LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — The head of the Nevada State Democratic Party on Monday criticized Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo, saying his veto of a number of housing bills has made the state's housing crisis worse.
In a news conference at the Regional Justice Center, Assemblywoman Daniele Monroe-Moreno, D-North Las Vegas, said Las Vegas and Henderson see about 70 eviction cases on average each day. In 2023, she said, 30,000 people were evicted.
"I think it's safe to say that most Nevadans would agree and know that for far too damn long, housing costs have been far too damn high here in Nevada," Monroe-Moreno said. "To be clear, Joe Lombardo bears the responsibility for Nevada's housing crisis. Full stop."
Lombardo, in a statement released to Channel 13, said that his office has increased investments in housing through the state's Housing Division, reduced regulation and advocated for releasing more federally owned land for development.
"Legislative Democrats have been reluctant to have a comprehensive conversation about housing, instead choosing to play politics with important issues," Lombardo said in the statement. "While they hold press conferences, I'll continue to cut red tape, advocate for more federal land, deliver housing assistance and fight Joe Biden's inflation that has driven up costs."
During a presidential visit last week, Lombardo released a letter to Biden demanding more federal land be turned over to the state for development, while Biden touted federal investments in affordable housing in the state.
Monroe-Moreno, and fellow Democratic Assemblywoman Venicia Considine, D-Las Vegas, said Lombardo's vetoed bills that would have capped rent prices for seniors, protected renters from hidden fees and reformed the eviction process in Nevada.
They said Democrats would do a better job providing protections for tenants.
"So if you're tired of paying exorbitant amounts for rent, vote for a Democrat," Monroe-Moreno said. "If you're tired of paying hidden fees and predatory landlords, vote for a Democrat, If you're tired of having to choose between paying for your groceries or paying your rent, vote for a Democrat."
Seniors who attended the news conference joined in calls for relief.
"My friend is a single mother with two kids and she pays more for a two-bedroom apartment than I pay for my mortgage, and that's just inexcusable. And every year it's gone up," said Audrey Dempsey.
Fellow senior Larry Wiederhorn said if he could get one thing accomplished in Carson City, it would be more affordable housing.
"I would try to find a way to build some affordable housing," Wiederhorn said. "We certainly have the money to do that. We have plenty of vacant land around here and I think we could do something like that where people could live in reasonable housing at a reasonable cost."
It's not just seniors concerned about housing costs, however. Tanner Hale, a 27-year-old Las Vegan, said he's lived in his apartment for four years and seen the rent rise dramatically.
"To see my rent go up over $400 a month without any changes is absurd," Hale said, "and I'm really proud of legislative Democrats for putting this issue on the forefront and protecting young people like me who just want to live in this city, work in this city and be productive in our economy and it's disgraceful that these bills got vetoed in the last legislative session."
Lombardo vetoed the fee-reform bill because he said it would "only serve to exacerbate an already challenging period for Nevadan renting families," according to his veto message. He rejected another fee-overhaul measure by saying it was an "unreasonable restraint on standard business activity."
He turned away a bill that sought to reform the summary eviction process by saying it would make Nevada "an inhospitable environment for residential lessors," and wrote that another measure that would stay evictions for tenants in rental assistance programs would impose "onerous burdens in Nevada's residential renting market."
Several of those bills were vetoed after the 2023 session ended, which means they will return to the 2025 Legislature for potential override votes. Democrats are seeking veto-proof majorities in both houses in November elections, which would render Lombardo's veto moot.
Monroe-Moreno said she would advocate for overriding the governor's housing bill vetoes if Democrats achieve legislative supermajorities in 2025.
