TACOMA • NOVEMBER BALLOT
OPPOSE Measure 1
VOTE NO
Tacoma voters deserve the truth about Measure 1. Despite being branded as “SAFE Homes For All,” this measure is not about safety. After the original 2023 Measure 1 had to be rewritten in 2025 due to its negative impacts on affordable housing, its authors are back with a new proposal designed to expand their power and advance the same agenda.
1
BLOWS UP THE CITY'S BUDGET
by Implementaing a $10 Million Annual Program
Tacoma cannot afford Measure 1.​
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The proposal would create the most expansive rental registry in Washington and require the city to collect vast amounts of housing data at an estimated cost of $10 million per year.
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The City Manager has warned that these funds would come from the General Fund, reducing resources available for police, fire, libraries, and other core city services.
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With a $40 million budget deficit already looming, Measure 1 is the wrong solution at the wrong time.
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Vote No on Measure 1. Protect Tacoma's budget, prioritize essential services, and stop an expensive new bureaucracy before it starts.
Measure 1 replaces cooperation with punishment, creating a costly new bureaucracy that could raise housing costs, increase tenant debt, and divert resources from housing solutions.
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REPLACES MEDIATION WITH PENALTIES: Mandatory investigations and fines of up to five times monthly rent prioritize punishment over problem-solving.
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RAISES HOUSING COSTS: New fines, fees, and licensing requirements increase the cost of providing housing.
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HARMS VULNERABLE RESIDENTS: Tacoma Housing Authority reported that 38% of residents were not paying rent after the Landlord Fairness Code took effect, leaving many households burdened with debt.
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DIVERTS RESOURCES FROM THOSE IN NEED: YWCA Pierce County reported more than $150,000 in unpaid rent, reducing funds available for survivors of domestic violence and other critical services.
Tacoma needs more housing and stronger communities, not more fines, debt, and bureaucracy. Vote No on Measure 1.
2
REDUCES AFFORDABLE HOUSING
by Increasing the
Burden on Housing Providers
3
THREATENS YOUR HOME & COMMUNITY
by Eroding the Peace, Quality & Autonomy of Your Home
Tacoma for All wrote Measure 1 and is already organizing tenant unions across Tacoma. If the measure passes, the same organization that drafted the law would be positioned to influence negotiations under it - creating new administrative, legal, and operational burdens for landlords.
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The group that wrote the rules is also building the infrastructure that benefits from them.
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SLOWER DECISIONS: Issues that could previously be addressed directly with individual tenants may need to go through a bargaining process, slowing responses and implementation.
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TENANT DISRUPTION: Organizing activities, meetings, canvassing, and disputes may interfere with residents' quiet enjoyment and create tension among neighbors.
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REDUCED HOUSING INVESTMENT: Added costs and requirements could divert resources from maintenance and improvements, potentially lowering housing quality, property values, and neighborhood quality of life.​​
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Keep tenant unions independent and reject a proposal that concentrates power in the hands of a single advocacy group.
Measure 1 implements a costly government database that duplicates existing records and creates new privacy and accuracy concerns.
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THREATENS PRIVACY: Centralized housing data could make it easier to access, analyze, and misuse information about residents, including vulnerable and undocumented families.
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EXPANDS GOVERNMENT TRACKING: Creates a new system monitoring housing activity, rent increases, violations, and disputes, raising concerns about government overreach.
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WASTES TAXPAYER DOLLARS: Much of the information already exists in court, licensing, and code-enforcement records, making this an expensive and unnecessary bureaucracy.
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RISK MISLEADING THE PUBLIC: Incomplete or out-of-context data could unfairly stigmatize properties, housing providers, and neighborhoods.
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Vote No on Measure 1. Protect privacy, prevent wasteful spending & safeguard Tacoma's vulnerable communities. ​​
4
EXPOSES PRIVATE DATA
by Making Your Address Public
WHO IS BEHIND
Measure 1?
​​​​​​​Tacoma for All (TFA) is a political advocacy organization that seeks significant changes to housing policy and broader economic and social systems in Tacoma. The group describes itself as a movement of tenants, workers, and community members focused on housing access, poverty reduction, racial equity, and building working-class political power. TFA is best known for leading the 2023 "Tenant Bill of Rights" campaign, also known as the Landlord Fairness Code. ​​​​​​​
Advances a Broader Ideological & Political Agenda in Tacoma
Tacoma for All's is not solely a tenant advocacy organization; it is also aligned with a broader left-wing movement seeking to reshape Tacoma's political, economic, and governance landscape. Its connections to activists and policy priorities linked to the Tacoma Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) reflect these wider ambitions, while its confrontational approach deepen polarization and makes collaboration on issues more difficult.
VOTE NO
ON TACOMA
Measure NO. 1
Tacoma needs more housing and stronger communities, not more bureaucracy, higher costs, and concentrated power. Protect Tacoma's budget, privacy, and vulnerable communities. Vote No on Measure 1.
WHO WE ARE
RENTAL HOUSING ASSOCIATION OF WASHINGTON [RHAWA]
Tacoma needs more housing, and local housing providers are part of the solution.
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The Rental Housing Association of Washington (RHAWA) represents more than 6,000 housing providers committed to safe, quality, and affordable rental homes. In Tacoma, our members provide over 7,500 rental units that house working families, seniors, veterans, and others who depend on rental housing. We support practical policies that expand housing supply, preserve affordability, protect vulnerable residents, and strengthen communities without adding costly bureaucracy or barriers to housing.
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More housing. Stronger neighborhoods. A better future for Tacoma.
