Tenant Bill of Rights to Proceed to the Ballot After Coalition Vote
Tacoma for All invites the media to join us Tuesday, June 13th, 11:00 AM, at 747 Market Street, Tacoma for a photo opportunity and statement before turning in signatures to the City Clerk.
TACOMA, WA – Citizens Initiative 2023-01, known as the Tenant Bill of Rights, will proceed to the November ballot after coalition partners and supporters voted unanimously at Tacoma for All’s June 11 Action Conference to submit over 7000 petition signatures.
In the weeks leading up to the decision, Tacoma for All leaders met multiple times with Mayor Woodards, Deputy Mayor Walker, Councilmembers Hines and Ushka, and city staff to discuss differences between the initiative and an alternative ordinance proposed by the city.
The meetings failed to produce a compromise, with the city refusing to budge on crucial tenant relocation assistance and eviction protection language. Tacoma For All leadership recommended to supporters Sunday that the campaign move forward with turning in signatures. Over 100 coalition partners and community members present voted unanimously, directing Tacoma for All’s Steering Committee to turn in signatures, a move that is expected to secure the initiative’s place on the November ballot.
“Our mandate from the community is clear, and our coalition partners and supporters have spoken,” said Campaign Manager Ty Moore. “We’re taking the Tenant Bill of Rights to the citizens of Tacoma this fall for them to decide.”
Various community speakers at the conference also called on the city to act quickly and pass their own complementary ordinance updating the Rental Housing Code, rather than following through on threats to put a competing ordinance on the November ballot.
State Senator Yasmin Trudeau, speaking at the conference, noted that tenant protections are advancing in many places, including recent pushes to implement statewide legislation. “We are the people who live and work in Tacoma, and we deserve security and peace of mind,” Senator Trudeau said. “I call on my city council colleagues to stand with the people who are on the right side of this issue,” she continued, speaking against the possibility of the city putting forward a competing ballot initiative.
“Tenants in this town desperately need protections,” said elected Tacoma School Board member Chelsea McElroy, who also spoke at the Action Conference. “I call on City Hall to stand out of the way and allow citizens to vote on the full Tenant Bill of Rights, without bringing a watered-down version to the November ballot.”
Tacoma for All is a grassroots and volunteer-led coalition that seeks sustainable and affordable housing and is preparing to bring a citizen’s initiative, the Tenant Bill of Rights, to Tacoma voters on the November ballot. More information: www.Tacoma4All.org.