Proponents of California Proposition 33 claim that groups and individuals who don’t support the measure are sending fake text messages pretending that tenant groups supporting rent control are against it.
In a release issued Saturday, the Yes on 33 campaign said that opponents are engaging in “sleazy, dirty trick tactics” to confuse renters and advocates, namely by sending out fake texts to tenants and their allies.
The text messages being sent out are said to include the logos of two pro-tenant organizations: the Los Angeles Tenants Union (LATU) and Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).
According to the Yes on 33 campaign’s release, both groups support Prop 33.
“This sleazy, dirty trick is designed to confuse tenants who will benefit if Prop 33 passes,” said Yes on 33 campaign manager Susie Shannon. “It’s another illustration of the depths to which the No on 33 campaign will sink in an act of desperation because they are behind in the latest polls.”
“Resorting to explicitly false text messages to get renters and their allies to vote against their interests is fraud,” Shannon continued.
A spokesperson for the Koreatown Local branch of LATU, Tony Carfello, stated that the texts dictate the opposite of what Prop 33 proponents want, and that anyone who receives the message should ignore what he calls “a desperate lie.”
“We are encouraging [Los Angeles Tenants Union] members to vote Yes on 33 so that we can push for the expansion of the rent controls that keep our communities together and protect our homes from real estate speculators,” Carfello said. “Any messaging indicating otherwise is merely a desperate lie from the panicking landlord lobby.”
Proposition 33 would repeal the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act of 1995, which currently prohibits local ordinances limiting initial residential rates for new tenants.
Individuals and groups that support the measure include Sen. Bernie Sanders, U.S. Rep. Maxine Waters, the UNITE HERE Local 11 union and the California Democratic Party, according to the Yes on 33 website.
Opponents of Proposition 33 – who formed a group called No on 33 – say the measure is a deeply flawed scheme that will actually increase housing costs and block affordable housing.
According to the No on 33 website, endorsers of their campaign include Gov. Gavin Newsom, Orange County Supervisor Don Wagner, the California Association of Realtors and the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce.
Click here to view the official voter guide regarding Proposition 33.
Proponents of California Proposition 33 claim that groups and individuals who don’t support the measure are sending fake text messages pretending that tenant groups supporting rent control are against it. In a release issued Saturday, the Yes on 33 campaign said that opponents are engaging in “sleazy, dirty trick tactics” to confuse renters and advocates, […]