Mar Vista Voice has joined the citywide movement led by the Keep LA Housed Coalition to protect and expand rent stabilization for the nearly 10,000 rent-controlled homes in our neighborhood. With City Council preparing to revisit and revise the Los Angeles Rent Stabilization Ordinance (LARSO), tenants and community organizations across LA are mobilizing to make sure the new version truly protects renters.
The current version of LARSO applies to buildings with two or more units built before October 1, 1978. It was designed to limit extreme rent hikes, but over time, the formula has become outdated and increasingly out of touch with economic reality. Today, it allows rent increases of 4–10% per year, even when inflation is much lower. Those hikes add up, especially for the majority of LA renters who are already paying more than 30% of their income toward rent.
After four years of pandemic-era rent freezes, increases resumed in February 2024, and many rent-stabilized tenants in Mar Vista are now seeing 6% rent hikes. For many renters, that’s a serious blow. “Everyone says they’re barely hanging on,” said one canvasser. “Another increase like this, and a lot of people won’t be able to stay.”
The Keep LA Housed campaign is calling for a new formula that would cap annual increases at 3% or 60% of inflation (CPI), whichever is lower. This approach is already in use in cities like Oakland, West Hollywood, and Santa Monica. It’s designed to protect tenants from displacement-level increases while still allowing landlords a fair return. The coalition is also pushing to eliminate unjustified extra increases for utilities or additional tenants, and to ensure consistent rules for landlords of all sizes.
These demands are backed by hard data. A recent report from the Economic Roundtable found that LA’s current rent formula has consistently allowed increases that exceed both inflation and wage growth, leading to greater rent burdens, especially for low-income tenants, women, and communities of color. According to the report, rent hikes of even 3% can destabilize housing for people living paycheck to paycheck, while 5% or more dramatically increases the risk of eviction or homelessness.
To support this effort locally, Mar Vista Voice is helping to organize postcard writing and door-to-door outreach to rent-stabilized tenants. Volunteers are distributing information about tenants’ rights under LARSO and encouraging neighbors to sign the petition urging Councilmember Traci Park—who has a record of opposing renter protections—to support the reforms. Each postcard includes a QR code that links directly to the petition.
To learn more about the coalition’s demands, visit KeepLAHoused.org/LARSO-Campaign. To join the local effort here in Mar Vista—writing postcards, canvassing, or spreading the word—visit marvistavoice.org/projects/mar-vista-larso.