A citizen initiative to enact rent control and other renter protections in Long Beach could soon begin gathering signatures to qualify for the November 2018 ballot.

The proposed measure, titled the Long Beach Rent Control Ordinance, was cleared by the city attorney’s office on Monday. The last remaining step is for the group to publish a notice of intent to gather signatures along with a copy of the proposed ballot language, according to City Clerk Monique DeLaGarza.

Once that is done, the proponents would have 180 days, starting Monday, to gather at least 27,462 signatures, or 10 percent of the city’s registered voters, she said.

Backing the proposed measure is a team of advocacy groups who have branded themselves the #RentControlNOW Coalition. It includes a well-known housing advocate, Josh Butler, who serves as the executive director of Housing Long Beach, an organization that regularly calls for local renter protections and seeks to boost affordable housing production, according to its website.

“We’re seeing more and more renters spending much of their income on rent and it’s impacting everybody, our community, our small businesses, so there’s many reasons we want to get that under control,” he said in an interview Tuesday.

The 43-page ordinance has been condensed into a one-page ballot summary that proposes the following provisions:

Enact residential rent control for all units (except those that are exempt) and restrictions for how tenancies may be terminated;

Enact “Just cause for eviction” requirements to be enforced by a mayor-appointed board;

Form a five-member Rental Housing Board that would set rents, determine annual rent increases and hear landlord-tenant grievances, among other duties;

Tie maximum rent increases to the Consumer Price Index, setting an annual hike that matches the increase in the CPI or 5 percent, whichever is less;

Limit rent increases to one time per 12-month period;

Require relocation payments be made to tenants under certain circumstances in an ordinance to be adopted in the future by the city council;

Create an annual rental housing fee to be paid by all landlords; the Rental Housing Board may adjust the fee, at its discretion, to fund expenses.

In a city where approximately 60 percent of residents are renters, one of the more vulnerable demographics is the senior population, which comprises about one-fifth of the city’s nearly half a million residents.

Karen Reside of Long Beach Gray Panthers, a senior advocacy organization, said seniors are facing the highest rents they’ve ever seen.

“With most of us on fixed incomes and limited retirement funds, we can’t keep up,” she said in a statement supporting the measure. “Rent control and just cause eviction will give us security instead of worrying about ending up on the streets.”

In recent weeks, several groups that represent property and business owners have voiced strong opposition to the proposed measure, including the Apartment Association, Southern California Cities, Pacific West Association of Realtors, and the Long Beach Area Chamber of Commerce.

In a news release sent last week, Joanna Cunningham, who heads the apartment association, said the measure is “misguided” and would be harmful to tenants and property owners. Rent controlled cities are typically the most expensive in the country, she said. Cities that have enacted rent control include San Francisco and Santa Monica.

In a letter sent to constituents last week, Chamber CEO Randy Gordon said rent control could deter the development of housing units amid a statewide housing crisis.

Mayor Robert Garcia earlier this month said he was also opposed to a rent control measure.

The #RentControlNOW Coalition will kick off its campaign at MacArthur Park on Sunday, February 11th, at noon. For more information, contact (562) 436-8592.