Long Beach housing advocates failed to turn in a rent control petition today, which would have been the deadline required in order for it to appear on the November ballot, the city clerk’s office confirmed.
However, proponents for the initiative—which calls for the establishment of residential rent control and “just cause eviction” requirements in Long Beach—can still file the petition no later than the close of business on Monday, July 30, City Clerk Monique De La Garza said.
The rent control petition, which was approved for circulation on January 29, needs to be filed within 180 days from the of receipt, according to De La Garza.
“However, the proponents needed to file the petition today, June 1, 2018 by 4:30PM to meet the deadlines required to appear on the November 6, 2018 ballot,” De La Garza told the Post in an email. “The rent control petition was not filed today.”
If turned in by July 30, the petition could still appear on the March 2020 ballot, if verified, according to the city clerk’s office.
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The initiative was co-sponsored by Housing Long Beach and the Long Beach Gray Panthers. It is unclear why the petition was not turned in today or if they plan to submit it by the July 30 deadline.
Neither group responded to requests for comment for this story.
On Thursday, May 31, the groups staged a protest in which advocates affixed a “60-day notice” in the style of an eviction notice to the doors of city hall, calling on elected officials to address what they call “the severe displacement crisis affecting renters in the City of Long Beach and act to protect your constituents’ rights to safe and affordable homes, due process, and fair rents.”