Measure RR
City of Santa Monica · Los Angeles County · November 3, 2026
The question on your ballot
MEASURE RR: Shall the City Charter be amended to prohibit evictions based on non - payment of rent when a tenant owes less than one month of the average of fair market rents, set annually by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, for ZIP codes in Santa Monica?
In plain language
Measure RR changes Santa Monica's City Charter to limit evictions for unpaid rent. A YES vote would stop landlords from evicting a tenant for not paying rent, if the tenant owes less than one month of the average fair market rent. This rent figure is based on Santa Monica ZIP codes. It is set each year by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. A NO vote keeps the current eviction rules for unpaid rent.
Impartial analysis
Measure RR 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 limiting evictions based on non-payment of rent when a tenant owes less than a threshold amount of rent. Measure RR was placed on the ballot by the Santa Monica City Council. 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. The RCCA-HPCA allow landlords to evict tenants when a tenant owes any amount of rent. Measure RR amends the RCCA-HPCA to prohibit evictions based on non-payment of rent unless (1) the tenant owes more than the average of the Small Area Fair Market Rents set annually by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for equivalent sized rental units in the five ZIP Codes located wholly or partially within the City of Santa Monica and (2) the written notice demanding the tenant pay the unpaid rent or move out states the number of bedrooms in the tenant’s rental unit and the average Small Area Fair Market Rent amount for an equivalent sized rental unit. Measure RR does not affect a landlord’s right to collect unpaid rental debt from a tenant through means other than eviction Heidi von Tongeln City Attorney
Official ballot arguments
Filed for the official voter guide by each side, printed as submitted.
The official arguments will appear here once both sides’ arguments are on file.
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 one should lose their home over a small amount of rent after an unexpected hardship.”
— Mayor Caroline Torosis, Rent Control Board Vice Chair Kay Ambriz, Councilmember Ellis Raskin, City of Santa Monica (2026) · Measure RR argument in favorRead the source →
Opponents say
No public statements against were found.