Rebuilding Trust in Public-Private Partnership For A Healthy Housing Market

California housing legislation and systems don’t need minor reforms. They need a major overhaul. 

As we close out the year, it’s time for some real talk. Bay Area housing polices aren’t just ineffective, they can be pernicious, create persistent scarcity in the rental market, and contribute to our growing unhoused population. 

For cities like Oakland with Rent Adjustment Programs (RAP) and Rent Board Appeal processes, there are a maze of delays, inconsistently applied standards, and legal ambiguities, where simple hearings and appeals drag on for months while owners lose time, money, and patience. City resources are strained, while taxpayer dollars fund bloated budgets, inefficient processes, and outdated systems. 

Broken promises and unequal protections are the norm. The promise of optimized regulation or expedient due process hasn’t been realized at all. In fact, it may be getting worse. We cannot preserve housing affordability by strangling the very people providing it.

Many small housing providers see these policies for what there: traps disguised as “tenant protections”. Inadequate performance metrics, customer feedback, and quality assurance processes make continuous improvements almost impossible. Additionally, a governance body or Rent Board that cannot process appeal cases efficiently or deliver fair, timely outcomes undermines everyone, renters included. It perpetuates division and undermines good relationships between renters and property owners too. 

Rising costs and waning trust are still a growing public concern. Against the backdrop of spiraling employee wages and pension obligations, a declining revenue base, and years of unbalanced budgets, cities want to further burden property owners with massive tax hikes to close gaps in their General-Purpose Fund. Oaklanders, specifically, are some of the highest tax-burdened residents in the Bay Area--all while residents experience declining critical city services with limited fiscal accountability. 

Other East Bay cities like Alameda, Berkeley, Fremont, Hayward, San Leandro, Concord, and Richmond are not far behind. Property owners need to push back with a resounding, NO, to more taxation and municipal spending without Results Based Accountability—a framework that ties spending to measurable community outcomes. In upcoming election years, it is our collective duty to stop the righteous recklessness of municipal leaders and public servants who fail to make ethical decisions or take responsibility for the damage they’ve caused to our cities.

There's a multi-layered crisis and the shared opportunities facing housing providers that will certainly impact renters. Sacramento’s density mandates (SB 79) risk overreach without fixing local regulatory dysfunction and current market instability. These layered challenges paint a sobering picture of what’s ahead. Departments of Health and Urban Development (HUD) and Health and Human Services (HHS) program cuts, a tightening legal landscape, rising insurance and operating costs, and continued activist-driven policymaking will continue pushing small rental owners out of the market. These owners are the backbone of our affordable housing market and can no longer operate in systems that are often stacked against them.

The stark reality is that both small private rental businesses and nonprofit housing operators are at a breaking point. Here’s the truth. The future of housing will be decided locally in county board chambers, city council, and special committee meetings. Civic engagement is required and property owners can play a role to ensure new housing policy does no harm. 

EBRHA tracks about 10 key cities across Alameda and Contra Costa counties. While attending many county and city council meetings each year, I have witnessed firsthand that when seats are filled by property owners and your passionate comments are made at local policy meetings, this swell of activism changes the trajectory of policy development. When we don’t show up, the only voices officials hear are the ones that misrepresent us and shape narratives that undervalue the service we provide to the community. 

Yet amid challenges at the federal and local levels, let's celebrate our collective resilience. Our communities find ways to give back, through mentorship, affordable unit preservation, and acts of generosity that remind us what real community looks like. The outcomes are clear: local ownership matters. It sustains culture, stabilizes families, and keeps decision-making grounded in people, not just building portfolios.

So, as 2025 ends, my message is this: Don’t retreat, re-engage. Push back where systems are failing us. Partner where collaboration is possible—you are not alone. Advocate and educate where there are gaps in understanding. Because the fight for fair housing policy is not about discouraging small business or pushing untested theories. It’s about preserving human connectedness and sharing resources. Land is liberation. Allowing greater access to the “American Dream” of homeownership and retaining strong property rights is the key to generational financial stability and ensuring economic strength can be attained by all. 

Let’s make 2026 the year that more people in the community lead locally and help rebuild trust. Collectively, we will set good examples of what public-private-partnerships can do to build stronger communities and healthy housing markets. 

EBRHA wishes everyone a safe and joyous holiday season. 

This letter was written by Derek Barnes, CEO of the East Bay Rental Housing Association.