San Jose lawmaker withdraws bill to lower state rent caps

Politically-active landlords are coordinating a campaign to stop a proposal from California lawmakers to slash yearly rent control caps — and it appears to have worked. While Assemblymember Ash Kalra successfully advocated for his “Affordable Rent Act” proposal Thursday at the state Housing and Community Development Committee, further discussions with the Judiciary Committee led Kalra to withdraw the proposal Tuesday. Also known as Assembly Bill 1157, Kalra’s bill would permanently lower the existing rent control and cost-of-living rate in California from a 15% maximum increase per year, to a 7% maximum increase for tenants. Assemblymember Alex Lee, who also represents…