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On AB-246 Rent Freeze for Los Angeles County (2025-2026)
Dear Assemblymembers [Bryan, Schultz, Caloza, Gipson, Rodriguez]
Representing LA Youth, Youth Voices of Los Angeles strongly urges you to support Assembly Bill 246 when it comes before the Assembly floor on March 24th, 2025. The bill is crucial to the welfare of our community, to protect citizens in the wake of the devastating wildfires that ravaged LA.
AB 246 is a Necessity
The wildfires that struck LA County have already caused widespread hardship. On top of many residents losing their homes, dangerously high rent hikes are threatening everyone. By Fortune's estimate, rental rates have surged by over 200% in parts of LA after the fires, which is egregious and exploitative. Devastating price increases are overwhelmingly affecting the most vulnerable members of our community, low-income families, seniors, and youth.
By freezing rent for our community at their levels on January 7th, AB 246 can provide immediate relief to families struggling to stay in their homes. AB 246 is a temporary but necessary safeguard against this price gouging that thrives in the wake of disasters.
Rent Freezes Work
AB 246, isn't the first measure to stabilize the housing market in LA history. In 1994, the Northridge Earthquake tore up LA, and displaced thousands, inflaming the rental market. The city swiftly issued temporary rent controls to protect tenants from predatory price hikes. The market didn't just survive, it grew because of it. AB 246 is modeled on this same principle of protection, the need to protect communities under conditions of extreme vulnerability, to serve the needs of the people, not the desires of a few profit-driven landlords. This is about giving families breathing room to recover from the fires, without letting the housing market grow dangerously.
The Idea that "Rent Hikes Work"
Opponents of AB 246 will argue that increasing rent will increase market availability, encouraging landlords to bring rental units to the market. This overlooks the fundamental truth, rent increases don't increase housing availability, they make housing more expensive, and push vulnerable people out of their homes. Evictions, a direct consequence of rent hikes, don't create housing units, they will exacerbate our homelessness crisis.
Landlords can't magically create more units through increasing rents. They don't build houses, they manage them. The only way they can "free up" space is by evicting tenants. Displacing struggling Californians in the wake of this disaster doesn't do anything to address the real housing shortage. Instead, it just forces people into homelessness.
These Opponents of AB 246, a coalition of wealthy landlords and property owners, have already led a proactive campaign to try to defeat AB 246 in committee, and are in no danger of serious financial harm. Before the fires, they were already incentivized to raise rents as high as possible, and that incentive hasn't changed. The real victims of rent increases are lower class, working class, and middle class families who will bear the brunt of this displacement. More broadly, this will make the city less affordable for everyone. LA already has some of the highest rent in the nation, we have to take a stand and ensure that this crisis doesn't escalate through a dangerous housing market.
Summary
AB 246 aims to protect LA's most vulnerable communities and restore stability to the rental market. It will prevent the homeless crisis from worsening and protect renters from unchecked and exploitative rent hikes.
We urge you to vote in favor of AB 246 on March 24th. By supporting this bill, you will be ensuring that Los Angeles stays a place where people are protected, not exploited, in times of crisis.
Recommendation
Vote YES on AB 246 to protect families, reduce homelessness, and stabilize the rental market.
On AB-238 Mortgage forbearance: state of emergency: wildfire. (2025-2026)
Dear Assemblymembers [Valencia, Chen, Dixon, Fong, Krell, Rodriguez, Rubio, Schiavo, Soria]
We are writing to you on behalf of Youth Voices of Los Angeles, a political advocacy group dedicated to amplifying the voices of youth in our community and advocating for policies that reflect the interests of the youth. We strongly urge you to support Assembly Bill 238 (AB 238), a vital measure to provide mortgage forbearance to homeowners impacted by the recent Los Angeles wildfires. The significant financial toll that these fires have had on their victims. This bill will protect residents who have been affected by the fires from the devastation of mortgage foreclosure during this crisis.
Home ownership in the Palisades and Altadena areas are at rates of over 75%, far above the state average of 55.8%. Unexpectedly, from January 7th and 8th to the 31st the Palisades and Eaton fires wiped out over 27,000 acres of land and destroyed over 17,000 structures. All of the residents of the areas destroyed by the Palisades and Eaton fires are still evacuated for an indefinite period of time and will have to live elsewhere for the coming months. Mortgage forbearance is a looming threat to affected homeowners.
Beyond the fires, homeowners problems are compounded by severe economic challenges. Nearly 30% of those affected are unable to find work because of evacuation orders, loss of their homes, or destruction of their businesses. California’s wildfire season is longer and more dangerous than ever, and damages from the 2024 fires alone are estimated at 1.5 billion dollars. This fire is forecasted to cause 250 billion dollars in damages. AB 238 will provide a lifeline to homeowners by allowing them to defer mortgage payments without incurring penalties or seeing their credit scores harmed. The threat of foreclosure looms over thousands of homeowners in this state, especially fire victims. Through this bill you can grant those constituents relief from being pushed out of their homes. You can provide immediate and powerful protection from mortgage payments through AB 238, ensuring families have the time and resources to recover.
California’s residents–especially those affected by the fires–are already facing the devastating aftermath of the fires. Forcing them to continue making mortgage payments while they are displaced or unable to work could only drive families to financial ruin. With an estimated 1 in 5 households in California already living paycheck to paycheck, many are teetering on the edge of financial collapse. By allowing homeowners to temporarily defer payments, the state is preventing unnecessary suffering to families in sparse financial circumstances. The bill is more than a safety net; it's a moral responsibility to our fellow Californians to help them rebuild their lives without the threat of mortgage payments in the wake of this disaster.
We urge you to take immediate action and vote in favor of AB 238. It’s time to stand with the victims of the LA fires and ensure that they have the financial support they need to rebuild and recover. By supporting this bill, you can ensure that devastation caused by these fires doesn’t translate into a lifelong burden for the affected homeowners.
Thank you for your consideration and leadership on this important issue.
Sincerely,
Youth Voices of Los Angeles
