the cities and Counties, The Caffornto State University-4eal fstete &.,Land Use lnstitum. t