Photos by Diana Arreola and Daniel DeBolt.
The Mountain View Tenants Coalition (MVTC) formed out of necessity as Mountain View rents reached astronomical heights in 2015 and it made sense to seek relief in the form of a rent stabilization law. When the City Council failed to pass any meaningful rent stabilization ordinance in early 2016, despite hearing from hundreds of supporters, the group decided to begin the hard work of putting a strong rent stabilization law on the ballot for a citywide vote in November 2016. This rent stabilization law (known as Measure V, the Community Stabilization and Fair Rent Act) was passed by the Mountain View voters and even though rents are still incredibly expensive in Mountain View (2nd in the nation), this law has successfully created some stability for Mountain View renters in apartment complexes built before 1995.
The MVTC is a tenant-centered movement comprised of a diverse range of people who have in common a desire to protect renters rights and to fight for the human right to housing for all. Our mission and goals are as follows:
- We aim to strengthen tenants’ political power through education, advocacy and direct action.
- We organize against landlord harassment, unjustified rent increases, evictions without just cause, and displacement.
- We demand truly affordable and safe housing and no net loss of affordable housing.
- We oppose the demolitions of rent-stabilized apartments.
- We work in collaboration with other Mountain View groups who are working for housing justice for tenants, protections for vehicle residents, and stabilization for mobile home rental spaces.
- We advocate for no detrimental changes to the Community Stabilization and Fair Rent Act (CSFRA) because we need more tenant protections in Mountain View, not less.
Mountain View Tenants Coalition 
In anticipation of this law passing, my landlord just gave my family a 60 Day notice to vacate. We’ve been in the apartment for almost 12 years, and my disabled daughter is devastated.