Good intentions count for nothing. Good intentions that create bad policy that harms people counts for much less than nothing.

You can feel however you want about it, but people will vote for rent control if they start getting squeezed out of their housing. Hate it as an economic policy? Then make sure enough housing gets built before people get squeezed.

It doesn’t really harm people. Housing crisis cities with rent controls are built out to the limits of their zoning. This suggests zoning is the limiting factor and not rent control.

It's not humanistic, it's pandering to current renters at the expense of everyone else.

You can put your right to stable housing next to your right to internet, healthcare, and every other meaningless positive right.

Call it meaningless if you want, but this is a policy that renters getting priced out of their housing markets will eagerly vote for. And prioritizing existing residents over newcomers feels just to me. Focus on making it easier to build new housing instead of getting pissy about the safety net.

"Newcomers" to the rental market include every person who already lives in that city and hasn't moved out of their parents' house yet. Why should they be penalized even more for not being born sooner?

Of course, individuals (renters in this case) will vote for a policy that benefits them at the expense of everyone else.

Increasing regulation does the opposite of making it easier to build new housing.

I do agree that current residents should be able to prioritize their own needs, but that rarely results in additional housing stock being built.