Santa Cruz City Council Special Meeting: Renter Protections

City Council Special Meeting this Tuesday 12/4 at 1:30pm.

Hope to see you there!

Come tell the council to EXTEND THE RENT FREEZE!

Working renters may find it hard to attend these meetings while retired landlords and their paid representatives won't. If you can't attend, please tell your friends. Also, please send an email to the council requesting that they extend the rent freeze!

citycouncil [at] cityofsantacruz.com


Where We Are At This Point

At the last meeting, city council member Sandy Brown proposed an ordinance to extend the time on eviction notices ("notice to vacate") from 30 or 60 days - to 90 days for all renters. The reason is that the actual amount of time it takes to find a new rental in this area is longer than what the state gives renters.

It is unclear that the council has the authority to make such a law. That question will be addressed by the city attorney Tuesday Dec. 4th.

The CURRENT council is also considering a "soft rent control" law that would place caps on the same rentals that are currently covered under the rent freeze. Proposed rent raise caps would be 5% the first year and 2% the second year.

The current bunch are considering so-called eviction protections that would have to be proven entirely by the renter in civil court because there is no intermediary rent board or Department of Rental Appeals in the city.

In other words, enforcement will be entirely the responsibility of the renters. But the city has cut all funding for tenant legal aid. It's common knowledge that putting enforcement in the hands of those with least access to lawyers helps few renters.

Newly-elected councilmembers will be seated after December 11.