Astronomically high rents are one of the biggest concerns for Californians. Nearly 30 percent of renters spend more than half of their income on rent. The median rent is $2,850 a month, 33 percent higher than the national average.

Two proposals on the November 5 ballot address this issue – one of them, however, in a rather roundabout way.

The more direct proposal is Proposition 33, which would give local governments more control over rent caps. Currently, cities cannot cap rents on single-family homes, apartments built after 1995, and new renters. Prop. 33 would change that, essentially ending the state’s “limits on limits.” Tenant advocates say Prop. 33, if passed, would help more people secure housing.

But voters rejected two similar ballot proposals in 2018 and 2020. Landlord groups opposing this year’s measure say tighter rent control will make housing less profitable and exacerbate the housing shortage.

Learn more about Prop. 33 from CalMatters homelessness reporter Marisa Kendall in our one-minute video. And take a quiz with CalMatters data reporter Erica Yee to see how you would vote.

The measure is sponsored by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which has already poured $2 million into the two previous rent control measures. To prevent the foundation from funding another one, landlord groups are supporting Proposition 34.

It would require California health care providers (and really just the AIDS Foundation) to spend at least 98 percent of revenue from a special prescription drug discount program on “direct patient care” — or risk losing their state license and tax exemption and losing state contracts.

Supporters, including the California Apartment Association, say the ballot measure is simply a case of accountability, while the foundation argues it is a political assassination.

To learn more, watch an explainer video from CalMatters housing reporter Ben Christopher. And take Erica’s quiz.