On the November 2026 Ballot: The Bay Area Rent Control Measures Every Owner Should Watch
On November 3, 2026, several Bay Area cities are voting on local rent control and eviction measures. Redwood City's Measure E would create a new rent stabilization program capping increases on pre-1995 multifamily units at 60% of inflation or 5%, whichever is lower, and expand just-cause eviction rules to most rentals. Berkeley's Measure X would amend the city's existing ordinance, including capping any single-year increase at 10%. San Pablo is voting on a cap of 60% of inflation or 3%. There is no statewide rent-control proposition this year, so AB 1482 and Costa-Hawkins remain the state framework. If a local measure passes, it changes the rules for covered units in that city, so owners there should confirm how it applies to their property.
Election Day is November 3, and for Bay Area property owners the measures that matter most are local. There is no statewide rent-control proposition on this year's ballot, but three cities, Redwood City, Berkeley, and San Pablo, are voting on measures that would change rent caps, eviction rules, or both. Here is what each would do and what it means for owners. As of publication, results are not final, so treat this as a guide to what is on the ballot rather than what has passed.
Redwood City Measure E
Redwood City currently has no local rent control, only a tenant protection ordinance that took effect in January 2026. Measure E would repeal that ordinance and replace it with a new rent stabilization program. Its main provisions would limit annual rent increases on multifamily housing built before February 1, 1995 to 60% of the Consumer Price Index or 5%, whichever is lower; expand just-cause eviction protections to most rental housing in the city, including single-family homes and ADUs; require relocation assistance for no-fault terminations; and create a new city program funded by annual per-unit fees on rental property owners. The measure also authorizes tenant and city enforcement actions, including damages and attorneys' fees in some cases, and reporting indicates some rents could be rolled back to 2025 levels.
Supporters, including tenant organizations, argue the measure is needed to keep residents housed as rents climb. Opponents, including the California Apartment Association and the Redwood City Council, which voted 6-0 to oppose it, argue it would raise operating costs and regulatory complexity without adding housing. The city's own fiscal analysis estimated administration could cost up to $11.1 million a year.
Berkeley Measure X
Berkeley has had rent stabilization and just-cause rules since 1980, and Measure X, placed on the ballot by the City Council, would amend that existing ordinance rather than create a new one. Its most discussed change is a cap of 10% on any single-year rent increase, aimed at so-called banked increases, where an owner who skipped allowable increases in prior years applies them all at once. It would also keep tenants covered by rent stabilization for the length of their tenancy even if the unit later becomes eligible for an exemption, extend tenant-association rights to smaller buildings, and allow the Rent Board to waive registration fees for nonprofit affordable housing providers.
The Rent Board supports the measure, pointing to large one-time banked increases as a source of displacement. The argument in opposition focuses on the fee waiver, contending that exempting nonprofits shifts costs onto other owners. The measure passes with a simple majority.
San Pablo
San Pablo voters are considering a rent control measure that would limit annual increases to 60% of the Consumer Price Index or 3%, whichever is lower, a tighter cap than Redwood City's proposal. The California Apartment Association opposes it.
A measure in the other direction: Salinas Measure H
Not every local measure adds regulation. Salinas Measure H would repeal the city's rent stabilization, just-cause eviction, anti-harassment, and rental registration ordinances. It is the only repeal measure on the ballot this year and a reminder that local rules can move in either direction.
Why there is no statewide rent control measure this year
In 2024, voters rejected Proposition 33, which would have let cities expand rent control beyond the limits in the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act. Nothing comparable is on the 2026 ballot. The statewide housing items this year are Proposition 1, an $11.25 billion affordable housing bond, and Proposition 45, which would streamline environmental review for housing and other projects. Neither changes rent caps or eviction rules. That means AB 1482's statewide cap and just-cause rules, and Costa-Hawkins's limits on local rent control, remain the framework for 2027.
What this means for owners
If a measure passes in your city, it will change the rules for covered units there: lower caps, broader just-cause requirements, relocation payments, registration, and in Redwood City's case, new annual fees. Whether a specific property is covered depends on the building's age, type, and ownership. Once results are final, owners in these cities should confirm how the new rules apply before planning any rent increase or termination. Getting that analysis right early is what prevents an increase or a notice that will not hold up.