Community First Whatcom runs initiatives that put people first in decisions about the local economy.
Rents are too high and wages too low; together we have the power to change that.
Everyone deserves security, dignity, and safety in housing and in the workplace. Vote YES on Bellingham Initiatives 1 & 2 this November!
#1 Raise the Wage!
1 + 1 = progress toward living wages.
Our initiative lifts the minimum wage in Bellingham by a dollar in 2024 and by another dollar in 2025.
Applies to all employees working in the City of Bellingham;
Sets the Bellingham minimum wages at $1 above the state minimum wage starting May 1st 2024;
Sets the Bellingham minimum wages at $2 above the state minimum wage starting May 1st 2025;
Sets enforcement mechanisms.
When workers earning the minimum wage fall behind, our community falls behind. Raising the wage will alleviate poverty and put spending power back into the hands of workers (and the local businesses they support!)
#2 Protect Renters!
A humane policy that puts people over profits.
Our initiative requires that landlords that raise rents dramatically in a single year pay relocation assistance to tenants:
Only applies when rent is raised by 8 percent or more in a single year
Exempts transitional housing, rentals where the landlord lives on site, or tenancies of less than six months;
Only applies if a tenant relocates and applies for relocation assistance;
Requires landlords pay three times the unit’s rent or the HUD market average, whichever is larger, to assist in relocation costs.
When landlords hike rent 8% or more in a single year, tenants are often forced to move. The high costs of moving – a new security deposit, application fees, first and last month's rent, moving costs, and more – can trap renters in debt or push them into homelessness.