The road to rent control
Hundreds of supporters poured into the State House yesterday to rally and testify in support of a bill that would allow cities and towns to tie rent increases to the rate of inflation. Under the legislation, rent hikes would be capped at 5 percent.
Getting the bill passed is likely to be an uphill battle. Voters ended rent control through a 1994 ballot question, and in the more than three decades since then, there hasn't been much appetite from the Legislature to bring it back. When a similar proposal was added as an amendment to an economic development bill, it failed on a 22-136 roll call vote in the House.
The big question: Will supporters take the fight to the ballot next year?
'For us, everything's on the table,' Carolyn Chou, the executive director of the advocacy group Homes for All, said in an interview. 'Our communities urgently need rent control, so we're exploring all options to win.'
There's a lot to consider. Those backing the return of rent control would have to contend with the powerful real estate lobby, which has made it clear in the past they're ready to spend big to thwart the effort. A push to put a rent control question on the ballot failed to clear one of the first major hurdles last cycle, with supporters divided over whether the timing was right. And if voters reject the effort, state law says they can't bring it back before voters for six years.
Working in their favor: Housing for All is working with the Service Employees International Union and what they say is more than 100 organizations across the state on the push. During the hearing, residents from Easthampton to Worcester to Framingham testified in support of the bill.
For now, 'no decisions have been made' about bringing the battle to the ballot, Chou said. Keep an eye out for some action by Aug. 6, when the first round of initiative petition signatures is due to Attorney General Andrea Campbell's office.
GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Drop me a line: kgarrity@politico.com.
TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey hosts a ceremonial swearing-in for Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Kiame Mahaniah at 12:15 p.m. at the State House. Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll speaks at LGBTQ+ Youth Day on the Hill at 10:30 a.m. and chairs a Governor's Council meeting at noon at the State House. Democratic Whip Katherine Clark joins the Natick Service Council for a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11:30 a.m. in Natick. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu hosts a campaign event with small business owners at 11 a.m. downtown.
THE RACE FOR CITY HALL
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Progressive West Roxbury/Roslindale is releasing its slate of endorsements for Boston's mayoral and City Council races this fall.
PWRR is backing Mayor Michelle Wu, District 5 Councilor Enrique Pepén and District 6 Councilor Ben Weber for reelection. The group is also endorsing three of the four current at-large members: Councilors Ruthzee Louijeune, Julia Mejia and Henry Santana.
And they've narrowed down the final at-large slot to two challengers. 'Members are still learning about new candidates Alexandra Valdez and Marvin Mathelier, one of whom will earn PWRR's fourth At-Large endorsement,' PWRR's Rachel Poliner said in an email.
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — District 3 Councilor John FitzGerald and state Rep. Jay Livingstone are endorsing At-Large Councilor Henry Santana for reelection.
Santana 'leads with heart, humility, and purpose,' FitzGerald said in a statement. 'As a colleague, I've seen firsthand how committed he is to uplifting every corner of our city.'
GETTING IN — Newburyport City Councilor Jim McCauley is officially announcing his campaign for mayor of Newburyport this morning. In a statement, McCauley said he has become 'increasingly concerned about the direction the current Mayor [Sean Reardon] is taking Newburyport.'
Since Reardon took office, 'spending has increased an unprecedented and unsustainable 20% and a disintegrating work culture at City Hall has seen the departure of 6 department heads,' McCauley, a Democrat, added, calling for 'a new chapter' in the city.
DATELINE BEACON HILL
— Lawmakers solicit major dollars to fund national legislative gathering in Boston by Samantha J. Gross and Matt Stout, The Boston Globe: 'Thousands of lawmakers and policy makers from across the country will descend on Boston Monday for three days of networking, programming, and socializing for what Massachusetts legislative leaders likened to a 'World Cup'-level event. Those same Massachusetts lawmakers have also been asking corporations and others with interests before the Legislature to fork over as much as $250,000 each to help fund the celebration. For months, Massachusetts lawmakers have been raising money for the National Conference of State Legislatures Legislative Summit, which the bipartisan organization bills as the 'nation's largest gathering of legislators and legislative staff' and this year also commemorates its 50th anniversary.'
— Mass. emergency shelter spending over $940M for FY25, latest state data shows by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald: 'Gov. Maura Healey's administration spent just over $940 million on emergency family shelters and related services last fiscal year, but the final total is projected to increase by tens of millions of dollars more as officials work to settle payments. A report released Monday shows taxpayers have shouldered $942 million between July 1, 2024, and June 30 to prop up shelters housing homeless families with children and pregnant women. An immigration surge in 2022, 2023, and 2024 strained the system, but caseloads have dropped drastically since January.'
FROM THE HUB
— Boston Mayor Wu dismisses calls for National Guard deployment to tackle Mass and Cass spillover by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: 'Boston Mayor Michelle Wu dismissed calls from South End residents to bring in the National Guard to deal with the 'war zone' that Mass and Cass spillover has created in that particular neighborhood. Wu said this week that while it's 'not acceptable' for residents to have to side-step needles and fear for their safety at and around the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard, the open-air drug use, filth and violence that has spilled over into surrounding neighborhoods like the South End does not warrant a response from the U.S. military.'
— Wu says full White Stadium cost won't be known til end of 2025 by Sharon Brody and Rob Lane.
FROM HARVARD YARD
— Trump administration wants Harvard to pay far more than Columbia as part of settlement by Collin Binkley, The Associated Press: 'The Trump administration is pressing for a deal with Harvard University that would require the Ivy League school to pay far more than the $200 million fine agreed to by Columbia University to resolve multiple federal investigations, according to two people familiar with the matter. Harvard would be expected to pay hundreds of millions of dollars as part of any settlement to end investigations into antisemitism at its campus, said the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations.'
RELATED — Rep. Katherine Clark says Harvard's reported deal with Trump is troubling, but might be necessary by Nicole Garcia, GBH News.
DAY IN COURT
— Further legal action against Republic to come by Caroline Enos, The Salem News: 'Although six communities' request for an injunction against Republic Services Inc. was denied Monday, that won't be the end of legal troubles for the company over its lacking service during the Teamsters strike. The injunction was filed in Salem Superior Court on July 17 by Peabody, Beverly, Danvers, Gloucester, Malden and Canton. It requested that a judge order Republic to immediately collect all trash and recycling within the municipalities and provide all contracted services, putting a stop to stinking, piled-up trash on sidewalks and in dumpsters that are public health hazards.'
FROM THE DELEGATION
— Mass. Reps. Pressley, Lynch and Moulton lead call for end to trash strike by John L. Micek, MassLive: 'All nine members of Massachusetts' U.S. House delegation have called on trash hauler Republic Services to reach a deal with striking Teamsters, ending a work stoppage that has caused garbage to pile up across Greater Boston this month. The letter, led by Democratic U.S. Reps Ayanna Pressley and Stephen Lynch, whose 7th and 8th Congressional District seats span Boston, and Seth Moulton, D-6th District, of Salem, underlined the 'sweat equity' of its employees, and the need for good wages and benefits.'
IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN
— Nantucket Officials Blast Vineyard Wind, Deliver List Of Demands by JohnCarl McGrady and Jason Graziadei, Nantucket Current: 'Nantucket officials called Vineyard Wind on the carpet Tuesday, claiming the offshore wind developer had failed to live up to its agreements with the town, and telling the company to 'lead or leave.' In a press conference Tuesday morning held on Zoom, the Nantucket Select Board made 15 demands of Vineyard Wind, setting a two-week deadline for the offshore wind company to reply. If no reply is forthcoming, or if the Select Board deems Vineyard Wind's responses inadequate, the town is leaving all of its options open -including legal action.'
MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS
— Final Motions Filed In Brawl Between Former CCC Chair O'Brien And Mass Treasurer Goldberg by Chris Farone, Talking Joints Memo: 'Going back to fall of 2023 when she was first suspended from her chair seat at the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission for (what were still at the time) unspecified offenses, Shannon O'Brien claimed the backstory and details of her time at the agency would contradict allegations against her. From O'Brien's suspension on through her subsequent firing in September 2024, the former state rep, senator, and treasurer (who was appointed to the CCC by current state Treasurer Deb Goldberg two years earlier) said, sometimes through her lawyers, that confidential documents and information would at least add context around claims that she behaved in ways that warranted removal. In early June, a Suffolk County Superior Court justice granted that wish, denying Goldberg, CCC employees, appointees, and the agency itself their requests to have some names anonymized and information kept secret.'
— Bay State regulators approve draft pot cafe rules by Matthew Medgar, Boston Herald: 'After two days of intensive wrangling with the wording in their draft, the Cannabis Control Commission on Tuesday unanimously approved the rules which will govern social consumption of marijuana in Massachusetts. Said another way, the state's pot regulators have finally signed off on a plan that will — eventually — see Amsterdam-style weed cafes in the Bay State. The key word is 'eventually.''
FROM THE 413
— Former Select Board member suggests current member is spying on him by Cliff Clark, The Westfield News: 'During the Select Board meeting Monday, former member Joseph Deedy suggested that current board member Russ Anderson of spying on him using Town Hall security camera footage and requested a public investigation to determine if his allegations are true.'
THE LOCAL ANGLE
— Something rotten in New Bedford, or much ado about nothing? by Colin Hogan and Grace Ferguson, The New Bedford Light: 'Councilor Brian Gomes rose to speak and, in his signature booming crescendo, cried out, 'They're saying we should be federally indicted! Send it in! Because I did nothing wrong.' Many of New Bedford's political junkies and hangers-on have for weeks made the case over talk-radio broadcasts and during City Council sessions that there is something rotten in Denmark. Some elected officials, it recently became known, had for years received 'longevity payments' — annual bonuses between $450 and $850, intended for unelected city staffers who served 10 years or more. These elected officials — including some long-serving city councilors, assessors, and the mayor — were mistakenly receiving longevity payments through 2023, when Mayor Jon Mitchell noticed a difference in his own paycheck upon reaching the 10-year mark of service.'
— Assault charge against woman detained by ICE agents in Worcester is dropped by Toni Caushi, Telegram & Gazette: 'A charge of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon against Rosane Ferreira De Oliveira, the woman detained by federal agents in a highly publicized May 8 immigration raid on Eureka Street, has been dropped, court records show. Her 17-year-old daughter, whom Ferreira De Oliveira was accused of striking with a phone charger cable in February, 'does not wish to proceed,' Assistant District Attorney Matthew Kimmelstiel said in a motion to the Worcester District Court.'
— Newbury lauded again for accounting, financial reporting via Newburyport Daily News: 'For the third consecutive year, the town is being honored for excellence in accounting and financial reporting. The Government Finance Officers Association recognized Newbury for its fiscal 2026 town report and budget, a comprehensive 267-page document that explains the foundation of the town's budget decisions. The award is a significant achievement in governmental accounting and financial reporting, reflecting the commitment of a governing body and its staff to meeting the highest standards of governmental budgeting, according to local officials.'
HEARD 'ROUND THE BUBBLAH
TRANSITIONS — Kait Rogers is the new chief financial officer of the YMCA of Greater Boston. She was previously the CFO of the Jewish Community Centers of Greater Boston.
— Kris Sarri will be the new Massachusetts state director at The Nature Conservancy. She previously served as the USAID acting chief climate officer.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Brendan Roche and Anita Hill. Happy belated to Kyle McGrath of Rep. Josh Tarsky's office and Amy Burke, who celebrated Monday.
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