Efforts to allow stronger rent control laws in California were overtaken by early returns Tuesday, potentially marking the third time in recent years such a measure has been rejected.

If voters had approved Proposition 33, cities and counties would have been able to pass stricter rent control laws than they currently have.

The state law, known as the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act, prohibits localities from capping rents for vacant units, single-family homes, and apartments built after February 1, 1995, and in some cases before that date. . Proposition 33 would overturn that law.

The measure was launched by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which has funded two similar initiatives in recent years, but the real estate industry has also outnumbered its supporters, saying the measure would discourage housing construction and reduce unaffordability. The proposal was rejected on the grounds that it would exacerbate the current price crisis.

The California Apartment Association is trying to block further rent control efforts. The bill would restrict how certain health care providers can spend revenue from the federal prescription drug program, with the most obvious target being the AIDS Healthcare Foundation.

As of Tuesday night, the vote on Proposition 34 was too close to call.