Democratic Assemblywoman Sandra Jauregui on the Assembly floor in 2023. (Photo by Alejandra Rubio/Nevada Current)
Gov. Joe Lombardo, who in 2023 vetoed legislation designed to protect seniors and the disabled from predatory landlords, could pay at the polls in 2026 should he do it again, says Assembly Majority Floor Leader Sandra Jauregui.
Jauregui announced Thursday during a Zoom news conference that lawmakers will once again seek to pass Assembly Bill 298, which would cap rent at 10% for people older than 62 and those who rely on disability insurance benefits.
It would require a landlord to refund some fees if the landlord rents to a different tenant and does not use the fee as intended, and would prohibit a landlord from charging a fee to obtain a credit or background report on a member of a household who is a minor.
The measure also requires that a rental agreement spell out information regarding fees and tenant rights.
Lawmakers approved AB 298 in 2023 with a vote of 36 to 6 in the Assembly and 12 to 8 in the Senate.
“Under Governor Joe Lombardo, we’ve seen an alarming rise in evictions,” Jauregui said, adding judges are hearing 70 eviction cases a day and granting 90%. “In 2023 alone, over 30,000 evictions took place within Las Vegas and Henderson.”
Homelessness, she said, has surpassed levels not seen since the Great Recession.
In his veto message, Lombardo called the legislation “needlessly heavy handed” and “an unreasonable restraint on standard business activity.”
“Lombardo was doing the bidding of a slumlord billionaire who bankrolled his gubernatorial campaign to the tune of $30 million – Robert Bigelow,” said Donna West, chair of the NV Dems Senior Caucus.
Legislative Democrats have made criticism of Lombardo’s vetoes a centerpiece of their public narrative during the 2024 campaign cycle.
Jauregui rejected the notion that the measure’s success lies in the ability of Democrats to field a veto-proof supermajority in Carson City. Democrats currently have a supermajority in the Assembly — 28 of 42 seats, and need one more seat to secure two-thirds of 21 votes in the Senate.
“People will overwhelmingly come out and support the bill, and talk about why they are supporting the bill, and share their very personal stories,” Jauregui said, such as that of a senior whose $1,000 rent is increasing by $400 and wiping out her budget for food.
But will the governor lend a more sympathetic ear to the plight of Nevadans when he’s facing re-election in 2026?
“If he doesn’t, he is going to have to answer to them during his re-election campaign,” Jauregui said. “These are people who vote.”