Bellingham measure protecting tenant rights qualifies for November ballot
Bellingham City Council members will let voters decide an initiative that has qualified for the general election ballot.
Members of a grassroots group called Community First Whatcom collected petition signatures for Bellingham Initiative 25-03, which would change the city code to stop landlords from punishing tenants in several situations, including renters who are organizing with their neighbors to take collective action. The measure would protect renters who contact officials about unsafe situations and stop the practice of including nondisclosure clauses in lease agreements.
Councilman Dan Hamill asked his colleagues to “defer and let the voters decide” the issue on the Nov. 4 general election ballot. The measure passed unanimously Monday night.
Because supporters of the measure gathered the required number of petition signatures, City Council members options were to enact the measure into law, vote to send it to the ballot, or take no action — which sends the matter to the ballot by default.
Measure 25-03 would expressly allow tenants to take such actions as holding meetings, distributing leaflets in an apartment lobby or common areas like a hallway, posting signs in their windows or yards, and registering residents to vote or encourage voting, according to previous Herald reporting.
To ensure a spot on the fall ballot, organizers had to submit 3,167 valid signatures of registered Bellingham voters by June 27.
This story was originally published July 22, 2025 at 12:06 PM.
