For most of the 20th century, there was a clear wall between working people’s pension funds and the riskier corners of financial markets. This wasn’t accidental—it was the law.

The D&S Debrief

Interview: Rent Control

An interview with Stephen Barton

Stephen Barton Mar 10, 2026

A for-rent sign in Edmonton, Alberta. Credit: Flickr user Kurayba, CC BY-SA 2.0 license. — A for-rent sign in Edmonton, Alberta. Credit: Flickr user Kurayba, **CC BY-SA 2.0** license.

Chris Sturr, co-editor of Dollars & Sense, interviewed Stephen Barton, former Housing Director for the City of Berkeley and former deputy director of the Berkeley Rent Stabilization Program. Steve is working on an article on rental housing for an upcoming issue of D&S and is author of this 2019 article on the economics of residential rent control. This segment aired as part of the February 26 episode of Economics for the People on KKFI in Kansas City.

Interview with Stephen Barton on rent control 021726

0:00

/900.0005

Published in: The D&S Debrief

Author

STEPHEN BARTON is on the board of the Bay Area Community Land Trust and was Housing Director for the City of Berkeley and deputy director of the Berkeley Rent Stabilization Program.

View articles

The Byproducts of the War on Iran

Who Will Work in a Warming World?

Retirement Savings in the Dark

Interview: Rent Control

Stephen Barton

Read next