The California Apartment Association this week held a statewide membership meeting to address growing legislative and legal challenges to the rental housing industry. 

Bradley Johnson, president of the California Apartment Association, opened the session by noting the seriousness of the political climate for housing providers.  

“The issues we are confronted with today are significant and harmful — not only to you as owners and managers of rental housing, but also to those who count on us to provide housing opportunities to Californians,” Johnson said. 

He emphasized the need for mobilization, noting that “our industry is under assault by those who either don’t believe that rental housing should be a business, or that housing providers don’t provide an essential component of a vibrant community.” 

Advocacy efforts at the local level 

Joshua Howard, CAA’s executive vice president of local government affairs, detailed efforts at city and county levels across the state. He described growing opposition from activist coalitions pushing for stricter rent control, eviction protections, rent registries, and publicly funded legal representation for tenants. 

Still, he pointed to several recent CAA victories: 

• Los Angeles: CAA successfully opposed a proposed rent freeze and COVID-style eviction moratorium, instead limiting a county-level eviction moratorium to six months and only for fire-impacted tenants earning less than 150% of area median income. 

• Concord: As of Tuesday’s webinar, the City Council was expected to roll back a rent control policy that had tied increases to a fraction of inflation. Later that evening, the council finalized a revised formula — developed in partnership with CAA — that caps annual increases at a fixed 5%. 

• Pomona: The city adjusted its ordinance to allow a 6% increase instead of a restrictive CPI formula. 

• Salinas: At the time of the webinar, the city was considering amending its rent control law following the election of more housing-friendly council members. On Tuesday night, the City Council took the first step toward making those amendments. 

• Culver City: CAA defeated a proposal that would have provided taxpayer-funded attorneys for tenants. 

Howard noted that new challenges continue to emerge, including: 

• Pending proposals in Los Angeles to lower allowable rent increases and limit cost recovery for utilities; 

• Oceanside, San Mateo, and Palo Alto exploring new eviction restrictions and screening limitations; 

• Cities like Sacramento considering inspection fee hikes. 

“We need you to show up, to speak out, and to tell your story,” Howard said. “When you take action, when you show up, when you mobilize with us, we’re able to tell your story and hopefully convince the city council that they heard you.” 

State-level legislative threats 

Debra Carlton, CAA’s chief lobbyist, walked members through an unprecedented volume of harmful state legislation. CAA has flagged 31 high-priority bills this year — the largest number in recent history. 

Among the bills drawing CAA opposition: 

• SB 658 by Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez would have required property owners in areas affected by the January 2025 Los Angeles fires to offer nonprofits or government agencies the first opportunity to purchase properties before listing them for sale. The bill was later amended to make the process voluntary. 

• AB 863 by Assemblyman Ash Kalra would require landlords to translate lease termination notices and related documents into Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Vietnamese, or Korean, if the landlord has reason to believe that one of these is the tenant’s primary language. 

• AB 1157 by Assemblyman Ash Kalra would amend the Tenant Protection Act to lower rent caps and apply them to single-family homes and other units currently exempt. 

• AB 1248 by Assemblyman Matt Haney would bar most ancillary fees, including late fees and pet rent. 

• SB 681 by Sen. Aisha Wahab would restrict all fees to a combined 5% of monthly rent and ban many common pass-through charges. 

• SB 436 by Sen. Aisha Wahab would allow tenants to pay owed rent and stay in the unit even after a court-ordered eviction, with no limit on how often this can be done. 

• AB 246 by Assemblyman Isaac Bryan, now titled the Social Security Tenant Protection Act of 2025, would bar evictions if federal benefit payments are delayed. 

• SB 610 by Sen. Sasha Renée Pérez would require landlords in Los Angeles to allow tenants to return at the same rent after repairs or rebuilding from wildfire damage. 

Carlton noted that while many of the bills remain in the early stages of the legislative process, they could ultimately reach the governor’s desk by October or November. If signed, most would take effect on Jan.1, 2026, unless designated as urgency measures. 

Litigation update 

Tom Bannon, CAA’s CEO, underscored the role of litigation in the association’s advocacy strategy, noting that while the creation of laws begins with the legislature, it doesn’t end there. “And a lot of times we find ourselves in the courts trying to overturn regulations and laws, and that is another component of CAA’s public affairs program.” 

Whitney Prout, CAA’s executive vice president of legal affairs, described how CAA is pushing back in the courts when legislative solutions fail. 

“We’re always on the lookout for how we can advance our members’ interests in the courts,” Prout said. 

Recent litigation victories include: 

• A San Francisco court ruling that invalidated the city’s voter-approved vacancy tax as unconstitutional — a win led by the San Francisco Apartment Association. 

• Striking down a 30-day notice requirement for non-payment of rent evictions imposed by Los Angeles County during COVID-19. 

• A landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Sheetz v. County of El Dorado, striking down a fee loophole that was used to avoid takings challenges. 

CAA is also engaged in a long-running lawsuit against Alameda County over its sweeping COVID eviction moratorium.  

“It said that nobody in Alameda County had to pay their rent for three years,” Prout said. “They can never be evicted for not paying it back.” 

CAA is supporting similar legal efforts, including a case by GHP Management that has been submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court. The association is also fighting rent control provisions in Pasadena and challenging forced electrification mandates from the South Coast Air Quality Management District. 

Get involved 

CAA leaders repeatedly stressed the importance of member engagement. 

In closing remarks, Johnson encouraged members to remain active and informed. “Clearly a time for the industry, the members to stay educated, to understand some of these implications, and for us to stay mobilized together,” Johnson said. 

For more information on this briefing, click here.

Another membership meeting is planned in approximately 60 days. Members are encouraged to visit the CAA website and stay subscribed to e-news and legislative alerts for updates.