Measure GG
City of Santa Monica · Los Angeles County · November 3, 2026
The question on your ballot
MEASURE GG: Shall the City Charter be amended to: affirm the City of Santa Monica’s just cause eviction laws; allow Rent Control Board Commissioners to serve up to three terms, including appointed service; annually increase the cap on rent controlled unit registration fees; clarify Rent Control Board authority to regulate timelines for deciding rent adjustment petitions; and permit eviction from affordable housing units for tenants who are not eligible or do not establish eligibility?
In plain language
Measure GG changes Santa Monica's Charter. It affects rent control and eviction rules. A YES vote confirms the city's just cause eviction laws. It lets Rent Board members serve up to three terms. Appointed time would count toward that limit. It raises the yearly cap on rent board fees. It clarifies the Board's power to set decision deadlines. It also allows evicting tenants from affordable units. This applies if they are not eligible for the unit. It also applies if they can't prove they are eligible. A NO vote keeps the current Charter rules.
Impartial analysis
Measure GG amends the Santa Monica Rent Control Law, Article XVIII of the Santa Monica City Charter (“RCCA”) and the City’s “Housing Policies” eviction protections, Article XXIII of the Santa Monica City Charter (“HPCA”) by (i) clarifying term limit provisions for Rent Control commissioners; (ii) amending procedures for increasing the maximum rent control unit registration fee; (iii) clarifying Rent Control Board authority to regulate timelines for issuing decisions on rent adjustment petitions; (iv) providing two just cause grounds for eviction from deed restricted affordable housing units; and (v) affirming local eviction laws prevail over state law. Measure GG was placed on the ballot by the Santa Monica City Council. The RCCA governs the administration of the Rent Control Board (“RCB”). The RCCA provides that RCB Commissioners may serve no more than two 4-year terms. Measure GG allows Commissioners to serve up to three 4-year terms, counting appointed terms, and treating a partial term of more than two years as one term. The RCCA provides that the maximum annual unit registration fee for rent controlled units is $288. Beginning in 2028, Measure GG adjusts the maximum annual registration fee by inflation up to 5%, only when inflation is positive. The RCCA provides that the RCB shall adopt regulations that provide for issuing a decision on any individual rent adjustment petition within 120 days after filing of the petition. Measure GG allows the RCB to adopt regulations extending this timeline for good cause. Both the RCCA and the HPCA (together, “RCCA-HPCA”) prohibit evictions except as provided by law. The RCCA does so for rent-controlled units and the HPCA does so for other units, excluding single-unit dwellings and condominiums. Measure GG amends the RCCA-HPCA to allow evictions from deed restricted affordable housing units of tenants who (1) are not eligible under the terms of the deed restriction, where the landlord has complied with all applicable guidelines for terminating the tenancy, or (2) fail or refuse to provide proof of eligibility for the deed restricted affordable housing unit when required to do so by the deed restriction, and after the landlord has requested proof of eligibility in writing. Measure GG finds that the RCCA-HPCA are more protective than state just cause eviction law and protects the RCCA-HPCA from being pre-empted by less protective state just cause eviction law. Heidi von Tongeln City Attorney
Official ballot arguments
Filed for the official voter guide by each side, printed as submitted.
Argument in favor
This Measure Affirms Our Eviction Protections! Santa Monicans value renter protections and have voted to enshrine them in the City Charter. The 1979 rent control law enacted just cause eviction protections, rent level controls, and an independently elected Rent Control Board (RCB). In 2010, voters extended just cause eviction protections to non-rent controlled units as well. Now, state law requires that if the City adds new eviction protections, we must affirm that our just cause eviction laws are more protective and prevail over those provided under state law. Measure GG fulfills this requirement and protects Santa Monica renters’ housing stability. This is a Good Government Measure! Measure GG ensures our Rent Control Board will have the expertise, financial security, and independent discretion required to implement our laws, continue its practice of fiscal restraint when setting annual registration fees, and provide services to the residents and owners of more than 27,500 controlled rental units. Approval will: Allow Rent Control Board Commissioners to serve a maximum of three terms (instead of two), aligning with City Councilmember limits; Apply a fiscal management best practice by establishing an inflation-based mechanism to adjust the maximum annual registration fee; Clarify that the Board’s regulations may allow extensions, for good cause, of the 120-day timeline for final action on individual rent adjustment petitions; and Ensure that designated affordable housing units are reserved for tenants who income qualify. IF YOU CARE ABOUT PROTECTING ALL RENTERS, INCLUDING OUR SENIORS, WORKERS, AND YOUNG FAMILIES, VOTE YES ON MEASURE GG! — Danny Ivanov, Rent Control Board Chair; Tracy Condon; Daniel Hall, City Councilmember; Juan Matute; Bruria Finkel, Former Rent Control Board Commissioner
Don't be fooled by the proponents' deceptive claims. While they promise "protection for tenants in affordable units," this measure does the exact opposite. It is dangerous 'doublespeak' right out of George Orwell's 1984 novel. In reality, it sets up hardworking families and their children for forced eviction. Here is what this measure actually does: Creates New Grounds for Eviction: It introduces new rules that will allow corporate developers and landlords to evict tenants who are currently legally protected from eviction. Hardworking families who manage to get financially ahead, even a little bit, will suddenly face losing their homes. Raises rents: This measure allows annual rental registration fees to rise every year. Because landlords legally pass half of these fees directly to renters, a "YES" vote is a direct vote to increase your rent. We must stop developers and landlords from displacing our most vulnerable neighbors. Protect working families and keep housing affordable. VOTE NO on Measure GG — Jay Johnson, Former Chair Rent Control Board; Monica Santana; Anne Elliott; Lori Brown
Argument against
This proposal sounds favorable to tenants, but it is nothing of the sort. Buried in this proposal, the city council inserted an amendment to the just cause eviction rules to make it easier for DEVELOPERS to evict tenants from affordable housing. Protect rent control, protect tenants from eviction. VOTE NO. — Jay Johnson, Former Chair Rent Control Board; Monica Santana; Anne Elliot; Lori Brown
Measure GG does NOT make it easier for developers to evict tenants from affordable housing. It ensures that deed restricted affordable housing units are occupied by tenants with qualifying income levels (a.k.a. “income-qualified”). Since 1979, most new affordable rental housing has been built pursuant to deed restrictions that require units be rented to low- and/or moderate-income tenants. When a tenant who initially qualified for an affordable unit has a sustained increase in income such that they no longer qualify for the unit, City regulations provide a process for making the unit available to a new income-qualified household who needs it without abruptly displacing the existing tenant. To ensure that affordable housing units are occupied by tenants who need them, and to ensure that any necessary displacement of tenants is consistent with applicable guidelines, Measure GG provides two additional just cause grounds to terminate a tenancy in an affordable housing unit. The landlord could terminate a tenancy if a tenant no longer income-qualifies and the landlord seeks to rent to an income-qualified tenant, provided the landlord complies with applicable regulations. Additionally, a landlord could terminate a tenancy when a tenant fails or refuses to provide required proof of income or other relevant qualification. The landlord’s written request for proof of income must be given prior to serving a notice to terminate the tenancy and must notify the tenant that failure to comply may result in eviction proceedings. — Danny Ivanov, Rent Control Board Chair; Tracy Condon; Daniel Hall, City Councilmember
What supporters and opponents say — outside sources (not official ballot arguments)
Statements by campaigns, officials and news coverage, quoted with attribution and linked to the original. VoterDecoder did not write them and does not endorse either side.
Supporters say
No public statements in favor were found.
Opponents say
No public statements against were found.