Bellingham voters recently passed Initiative 25-03; protecting tenant’s rights to gather and organize without fear of retaliation from their landlords.
The initiative adds additional protections for tenants by shifting the burden of proof to landlords that their actions were not retaliatory, said Eukia Lemaster, senior organizer for Community First Whatcom.
“It’s a lot more stress on a tenant to have to gather all of that evidence and it puts it on the landlord to have to prove that they weren't doing something wrong,” Lemaster said.
Lemaster noted that the initiative will also require landlords to post tenant’s rights in a public area similar to posters in an office or meeting space.
“The way that we describe it is like giving tenants' rights that are similar to folks who are in a union,” Lemaster said.
While a state law exists that outlines tenant and landlord relations, Initiative 25-03 seeks to close gaps in the state law by explicitly referencing the tenant's rights to free speech and assembly.
“It's not creating new rights out of thin air,” Eamonn Collins, chair of the Whatcom Democrats, said. “It's affirming them and strengthening the enforcement mechanisms around them locally in this really important issue area that so many people are struggling with.”
According to Lemaster, the initiative specifically prevents landlords from prohibiting tenants from displaying political signs or preventing tenants from political organizing on the property.
“This is just adding a couple of extra protections in there to shift the burden of proof from the tenant to the landlord to prove that it wasn't retaliatory,” Lemaster said.
Lemaster also noted the initiative adds measures to prevent landlords from threatening or taking retaliatory actions against tenants for speaking up about maintenance issues such as mold.
“They know that they can do that, but they're afraid that their landlord is going to evict them, raise their rent, add on a bunch of extra fees or give them a bad review,” Lemaster said.
Community First Whatcom plans to meet on Dec. 3 to discuss ideas on how to continue to enforce protection and keep tenants informed about their rights, said Seth Magold, vice chair of Community First Whatcom.
“We're going to keep researching and pushing forward and chipping away at that power dynamic of the landlord owners and the working class tenants of the county,” Mangold said.
According to Mangold, Community First Whatcom will be running an information session for a “junk fee” initiative in Ferndale on Jan. 17 that will act as a foundation for sessions in Bellingham sometime around February or March.
“We just wanted to give time for the law to take effect and for people to start applying it. Hopefully landlords will be on top of it,” Mangold said.
Mangold acknowledged that enforcement of initiatives is always a challenge and that while Community First is not in a position of direct authority, they and other groups are dedicated to informing people of their rights.
“That's really what this initiative was designed to be. Just chipping away at that power dynamic and building confidence by having another tool in the toolbox,” Mangold said.
Lemaster said that Community First Whatcom is always welcome to new ideas for initiatives and to help at any stage of the process.
“If it's just like a loose thought that came to somebody we can start with the brainstorming,” Lemaster said.
Lemaster added that anyone can put an initiative on the ballot, calling it a great way for people to get more involved in the political process. She added that much of Initiative 25-03’s success came from strong organizing and having a dedicated group of people behind it.
“There's more that you can do for your community than just voting for people,” Lemaster said.
DuPree Nugent (he/him) is a city news reporter for The Front this fall quarter. He is a third-year student studying news/editorial journalism and English with a creative writing emphasis. In his free time, he enjoys long-distance running, listening to music and writing poems and short stories. He can be reached at dupreenugent.thefront@gmail.com.
