Rent control proponents visited City Hall in big numbers Monday night.

So did rent control critics. Together they spent two hours arguing their respective positions before a governmental body — the Albuquerque City Council — that has no authority to implement rent control and was merely considering whether to ask for that authority.

The council ultimately decided not to pursue such power, defeating Councilor Tammy Fiebelkorn’s legislation that urged the New Mexico State Legislature to repeal an existing state law that prohibits local governments from enacting rent control policies. Her bill came in the form of a “memorial,” meaning it expresses an opinion but is not legally binding. It nonetheless failed on a 2-7 vote, prompting some in the packed meeting audience to cheer but others to boo and launch into chants of “people, not profit!”

Read the full article at the Albuquerque Journal