"But he says it comes down to the fact that 'we are in a housing emergency and people are suffering.'"

Wheeler and co. have never, ever provided any criteria whatsoever for what constitutes an "emergency" in this regard. They just declared it so. Wheeler in his comments just now even admits that they are just starting to create a process to collect data. Shoot first, ask questions later. This whole thing is a joke.

Dirk, why the dig on landlords in the last sentence?

"Single-unit landlords the city over are preparing their 10 percent rent increases as we speak. Probably"

What does this accomplish? If the goal of the article is to stir up more acrimony from tenants to landlords, you probably succeeded. If the goal is balanced reporting, you came up short. Just because you (are probably?) a renter does not mean that you can't think critically and report without apparent bias.

I am a landlord of 3 units and I support the move to extend the relocation fee to all landlords, if there's going to be a relo fee at all. I said this on my testimony of 2/2/17, after waiting 6 hours to speak in council. BUT. Anyone can look on craigslist right now at the rental market. So many new apartment buildings came online last fall that rents have dropped significantly. This is not just seasonal. It's a measurable and significant drop.

If you do the math on what constitutes an "affordable" housing situation, with income 3x the rent, you will see that for a person earning $12/hour full time, that's $2080/month in income. 1/3 of that is $693. If 3 people share a 3 bedroom house, each earning $12/hour, that's a house up to $2079/month.

Can you find a decent 3 bedroom house or apartment in a safe neighborhood for that amount? YES. And then some. Many 3 bedroom units are renting for less than that in close-in neighborhoods, some of them single detached houses with yards and garages.

If people earning $12/hour can afford a detached house in a trendy close-in neighborhood, and they are plentiful to rent, are we still, today, in the same "housing emergency" that Charlie Hales declared in 2015?

"Single-unit landlords the city over are preparing their 10 percent rent increases as we speak. Probably"

Easier to snark than to think.

Einstein, this is the problem - rents have already stabilized and/or are coming down with the new supply coming online. That won't last forever, especially if the City drops the ball and stops encouraging the development of new units. But the fact of the matter is, this current price stability speaks to a lack of "emergency," if we were using any kind of real metrics to define what constitutes an "emergency." Wheeler's promise of data-driven policy has gone down the shitter, along with his integrity. He caved to the loud bullies of PTU.