Lawmaker introduces affordable housing bill + Will the Legislature take on Ticketmaster?
Good morning and welcome to the A.M. Alert!
BILL CAPS RENTAL DEPOSITS
Anyone who’s been a renter knows that just getting into an apartment can set you back several thousand dollars, as some landlords demand first and last month’s rent plus a deposit up front.
This legislative session, California lawmakers may change that.
Assemblyman Matt Haney, D-San Francisco, has introduced AB 12, a bill to cap security deposits to an amount equal to one month’s rent, regardless of whether the property is furnished or unfurnished.
In a Twitter thread Wednesday, Haney explained the need for the bill.
“When renters can’t afford a deposit, they often have to borrow from predatory lenders, go into debt or stay put. Landlords lose out on good tenants, and tenants are forced to stay in crowded, insufficient or even unsafe living situations. Some even remain homeless as a result,” Haney wrote.
The assemblyman mentioned of a constituent he met who works as a janitor and lives in a one-bedroom apartment with his wife and three kids because he can’t afford to pay a security deposit.
Haney added that California wouldn’t be the first state to cap deposits; 10 other states, including Alabama and New York, do so.
“With bipartisan support, CA recently set max for military service members at 1 month. It’s time to extend that to all tenants,” Haney wrote.
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE TO TAKE ON TICKETMASTER?
First Taylor Swift, now the California Legislature? Ticketmaster may be in for a hard time soon.
Assemblywoman Laura Friedman, D-Glendale, has introduced a bill, AB 8, that would require live event ticket vendors like Ticketmaster to disclose the portion of the ticket price that represents a fee or surcharge and also to link to a website that includes how to obtain a refund.
Friedman’s office also plans to amend the bill to allow ticketholders the ability to transfer or resell their tickets as they see fit, and to prevent ticket vendors from holding back ticket sales to create artificial sell-outs.
Though Friedman’s office didn’t mention Ticketmaster by name, the bill is likely a response to a litany of grievances against that vendor that most recently included a botched pre-sale of Taylor Swift concert tickets.
“California has always been a leader in the entertainment industry and we have an obligation to extend that leadership to protect consumers. Buying event tickets should be a straightforward process where the advertised price is the final price,” Friedman said in a statement. “This bait-and-surcharge business is wolfish and unfair to consumers, who are making price comparisons to make the best use their hard-earned dollars.”
The bill is co-sponsored by CALPIRG and the Consumer Federation of California.
It will be considered sometime in spring 2023.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“The Legislature has plenty of money allocated to all sorts of things, but keeping communities safe isn’t a priority. Saving money at the expense of safety is shoddy government.”
- Sen. Brian Dahle, R-Bieber, tweeting in response to a Bee story that the state plans to close a third prison.
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