“Progressive” Democrats kill Seattle rent control bill
By Workers Strike Back. Published August 7, 2023
Last week, Seattle Socialist councilmember Kshama Sawant brought forward strong legislation for universal rent control to cap rent increases at the rate of inflation. Hundreds of renters, union members and working people packed City Hall to the point where it was standing room only in the Council chamber.
Presidential candidate Cornel West endorsed our bill and urged Seattle City Council Democrats to pass rent control, calling it a “moral imperative.”
But Democrats voted 6-2 against the legislation. All but one Democrat on the Council voted against rent control. This is a shameful attack on working people! It clearly shows that when billionaire profits are on the line, even so-called progressive Democrats will throw renters and union members under the bus.
Why Did Progressive Democrats Kill Rent Control?
An important lesson from the rent control vote is that the Democrat Party, despite calling itself progressive and pro-labor, is not on the side of working people.
Seattle Councilmember Andrew Lewis, who is a self-declared “labor Democrat”, scandalously voted against rent control in the Renters’ Rights Committee and again in the full City Council meeting.
What does it mean to support labor if you regularly vote against working people? Sky-high rents are literally killing people in Seattle as rent increases are driving up homelessness. PCC workers are demanding that their union UFCW un-endorse this “labor Democrat”. Because rather than be accountable to working people, Lewis engages in political gaslighting.
Lewis said he won’t support rent control in Seattle because it’s up to Democrats in Olympia. These same Democrats have failed to repeal the statewide ban on rent control for over four decades! Yet, Lewis says they support rent control and are trying their best.
Councilmember Herbold, another so-called progressive, voted against rent control. Because, in her own words, she could not support the bill without amendments to water it down. Herbold supports loopholes like exemptions for new construction. Something that corporate landlords and developers pushed hard for in California and New York to ensure that their fire hose of profits keeps flowing.
Councilmember Mosqueda, who brands herself as the arch-progressive on the Seattle City Council, did not even bother to show up for the vote! This is despite the fact that she stated publicly at a campaign event that she supports rent control when approached by several union members and activists with Workers Strike Back.
The common denominator here is that all of these Democrats, who make up the “progressive” wing of the City Council, claim that they support rent control but either voted against our bill or didn’t show up for the vote.
Ultimately, the blame rests with the Democratic Party and its so-called progressives for killing this rent control legislation.
And while it’s true that Councilmember Morales, who is also a progressive Democrat, voted for rent control, this is part of the game the Democrat party plays again and again: a few Democrats vote for progressive measures in order to give cover to the rest of the party and channel working people back into it.
Dump the Elephant, Dump the Ass: We Need a Party of the Working Class
The only path forward for winning progressive change is for working people to build our own party, independent of the Democrats and Republicans.
Whether it’s City Council Democrats who voted against rent control; state Democrats who have failed over decades to end the ban on rent control; or national Democrats who broke a rail strike and imposed a contract on workers, one word comes to mind: betrayal.
Neither capitalist party has any loyalty to the interests of working people, and both are thoroughly bought and paid for - at all levels - by the billionaire class. We need to hold the Democrats accountable! Both the individual councilmembers who act as the political servants of the rich and also their party as a whole.
The battle for rent control isn’t over, just as the fight for decent wages and working conditions isn’t over for UPS workers. But the lesson is the same for renters and workers: when we fight, we can win. And when we don’t win, it’s important to discuss why that happens and what is the best strategic approach for the next battles.
If you’re in the Seattle area, join Workers Strike Back for our monthly meeting tonight!
We’ll hear from rank-and-file Teamsters about why they feel the proposed contract falls short of what’s needed and why they’re organizing a NO vote. And we’ll have a report on the fight for rent control in Seattle, and the next steps for the renters’ rights movement.
