A new "emergency ordinance" passed by San Luis Obispo City Council will help protect residents from potentially significant year-end rent increases and eviction notices in advance of a new state law going into effect on Jan. 1, 2020.
In San Luis Obispo, about 65 percent of residents rent, according to the city. Housing has been identified by the City Council as a major city goal.
The new ordinance passed by City Council on Tuesday comes after complaints from renters, including some who have sought legal assistance from the city.
As pointed out by a press release from the City of San Luis Obispo, the state’s Tenant Protection Act of 2019 (AB 1482), which was signed by the governor Oct. 8, caps annual rent increases to no more than 10 percent a year and requires landlords to show just cause before evicting a tenant in good standing. The city’s new ordinance has the same rent and eviction provisions as the state law and went into effect immediately following the City Council’s vote.
San Luis Obispo follows the lead of Grover Beach and several other California cities in adopting an ordinance to establish protections during the gap period between when the law was signed and when it will go into effect.
Under city law, the City Council may enact an emergency ordinance under certain conditions, such as to address immediate threats to public health and safety. City staff have provided information about the new city law to legal assistance groups, which have reported a significant increase in requests for help from renters.
The state law, which will remain in place for 10 years, is part of a package of laws passed this year to address the state’s lack of affordable housing, the City said..
The staff report and ordinance [slocity.org] are available on the city’s website now as well as the meeting video [slocity.org].
