Monterey Rental Registry 1

“Monterey Rental Registry 1” – Monterey Herald – Sept. 13, 2023

Monterey is moving ahead on a rental registry ordinance despite wide-scale objections.

The registry would:

* Violate the privacy of renters and landlords.

* Require private info to be submitted to the city.

* Cost landlords and renters $400,000 annually.

* Pave the way for rent control.

The registry would not:

* Lower rents.

* Add any rental units.

Attendees at a Town Hall Meeting in May were overwhelmingly against the registry (I was there). Is the City Council interested in what constituents are telling them? Are they
concerned about privacy rights? Government programs have a tendency to expand. How much will this program cost renters five, 10, and 20 years from now?

While City Council and registry advocates are quick to point out that this ordinance does not establish rent control, their presentations state that a reason a registry is “needed” is
that it will provide data that can be used to help determine future rental regulations. In other words, a rental registry paves the way for rent control. The problem with rental registries
and rent controls is they don’t work. They have unintended consequences, opposite of those that are intended. And they violate individual liberties.

— Chris Kramer, Seaside