Roberti Deals Fatal Blow to Bill Relaxing Rent Controls

In a rare exercise of his clout, Senate President Pro Tem David A. Roberti on Thursday prevented a controversial bill to relax local rent controls from being considered by the full Senate.

As the measure by Sen. John Seymour of Anaheim, the Senate Republican caucus chairman, arrived from the Assembly, it was dealt a fatal blow by Roberti, a Los Angeles Democrat: Without discussion, he sent the bill to the Rules Committee, which he chairs and which is not scheduled to meet again until September--after the Legislature has adjourned.

Roberti, a longtime rent control supporter whose Hollywood-area district includes many renters, and the Senate Judiciary Committee have scuttled three similar proposals since 1984.

The bill would impose vacancy controls--which would allow landlords to increase rents without limit when an apartment became vacant for any reason except eviction. It also would exempt new housing construction, including mobile home parks, and single-family homes from rent controls.

The legislation would have weakened the strict rent controls now in force in such cities as Santa Monica, West Hollywood and Berkeley. It also would have prohibited Los Angeles and other cities from enacting tough vacancy controls.

Roberti, who seldom flexes his muscle as leader of the Senate, indicated that he was angry at reported threats by major supporters of the bill in the real estate industry that they would contribute $2 million to opponents of Roberti-backed candidates in the Nov. 4 election if the Senate was not allowed to vote on the bill this year.

“It was a rather scruffy way of dealing with legislation,” he acknowledged, but said he did so because “the big boys always think they’re supposed to win. . . . As far as I’m concerned, that’s it for the session.”

While some supporters of the bill held out faint hope the measure could be revived in the last days of the legislative session, Seymour agreed with Roberti that the issue “is dead, dead for this year.”

Sponsors of the bill included the California Real Estate Assn., the California Housing Council of developers and apartment owners and the California Apartment Assn. Opponents included tenant organizations and various rent-control cities.