Brace Yourself Tacoma: Socialist Policies Soon to be Adopted

With the passage of Tacoma Measure 1 expect a full-out frontal assault aimed at Olympia and small rental housing providers this winter.   Armed by their success in Tacoma, renter activists have already signaled their intent to wage the next war against housing providers in January during the 2024 legislative session and campaign season.

Tacoma Measure 1, which is winning by a razor-thin margin, is one of those measures headed directly to Olympia. Tacoma Measure 1 places a ban on winter evictions, requires two months of relocation assistance to a tenant for a rent increase of over 5%, institutes a 210-day rent increase notice, and caps late fees at $10.

Renter advocates are not shy about expressing their desire for a statewide requirement for all of Tacoma's Measure 1 provisions.  A recent article that appeared in the online newspaper Crosscut featured an observation by Democrat State Senator Yasmin Trudeau (LD27-Tacoma), a leading supporter of Measure 1, Sen. Trudeau said a win by Tacoma for All could reverberate across the state.

“I think that’s why the landlord associations are so nervous … If the city of Tacoma can pass something as bold as Measure 1, what does that mean for the rest of the state?” she said.

Sen. Trudeau, who has in the past proposed rent control and other anti-rental housing measures in the legislature, said the Measure 1 campaign is also a message to other state lawmakers to enact more statewide protections.

“We should probably do something that supports everyone across the state, because … I think you’re going to see other measures pop up,” she said.

Sen. Trudeau will be a major influencer in this upcoming session and is expected to introduce legislation that would have the provisions of Tacoma Measure 1 apply statewide.  Sen. Trudeau is a former staff to Attorney General Bob Ferguson who is running for Governor and is rumored to harbor higher political ambitions and is said to be seriously considering a run for her old boss Attorney General’s office.

With the 2024 legislative term being a short 60 days, rental housing policies are expected to be some of the highest profile and contentious issues of the session.