Late 2021: Grassroots Campaign and Private Meetings Begin

• Marin DSA launched a local rent control campaign in Fairfax in late 2021.

• After forming its Marin chapter, DSA began collecting petition signatures and endorsements.

• By early December 2021:

• Hundreds of signatures from Fairfax residents were collected.

• Sierra Club Marin Group endorsed the campaign.

• On December 4, 2021, DSA organizer Curt Ries met privately with Mayor Stephanie Hellman to discuss rent control.

• This meeting was not publicly noticed and occurred outside official council channels.

• The next day, DSA canvassed neighborhoods and increased their petition total to ~245 Fairfax signatures.

• In follow-up emails:

• Hellman used her personal email to congratulate organizers.

• She agreed that she and Vice Mayor Chance Cutrano would contact county housing staff.

• On December 14, 2021, Curt Ries informed Hellman that:

• He had been in touch with Leah Simon-Weisberg (ACCE Legal Director & Berkeley Rent Board Chair).

• Leah provided a complete model rent control ordinance for Fairfax to adopt.

• She also offered to present at a council meeting if needed.

• From the beginning, the campaign’s policy framework came from outside Fairfax.

• Collaboration between DSA organizers and Councilmembers Hellman and Cutrano was not made public.

• No town-wide announcements or forums occurred at this stage—process remained hidden from public view.

Early 2022: Private Strategy Sessions with Town Officials

Building on the December meeting, Mayor Hellman and Vice Mayor Cutrano continued to coordinate privately with the DSA rent control organizers. In early January, Cutrano personally intervened to help the activists get an audience with another councilmember: on December 15, 2021 he emailed Councilmember Renee Goddard to “circle back” and introduce the DSA organizers after they hadn’t heard back from her. By January 3, 2022, Curt Ries emailed Goddard detailing the campaign’s momentum – over 800 countywide signatures (nearly 300 from Fairfax alone) and endorsements rolling in – and asked to meet with her via Zoom or in person.

• Jan 3, 2022: Curt Ries emailed Goddard with campaign updates:

• Claimed over 800 countywide signatures (nearly 300 from Fairfax).

• Mentioned new endorsements.

• Requested a Zoom or in-person meeting.

• Jan 6, 2022: Curt Ries proposed a formal private strategy meeting to discuss next steps.

• Jan 21, 2022: Private Zoom strategy meeting held between:

• Councilmembers Hellman and Cutrano.

• DSA organizers Ries, Kyle Amsler, Maegan Matlock, and Christopher Perrando.

• No public notice or press involvement—not compliant with Brown Act.

• Hellman offered options for Zoom or in-person meetings—off-the-record and informal.

• Hellman and Cutrano had already consulted county housing staff (Liz Darby and Leelee Thomas).

• Discussed possible collaboration with San Anselmo.

• The meeting reviewed county input and planned how to advance the Fairfax ordinance.

• This was a coordinated planning session held in private, with no community input.

• Throughout early 2022, the same group (Hellman, Cutrano, Ries, and Leah Simon-Weisberg):

• Held regular strategy calls, including a standing Friday 3 PM check-in.

• Further developed and refined the rent control ordinance.

• All of this occurred before any public hearing, demonstrating that core decisions were made in private.

• A local group later stated: public engagement only began with a May 2022 Council presentation, by which time a pre-written ordinance was already in place.

Spring 2022: Drafting the Ordinance Behind Closed Doors

February – April 2022: Through winter and spring, the Fairfax rent stabilization ordinance was essentially being written outside of public view by this small cohort. Leah Simon-Weisberg played a central role in shaping the policy details. In late March, Curt Ries arranged a dedicated meeting for the group to consult with Leah about implementing rent control.

• Feb–April 2022: Ordinance drafting was underway—out of public view—led by:

• Curt Ries (DSA organizer)

• Councilmembers Stephanie Hellman and Chance Cutrano

• Leah Simon-Weisberg (rent control expert and chair of Berkeley Rent Board)

• March 24, 2022: Curt Ries emailed Hellman, Cutrano, and Legal Aid attorney Lucie Hollingsworth to schedule a Zoom call with Leah Simon-Weisberg.

• Purpose: review components needed to establish a rent stabilization program in Fairfax.

• Ries suggested visiting Berkeley Rent Board for hands-on learning.

• April 11, 2022: Private Zoom session held with Leah Simon-Weisberg.

• Included Hellman, Cutrano, DSA organizers, and Legal Aid of Marin.

• No public notice or official record of the meeting.

• April 19–20, 2022: Internal follow-up strategy call.

• Ries sent a “memo” summarizing implementation steps after the call.

• Leah Simon-Weisberg reviewed and commented on this memo.

• Key implementation details emerged privately:

• Legal Aid of Marin (LAM) offered to serve as enforcement arm.

• LAM proposed 3 services:

1. Liaison for tenants and landlords filing petitions.

2. Community education and outreach.

3. Letters to landlords violating rent laws.

• LAM agreed to provide these services at no initial cost to Fairfax.

• April 22, 2022: Mayor Hellman praised the LAM offer in a private email.

• She planned to inform staff that early enforcement would be “no cost”.

• Late April 2022: Hellman pressured Town Manager Heather Abrams to incorporate LAM support in the May staff report.

• Urged a 15-minute call between LAM and staff to confirm the details.

• Forwarded correspondence to Cutrano, Ries, and Leah to coordinate messaging.

• Hellman stage-managed the narrative:

• Ensured staff presentation emphasized free outside enforcement.

• Coordination remained private and scripted—community not informed.

• Public still unaware: No council meeting or public forum had yet discussed specifics.

• Town staff had minimal involvement, mostly at Hellman’s urging.

• Critics later dubbed the plan the “ACCE-Fairfax Model Ordinance”, recognizing its outside origins.

Nearly 5 months of closed-door planning occurred before any public notice or outreach began.

May–Summer 2022: First Public Steps and Limited Outreach

May 2022: Public Introduction – But Work Already Done in Secret

• May 4, 2022: Fairfax Town Council held its first public meeting on rent control.

• Marin DSA representatives formally presented their case for rent stabilization and just cause eviction protections.

• This public “launch” came after months of private planning and drafting.

• DSA's presentation likely included:

• Renter demographics

• Petition totals

• Rent control examples from other cities

• Goal: create a public record justifying local rent control.

• Town Council expressed support and directed staff to move forward.

• Mayor Hellman, Vice Mayor Cutrano, and likely Renee Goddard formed a pro-rent control majority.

• The Council instructed staff to draft ordinances—but the real drafting was already done using the Simon-Weisberg (ACCE) model.

Summer 2022: Limited Outreach, Continued Private Coordination

• Public outreach was minimal:

• Few, if any, town halls or public workshops were held.

• Some materials (FAQs) may have been drafted with help from Legal Aid of Marin.

• Town Council held some discussions during regular meetings.

• Meetings were viewed as perfunctory.

• Dissenting feedback was minimally addressed.

• Town officials continued coordinating with DSA and Leah Simon-Weisberg behind the scenes.

Public Concerns Begin to Surface

• By mid-2022, residents began to question the rapid and quiet rollout of sweeping rent laws.

• In late June or July 2022, a concerned resident emailed Mayor Hellman:

• Supported renter protections in principle.

• Warned that extreme measures could hurt homeowners and landlords.

• Accused Council of “kowtowing to a tiny group” and ignoring broader community interests.

• The “tiny group” was seen as referring to DSA activists and outside influencers like Simon-Weisberg.

• Hellman replied politely, but the ordinance continued forward mostly unchanged.

Fall 2022: Final Revisions, Secret Coordination, and

September 2022: First Reading and Private Pushback

• Sept 21, 2022: Council held public hearing on 30+ page rent control ordinance.

• First time full ordinance was discussed in open session.

• Curt Ries and Leah Simon-Weisberg gave strong public support.

• Mayor Hellman called their comments “very powerful.”

• Last-minute moderating changes were made to the ordinance:

• Weakened Ellis Act protections.

• Removed “habitability plan” requirement.

• Reduced damages for wrongful eviction.

• Altered rent board composition.

• Leah Simon-Weisberg strongly objected, saying the ordinance was being “gutted.”

• Called reductions in enforcement “really weak.”

• Sept 22, 2022: Hellman emailed Leah and Curt:

• Admitted they were unprepared.

• Suggested they might “lose a few battles to win the war.”

• Invited Leah to submit ordinance language directly to the town attorney.

• Described the process as a “hybrid semi-outsourced model.”

• Revealed that Fairfax outsourced ordinance drafting to outside activist lawyers.

Sept 23, 2022: Private Strategy Call

• Ries proposed a regrouping call for “our usual Friday at 3pm.”

• Call included Hellman, Cutrano, Leah, and Curt.

• Strategy call focused on pushing for stronger ordinance in second draft.

October 2022: Second Draft and First Reading Approved

• Oct 11, 2022: Council held a special meeting and passed first reading unanimously.

• Stronger provisions restored:

• Treble damages for wrongful eviction.

• Longer Ellis Act recontrol period.

• Private coordination continued:

• Group drafted FAQ materials and planned a community workshop.

• Discussions about contracting Legal Aid of Marin to manage the rent board.

• Curt warned about small landlord opposition forming.

November 2022: Final Adoption

• Nov 2, 2022: Council voted:

• 5–0 to adopt Rent Stabilization Ordinance.

• 4–1 to adopt Just Cause Eviction Ordinance.

• Fairfax became smallest town in California to pass such a law.

• Ordinance capped rent increases at 60% of CPI (max 5%).

• Included:

• Relocation assistance

• Right of return

• Just cause eviction rules

• Ordinance largely matched Leah Simon-Weisberg’s ACCE model.

Summary and Aftermath

• Publicly presented as a grassroots, transparent process.

• In reality, policy was shaped by:

• Private emails

• Off-the-record Zoom calls

• Strategy sessions involving Hellman, Cutrano, Simon-Weisberg, and Ries.

• Key decisions were made in secret, before public had a chance to weigh in.

• Ordinance's origin was outsourced, not community-based.

• Resulted in:

• Growing public backlash.

• Petition efforts.

• Recall of Hellman and Blash