Survey messages draw scrutiny
The Washington State Public Disclosure Commission opened the investigation Oct. 23 to determine whether the PAC violated political advertising disclosure requirements. The agency described the alleged violation as "high impact" because the messages reached voters less than two weeks before Election Day.
The opening text said, "We're gathering input for housing research for the City of Tacoma," and linked to a survey. Questions suggested that Initiative Measure 1, also called SAFE Homes for All, could cost the city about $10 million annually, result in 50 firefighter layoffs or end funding for child care assistance. Another asked whether voters worried that ICE or other federal immigration enforcement agencies could obtain information collected under the measure.
Tyron Moore, executive director of Tacoma for All, the initiative's main sponsor, said he initially mistook the message for an official city survey. After following the link, he concluded that it was opposition advertising presented as neutral research. He said the questions implied that the measure would expose undocumented immigrants and lead to firefighter cuts.
A Tacoma spokesperson said the city was not involved in either the texts or the survey. The PDC alleges that the messages lacked the sponsor identification required by state law.
Separate complaints against both campaigns
The PDC is also investigating Tacoma for All in a separate, unrelated case involving allegedly late or inaccurate expenditure reporting and an incomplete sponsor identification.
The Rental Housing Association of Washington declined KOMO News' interview request. In a written response, it said its legal team was working to resolve any complaint and that it took disclosure compliance seriously. It also accused Tacoma for All of breaking PDC rules and using complaints to silence debate.
The association supplied examples of other alleged violations it had submitted to investigators. A PDC spokesperson said additional complaints were being reviewed, but no further investigations had been opened.
The association also defended its campaign against Measure 1, arguing that the initiative would damage Tacoma's budget, reduce public safety staffing and leave the city with less housing.
Record fundraising ahead of the vote
Landlord and real estate groups had raised more than $569,000 to defeat the initiative, KNKX reported Oct. 27, citing figures from Tacoma for All. According to those figures, the opposition campaign broke Tacoma's previous election spending record, set by the fight against the 2023 renter-protection initiative.
By late October, the Rental Housing Association of Washington PAC had collected more than $291,000, including $175,000 from an LLC associated with Seattle-based Goodman Real Estate. A separate PAC affiliated with the Washington Multifamily Housing Association had raised $277,899 against the measure. Tacoma for All had brought in more than $254,700 in support, according to KNKX.
The city's 2023 Tenant Bill of Rights won by fewer than 400 votes. Both sides point to that narrow margin as a reason the 2026 contest could also be close, KNKX reported.
Tenant bargaining and enforcement
Measure 1 would require good-faith negotiations between landlords and tenant unions that represent a majority of a building's residents. It would also create a public record of landlord violations and require Tacoma to establish a rental licensing program. Confirmed violations could trigger payments to affected tenants ranging from $500 to as much as five times their monthly rent.
No other Washington city requires landlords to bargain with tenant unions, according to KNKX. At least six Tacoma apartment complexes have voted to form unions since January 2026. In late October, renters at the McIlvaine complex launched what they called a first-of-its-kind utility payment strike, withholding those payments until their landlord negotiates a new utility billing agreement.
Tacoma for All chair Kiss'Shonna Curtis described Measure 1 as an expansion of the protections approved in 2023, with stronger ways to enforce them. She said neighbors had reported rent increases above 10% without offers of relocation assistance, and that tenants who complained about maintenance or rent increases could face retaliation, including notices to vacate.
Supporters also cite limited inspection staffing: Tacoma has three housing inspectors, compared with Spokane's nine, The Seattle Times reported. The paper put Tacoma's population at about 230,000 and said renters occupy 44% of its homes.
Landlord groups argue that the proposed requirements could invite lawsuits over technical violations and increase costs without making housing more affordable.
City costs remain disputed
The Tacoma City Council has formally opposed Measure 1. The city manager estimated annual enforcement and legal expenses at $8 million to $10 million. Details of a preliminary cross-departmental review reported by The Seattle Times included $4 million a year in legal costs and 43 staff positions. Tacoma's overall budget totals $5.3 billion over two years.
Supporters reject the city's cost projection. Curtis called it "totally outblown in comparison to similar programs across the state of Washington and other cities."
City officials say funding enforcement would be complicated by Tacoma's existing $40 million general fund deficit in 2026, according to KNKX.
