Tenants Together Action Fund (TTAF)
The Tenants Together Action Fund (TTAF) is a San Francisco-based left-of-center political and legislative advocacy organization founded as the electoral and lobbying arm of Tenants Together, a statewide California tenant coalition. 1 The organization is a partner organization in the Shared Prosperity initiative of Beyond Impact, a left-of-center lobbying and advocacy organization in the Tides Nexus that was formerly known as Tides Advocacy. 2 3
Contents
Background
The Tenants Together Action Fund is a San Francisco-based left-of-center political and legislative advocacy organization founded as the electoral and lobbying arm of Tenants Together, a statewide California tenant coalition. 1
The Action Fund is affiliated with Tenants Together, a statewide tenant advocacy coalition founded in 2008 by Dean Preston, a former attorney with the Tenderloin Housing Clinic in San Francisco. Preston established the organization in response to Proposition 98, a 2008 California ballot initiative backed by property-rights advocates that would have significantly restricted local rent control policies. Tenants Together subsequently grew into a coalition of more than 50 tenant organizations throughout California. 4 5
As a 501(c)(4) advocacy organization, the Tenants Together Action Fund engages in lobbying and political campaign activity that is more restricted for charitable organizations operating under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. 1
Connections to Tides Nexus
The Tenants Together Action Fund has been listed as a partner organization in the Shared Prosperity initiative of Beyond Impact, a left-of-center 501(c)(4) advocacy organization in the Tides Nexus that was formerly known as Tides Advocacy. Shared Prosperity includes a network of advocacy organizations focused on housing, labor, and economic policy issues. Other partners of the initiative include left-wing organizations such as Flint Rising, Community Justice Action Fund, and Voices for Progress. 2
Ballot Measure Advocacy
The Tenants Together Action Fund and its affiliated advocacy network have supported multiple statewide efforts to repeal the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act of 1995. Costa-Hawkins limits local rent control ordinances by exempting most single-family homes and newer housing construction from rent regulation and by prohibiting vacancy control. 5
In 2024, Tenants Together supported Proposition 33, a statewide ballot initiative that would have repealed Costa-Hawkins and granted local governments broader authority to regulate residential rents. California voters rejected Proposition 33, with approximately 60 percent voting against the measure. 6 7
Previous repeal efforts met similar results. Proposition 10 in 2018 and Proposition 21 in 2020 would also have expanded local authority over rent control policies, but both measures were defeated by California voters. 5
Legislative Advocacy
The organization has opposed legislation intended to increase housing construction in California. In 2019 and 2020, Tenants Together Action opposed Senate Bill 50, a proposal introduced by state Senator Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco) that would have increased residential density near transit corridors and job centers. Representatives of Tenants Together argued that the legislation could contribute to displacement and rising housing costs in low-income communities. The bill failed to advance through the California Legislature in 2020. 8 9