Tenant Activists Move to Put Strict Rent Control on Anaheim’s November 2026 Ballot

Tenant advocacy groups have taken a significant step toward placing a wide-ranging rent control and just-cause eviction ballot initiative before voters in the City of Anaheim for the November 2026 general election. They recently filed a formal notice of intent with the City Clerk to begin the initiative process — the first procedural step toward qualifying the measure for the ballot.

If proponents successfully gather the required signatures — roughly 18,000 valid signatures from Anaheim registered voters — the measure could appear on the ballot later this year.

According to the currently circulated language and reporting, the proposed measure would go well beyond California’s existing statewide rent-cap law (known as the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act) by imposing new rent limits and operational requirements on rental property owners in Orange County’s most populous city. These key provisions include:

• Annual rent increase limits tied to inflation: Annual rent increases would be capped at 80 % of the Consumer Price Index (CPI), with an absolute maximum of 3 %, a formula that could restrict increases even when operating costs rise faster than consumer inflation.
• Rent rollbacks: Rents could be rolled back to January 1, 2026 levels, effectively resetting today’s market rents for many tenants.
• Expanded just-cause eviction protections: The initiative would tighten limits on eviction causes, potentially reducing a landlord’s ability to remove tenants for specific business decisions.
• Mandatory relocation assistance: Landlords could be required to pay up to four months of U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) fair market rent as relocation assistance under certain circumstances.
• Creation of a rent board and registry: A politically appointed rent board would have authority to interpret and enforce the rules, with associated fees levied on providers — though those fees have not yet been determined.

Proponents frame the initiative as a response to rising rents and housing insecurity, arguing that stronger local controls are necessary to protect tenants from unaffordable increases and displacement. But the proposed restrictions go far beyond the protections in state law — which generally limits local rent control to housing built before February 1, 1995, and prohibits “vacancy control” that caps rent resets between tenancies.

Rental housing providers and industry groups — including the California Apartment Association — oppose the effort, warning that it could impose significant new costs, operational burdens, and compliance challenges on owners and managers of Anaheim’s roughly 60,000 rental households. Opponents argue that rollback provisions, strict cap mechanics, and expanded eviction restrictions could discourage investment in maintenance and new housing supply, undermining long-term affordability goals.

As tenant organizers begin signature gathering and potential legal reviews, landlords, property managers, and industry stakeholders are closely watching — both for the initiative’s chances of making the ballot and for what its passage would mean for rental market economics and regulatory compliance in Anaheim and beyond.

This article has been prepared by the editorial staff of Apartment News Publications, Inc. (ANP) intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Readers should consult with qualified counsel regarding their specific circumstances. ANP, Covering Issues That Impact Landlords and Property Owners.