Renting in Los Angeles can come at a high cost. In the last five years, average rents in the city have gone up more than 27 percent, according to Zillow.
The California Budget & Policy Center found that just under a third of Californians spend more than half their incomes on rent.
This election, California voters will decide if local leaders across the state should have more freedom when it comes to rent control. That's the idea behind Proposition 10.
“In some senses, Prop 10 doesn’t really do anything,” said Gary Painter, the Director of USC’s Sol Price Center for Social Innovation, “but it just allows for the opportunity if municipal governments want to take actions with respect to rent stabilization.”
Several cities in California have rent control, but it's largely confined to older buildings. That's partly due to a 20-year-old law called the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act. Proposition 10 would repeal that law and allow cities to put newer buildings under rent control.
Opponents say rent control will make California's affordable housing shortage worse.
“It will really create a chilling effect among developers to actually want to do buildings, provide housing,” said Michael Bustamante, spokesperson of No on Prop 10 campaign.
If developers stop building, experts say prices will likely keep going up.
Mayor Garcetti and LA's City Council have endorsed Proposition 10, and so has the California Democratic Party. Both of California's gubernatorial candidates and the California Chamber of Commerce have opposed it.
On November 6, it will be up to voters to decide.