70 percent voted to reject SLO housing policy, final results show

The final official tally is in on a special election housing policy in San Luis Obispo, and the measure has failed with more than 7 in 10 residents voting no.

After counting the last of the remaining ballots, the county Clerk-Recorder’s Office reported Wednesday that 70.38 percent voted no and 29.62 percent voted yes on Measure B-17.

In all, 8,323 residents cast ballots, making up 29.3 percent of registered city voters.

The measure, proposed through a citizen initiative, called for a repeal of the Rental Housing Inspection Program and a new replacement “nondiscrimination in housing” policy.

The City Council repealed the rental inspection program in April — which mandated health and safety code inspections to prevent substandard rental housing.

Supporters of Measure B-17 said the new measure would have prevented the return of the Rental Housing Inspection Program without voter approval. But council members said the new policy would have created legal loopholes that could have undermined city housing programs designed to help the poor, students and elderly residents. State law also contains anti-discrimination regulation for housing, council members said.

This story was originally published August 31, 2017 at 7:21 PM with the headline "70 percent voted to reject SLO housing policy, final results show."