Last Friday the Senate Appropriations Committee declined to grant SB 1053 (Leno), the bill to stop Section 8 discrimination, a $350,000 appropriation. That means that the bill will not move forward for a vote in the Senate like we expected. Appropriations decided to attach a price tag to the bill to fund enforcement even though the bill did not even have a mandate for funding. This was a political decision to make it easier to kill the bill and avoid legislators having to go on record in support or opposition. In other words, cowardice.
For those of you who did, thank you for contacting your Senators in advance of a floor vote. If it had made it out of committee, there could have been just a few days before a vote so your advocacy in advance means a lot.
This was clearly a political move to provide cover for State Senators who would be afraid to go on record supporting a bill that the California Apartment Association opposes. There was a broad coalition of support for this bill, and the legislature knew it was important and the right thing to do to protect Section 8 tenants against discrimination. Money in politics in our state runs deep, and legislators take landlord and real estate money without a second thought. In exchange, they throw tenants under the bus.
The fight is not over. Tenants Together and allies are working toward a city-by-city strategy to protect Section 8 tenants, and a broader statewide accountability strategy to pave the way to make positive change possible in Sacramento. We'll let you know soon how you can help.