A ballot initiative to strengthen the enforcement of Tacoma’s tenant protections had a strong lead on election night, with 59% of votes cast in favor of it as of Tuesday evening.
Supporters of Initiative 1, called Safe Homes For All, were ecstatic as the first ballot counts came in. Real estate groups spent heavily trying to defeat the measure, and many supporters were worried it would be a close fight.
The results represent a mandate “to ensure that all Tacomans have a decent, stable, dignified, affordable place to live,” said Tyron Moore, the executive director of Tacoma For All, speaking at an election party. His group backed the measure.
The initiative seeks to improve compliance with Tacoma’s renter protection laws by requiring the city to investigate complaints about landlords. If the city finds that a violation has taken place, the landlord would have to pay the tenant a minimum of $500, or up to five times the monthly rent for more serious violations.
City officials in Tacoma have expressed concern about implementing the measure, and there are lingering questions about how much it will cost the city to enforce.
Landlord and real estate groups rallied against Initiative 1, arguing that the new fees and regulations would make housing less affordable by driving small landlords out of Tacoma.
Supporters argued that the regulations would add accountability and prevent rampant issues with code violations and illegal rent hikes.
It would also create a new per-unit license fee and require landlords to bargain with renters who form tenant unions.
"We can go forward and actually negotiate in good faith with our landlords, who up until now have refused to meet with us,” said Rachel McDonald, a renter at a unionized apartment building in Tacoma.
The proposal generated heated debate and massive spending in the final weeks of the election.
Landlord and real estate groups poured over $850,000 into defeating the initiative, more than doubling the record for political spending in a Tacoma city race, which was previously set by opposition spending against the 2023 initiative, according to Tacoma For All.
The initiative is a follow-up to the Tenant Bill of Rights passed by Tacoma voters in 2023, which added a suite of new tenant protections but did not come with a mechanism requiring the city to enforce it.
