LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Backers of California’s Affordable Housing Act, which would repeal the Costa Hawkins Rental Housing Act of 1995, have named the respected national campaign strategist Joe Trippi and Trippi Norton Rossmeissl Campaigns as lead strategist and media consultant on their statewide campaign to restore the ability of local communities to regulate residential rents.
Trippi most recently managed Democrat Doug Jones’ successful, come-from-behind victory for U.S. Senate this year in deeply red Alabama; he also guided California Governor Jerry Brown’s successful 2010 gubernatorial campaign against Meg Whitman, despite being outspent over 4-to-1: $187 million to $40 million.
“We are very pleased to announce the appointment of campaign heavyweight Joe Trippi and the team at Trippi Norton Rossmeissl Campaigns as lead strategist and media consultant for the Affordable Housing Act,” said Michael Weinstein, President of AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF). AHF, Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment (ACCE Action) and the Eviction Defense Network are the three proponents of the initiative. “Joe Trippi, Julie Norton and Tom Rossmeissl have won some of the most difficult campaigns in the country and state. We are bringing on battle-tested campaign veterans to maximize our path to victory against the buzz saw of campaign cash and misinformation from the corporate landlords who want to continue rent gouging Californians.”
"This is personal to me. I grew up with a single mother in Los Angeles. We struggled but at least we had affordable rent," said Joe Trippi. "The special interests have had their chance controlling everything unchecked and it just hasn't worked. Let's return power and decision-making back to the local governments, closer to the people. I'm proud to be supporting this initiative and I'm all-in to helping win it."
“When you’re going up against Goliath, you bring a big rock,” said Damien Goodmon, Director of AHF’s Housing is a Human Right and Campaign Director. “Taking on corporations like Blackstone and Sam Zell’s Equity Residential, which are bankrolling the opposition campaign, is an epic battle. With Trippi Norton Rossmeissl leading the strategy and media, Californians suffering from skyrocketing rents can know that relief is on the way!”
The Affordable Housing Act will close the loophole in rent control, created by the Costa-Hawkins Act, which prohibits California communities from setting reasonable limits on rent increases on single family homes, condos and buildings built after 1995, or the year rent control was established within a city - 1978 in the case of Los Angeles. (Costa-Hawkins explained) Passing the Affordable Housing Act will give local communities a critical tool to address the nation’s worst housing affordability crisis.
For more information visit: www.affordablehousingact.org
Paid for by Coalition for Affordable Housing, Sponsored by AIDS Healthcare Foundation and ACCE Action. Committee major funding from AIDS Healthcare Foundation, AFSCME Local 3299 Issues Committee, and California Nurses Association.
