As part of a sweeping package of bills in Sacramento aimed at addressing housing, an Oakland assemblywoman is sponsoring a bill that would create an online data registry where landlords who oversee rental units with more than 15 dwellings would be required to submit data.
In a post on the Bay Area blog Oakland News Now, Democratic Assemblymember Buffy Wicks says her bill, AB 724, will provide lawmakers with “rental data in order to create sound legislation that actually helps alleviate the strain on renters and protects working people.” Affordable housing advocates who support the bill agree that legislators lack adequate data on these kind of rentals, and that having it and analyzing it would lead to better housing policies at the state level. But opponents, including the California Apartment Association, argue that the bill raises privacy concerns regarding the amount of information that would be made public, and say that the information the bill seeks can be obtained through the census and other methods already available to the public.
What do you think of the bill? Call us at 866.893.5722 to weigh in.
Guest:
David Garcia, policy director at the Terner Center for Housing Innovation at UC Berkeley
Debra Carlton, senior vice president of public affairs with the California Apartment Association, the statewide trade group representing owners, investors, developers, managers and suppliers of rental homes and apartment communities