A bill that would have created a new Office of Tenants’ Rights and Protections failed to advance from the Assembly Appropriations Committee, halting its progress for the year.  

AB 2187 authored by Assemblymen Isaac Bryan, D-Los Angeles, and Matt Haney, D-San Francisco, did not move forward. 

The California Apartment Association opposed the bill, citing existing tenant protections and the state’s financial constraints.  

” AB 2187 will come at a large cost to the state at a time when California struggles to address its current finances,” the association stated in a letter opposing the measure. “There are tenant organizations that receive donations, grants, and government funding, and they already publish this information. CAA also publishes information about state laws affecting landlords and tenants.” 

The association highlighted the comprehensive nature of California’s tenant protection measures, which include statewide limits on rent increases, “just cause” eviction policies, and anti-discrimination laws. The association questioned the need for a new bureaucratic body given these existing measures. 

The association argued that the creation of such an entity was redundant and financially imprudent. With California grappling with a significant budget deficit, the association asserted that additional taxpayer funding to establish and operate a new office was unwarranted.