Mayor Gavin Newsom has vetoed three pro-tenant laws designed primarily to aid low-income tenants during the recession.
The laws would have capped rent increases at 8 percent annually, and landlords would have been unable to raise rents if an additional person moved in as long as occupancy remained within the housing code limit.
Newsom vetoed the measures Friday, just before a 5 p.m. deadline when they would have taken effect. On June 23, the Board of Supervisors voted, 6-4, in favor of the laws, with Supervisor Sophie Maxwell abstaining due to a conflict of interest involving her ownership of six rental units.
Ted Gullickson of the San Francisco Tenants Union said he and other tenant advocates are pushing the board to override the veto. Failing that, they’ll try to get some of the measures on the ballot for the November election.
Renters make up about two-thirds of San Francisco residents, with the city currently boasting the second most expensive rental market behind New York.
