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Money and housing politics

Policy battles between industry lobbyists and activists often leave lawmakers in the middle, and money makes a difference. The liberal nonprofit Courage Campaign said dollar signs influenced an Assembly vote last week that left only one of two tenant protection measures alive.

In its Renter Relief project, the campaign tracked direct and indirect contributions from realtor and landlord groups to lawmakers who declined to vote or voted against Assembly Bill 1482, which caps annual rent increases to 7 percent plus inflation. The group identified vulnerable members based on voting records from a 2018 just cause eviction bill, and it also targeted the lawmakers in Facebook ads.