When a city adopts an unlawful ordinance, when a county pushes emergency powers past any reasonable limit, or when a new environmental mandate threatens to impose tens of thousands of dollars in costs per rental unit, rental housing providers want to know one thing: Are we going to sue?

It’s the question I hear most often from members of the California Apartment Association. And in the right cases, the answer is yes — through the CAA Legal Fund. Litigation isn’t a replacement for advocacy at the Capitol, city halls, or county boards of supervisors; we need both. But once a bad policy is adopted — especially one that conflicts with state or federal law or infringes on constitutional rights — the courtroom may be the only place left to challenge it. The Legal Fund is how the industry shows up there, and it works only if the industry funds it.

That’s why I am asking you to contribute today.

Many of the cases CAA takes on are critically important to the rental housing industry, but they don’t pencil out for any one property owner to bring alone. The cost is high. The outcome is uncertain. And the benefit of a strong ruling often extends far beyond the person or company able to file the case.

The CAA Legal Fund addresses that problem. When litigation costs are shared across the industry, cases that would be impossible for one owner become possible for all of us. And when CAA wins, the precedent can protect rental housing providers well beyond the parties to the case — and beyond the city or county where the dispute began.

That’s not theory. It’s already happening.

CAA’s Legal Fund secured a major appellate victory in Pasadena, where the court confirmed that local governments cannot evade Costa-Hawkins by penalizing lawful rent increases through relocation payment requirements. That precedent was the foundation of a later ruling striking down a similar mandate in Los Angeles.

CAA has also successfully fought unlawful local eviction rules, including Los Angeles County’s extended 30-day notice to pay or quit requirement and Pasadena’s thinly veiled eviction delay tactic of requiring a pre-3-day notice to pay or quit warning notice.

CAA is currently challenging Alameda County’s extraordinary COVID-era eviction moratorium — one of the longest and most restrictive eviction bans in the country. These moratoria are especially dangerous because they allow governments to shift the cost of housing emergency assistance onto rental housing providers.

CAA has also taken on the South Coast Air Quality Management District’s zero-NOx appliance rule, which targets gas-powered water heaters and boilers. Forced conversions from gas to electric systems can require major infrastructure upgrades and can easily cost tens of thousands of dollars per rental unit. For one owner, challenging that kind of mandate alone may not make financial sense. For the industry, failing to challenge it could be far more expensive.

CAA also shows up as amicus curiae — friend of the court — when cases brought by others could reshape rental housing law. That includes cases seeking U.S. Supreme Court review of major property-rights challenges, including those involving rent control and eviction moratoria. It also includes a little-known case attempting to use federal disability law to override Costa-Hawkins and expand local rent control to newer housing.

Those cases matter even if they do not arise in your city. A bad ruling can spread. A strong ruling can stop copycat policies before they take hold.

Our opponents understand this. They are organized, well-funded, and showing up in court. If rental housing providers don’t show up too, we are ceding ground.

The CAA Legal Fund is how we make sure the industry has a voice in the cases that matter most.

With more resources, we can bring more strategic challenges, defend important victories on appeal, participate in more cases before bad legal theories take hold, and continue building precedent that protects rental housing providers statewide.

The CAA Legal Fund works only if the industry funds it.

If you benefit from the precedent CAA is building — and every rental housing provider does — you should help pay for the fight.

Please contribute to the CAA Legal Fund today.