Proposition 21 Campaign: SEIU California Joins Growing List of Unions, Workers to Support Fair Housing

Housing justice advocates and champions of Proposition 21 today announced that the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) California endorsed Prop 21, the November 2020 state ballot initiative that will limit unfair rent increase and preserve affordable housing in California.

SEIU California is a 700,000-member union made up of nurses, healthcare workers, janitors, social workers, security officers, in-home caregivers, school and university employees, court workers, and city, county, and state employees. The union joins an ever-expanding list of federal and state elected officials, local city councils, and social, housing, and racial justice organizations to support the fight for housing justice in California. Supporters include other major labor unions, including AFSCME California PEOPLE, UNITE HERE Local 11 and UAW Local 2865, as well as the California Democratic Party, the ACLU of Southern California, and a suite of California's tenant advocacy and social justice organizations, including the statewide Housing Now! California coalition (which consists of over 100 labor and housing justice organizations), Courage California, the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE), the Los Angeles Tenants Union, the National, and the Eviction Defense Network (EDN). The Campaign has also secured the endorsements of every elected rent control board member in the state. (See the full list of endorsements here.)

“Profound housing insecurity in our state is one significant reason the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in such disproportionate suffering and tragedy for workers in low-wage jobs, workers of color and immigrant workers,” said David Huerta, President of SEIU United Service Workers West and an SEIU California Executive Board Member. “Because of systematic exclusion and racism, these families lived in crowded conditions or the constant fear of eviction even before this pandemic; now their living conditions are truly a matter of life and death. SEIU members are taking a stand: we support Prop 21 because California can’t wait any longer to help families make the rent.”

“We are proud to have the support of SEIU California and its 700,000 members who work in both the public and private sectors. SEIU truly represents California’s workforce in all its diversity,” said René Christian Moya, Director of the Prop 21 campaign. “Our fight for fair housing directly impacts working families, seniors, and veterans throughout the state.”

About Proposition 21

When passed, Proposition 21 will keep families in their homes by giving local communities the power to implement and expand policies that limit how much rents can increase each year. It would allow local communities to:

• Expand rent control to more buildings while exempting newly constructed buildings
• Exempts Single-Family homeowners who own up to two homes
• Preserve affordable housing by allowing limits on rent increases when a new renter moves in

Housing Is A Human Right (HHR) is the housing advocacy division of AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), and the leading sponsor of Proposition 21.

Proposition 21 is sponsored by Yes on 21 – Renters and Homeowners United to Keep Families in Their Homes, Sponsored by AIDS Healthcare Foundation, with significant funding by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation. To learn more, visit yeson21ca.org.

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