Priya Nair’s take on the city rent cap

The strongest case for the cap is stability for families who already rent. The problem is the next family: when new units can’t charge market rent, fewer get built. San Francisco’s 1994 expansion is the cleanest test we have.1

None of this means doing nothing. If the goal is keeping current tenants in their homes, direct rent support does that without shrinking the supply of flats for whoever comes next. That is the trade-off I’d like the council to put on the table, out loud.