California voters backed stronger rent protections in five of six cities

Tenant-backed positions are ahead in five of the six California cities that voted on rent rules November 3, according to the latest available counts. San Pablo is on track to adopt a new rent cap, Salinas voters are keeping the one they have, and Berkeley, Santa Monica, and Cudahy are backing stronger protections. Redwood City's rent control measure is the exception, with about 56% of counted votes against it. None of these results are certified yet.

Santa Monica and Cudahy figures are as of November 8. Salinas figures are from election night, and the others are the latest posted by NBC Bay Area.

In Salinas, a yes vote would have repealed four tenant laws, including the rent cap of 2.75% or 75% of inflation, whichever is lower. The no side led 11,590 to 8,013 after the final election-night report from the Monterey County Elections Department, even though it was outspent by a landlord-backed committee by more than 9 to 1, Monterey County Now said. Typical rent in Salinas hit a record $2,530 in September, up 5.8% from a year earlier, according to RentDataNow data built on the Zillow Observed Rent Index.

Redwood City was the one place a new cap ran into trouble. Measure E would have limited increases on many apartment buildings built before February 1, 1995, and its ballot question put the cost of running the program at $5 million to $11 million a year, paid for by fees on landlords. Joshua Howard of the California Apartment Association said, "We're optimistic that voters in Redwood City have recognized that Measure E is not the solution." Typical rent there was a record $4,301 in September, up 9.3%. Renters in Redwood City also earn more than renters in any of the other five cities, with a median household income of $127,643 in Census data for 2020 to 2024. Without Measure E, the state's cap of 5% plus inflation, or 10%, whichever is lower, still applies to many units.

San Pablo went the other way on a nearly identical idea. Measure S caps increases at 60% of regional inflation, with a 3% maximum, and its city attorney's analysis says it would roll rents back to the amount charged on July 1, 2025. The city estimated the program would cost $1.08 million to $2.36 million a year. It's a small electorate, with about 4,500 votes in the count so far.

The other three cities already have rent rules and voted to add to them. Berkeley's Measure X targets landlords who bank allowed increases and then impose a large one all at once. In Santa Monica, Measure RR, the most popular of the three tenant measures, bars evictions for nonpayment when a tenant owes less than one month of the average fair market rent HUD sets for the city's zip codes. In Cudahy, where about 86% of households rent, voters backed a requirement that any increase to the city's 3% ceiling go to a public vote.

These counts can still change until they're certified. Santa Monica's results are due to be certified November 27. For what each measure would do in more detail, see our pre-election guide, and for the national picture, which states ban rent control.

Sources

• Los Angeles County election results, as of November 8, 2026, for Santa Monica and Cudahy
• NBC Bay Area, San Mateo County results, Contra Costa County results, and Alameda County results
• "Salinas voters reject bid to repeal rent stabilization", for the Monterey County election-night count
• Monterey County Now, Salinas voters keep rent stabilization
• KQED, Rent control makes moderate gains across the Bay Area
• Local News Matters, Berkeley Measure X
• Santa Monica Daily Press, election results
• City of San Pablo, Measure S documents and Redwood City Measure E ballot question
• US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, tables B25003 and B25119
• RentDataNow city rent data, anchored to the Zillow Observed Rent Index, September 2026