San Diego considered a variety of new renter protections Monday in a special meeting as homelessness and the economic hardships of renters continue to exist.
As part of the meeting, the city council also worked on a resolution to declare “housing a human right” – something that has received support from various renters, homeless and environmental groups – but has angered some groups. home owners.
The council did not plan anything, but it held the meeting to review the steps to be taken in the future. The new ordinance and resolution require review by the city attorney’s office and a vote on a date that has not been set. The board also discussed the formation of a committee to further discuss other ideas.
Council President Sean Elo-Rivera said the meeting was a good first step, and he thinks the city would be better off today if it had designated more housing 20 to 30 years ago.
“Do we want the city to be a beautiful city with difficulties and indecency on our streets?” He said. “Do we want to be a city — and do we want to go on record — that says everyone deserves a roof over their head?”
The draft language of the resolution states San Diego will support policies to keep people safe through affordable, accessible, and sheltered housing. Small landlords, as well as homeowners associations, have expressed concerns about the policy and hope it will be reworked before it is voted on.
Jeff Faller, president of the Apartment Owners Association of California, argued that declaring housing as a right would lead to San Diego violating the rights of property owners.
“Housing as a human right should also be known as ‘free housing as a human right’,” he said.
Unlike state law, San Diego does not require landlords to pay a month’s rent, or to vacate the previous month, when a tenant receives a no-fault eviction notice. Therefore, many of the councilors said that the city needs to update its laws.
Most of the meeting was spent on the draft of new laws that would give stronger protections to renters. Many landlords have expressed united opposition to the new proposals, saying they have not been consulted on the scheme but are open to future discussions.
“We wanted the right time to add clarity and depth to our existing properties,” said Lisa Mason, director of property management at Baldwin & Sons.
There is no guarantee that the proposed new ideas will be in place when, or if, the House votes on them. Some of the new laws considered by the House on Monday:
Some of the recommendations stem from issues that have arisen as the city aims to prevent evictions during COVID-19. During the pandemic, the landlord was allowed to evict the tenant if they planned to move another family into the house. Some tenants have argued that a member of the household has never been inside. The draft law says that if a householder does not take possession of the property within 90 days, the evicted person should be given the first right of refusal.
Tenants, and advocates, told stories of how difficult it is to live in San Diego with rising rents and the difficulty of staying in one area for long.
“I’m always afraid of losing my home,” said Safy Hassan, a refugee from Somalia who said through an interpreter that she has lived in San Diego for 20 years.
Rafael Bautista, of San Diego Tenants United, took advantage of the event being on Halloween by wearing a pig mask, which he said represented the evils of capitalism. He said evictions without reason are on the rise across the region and the Tenants’ Association is trying to help by telling landlords if they are abusive.
Bautista said, “We are talking about property owners who have a lot of power, who are taking advantage of the vulnerability of San Diego residents.”
Many mom-and-pop homeowners have called to say they are facing rising costs and are already running into hurdles with state and local laws. Lucinda Lilley, president of the Southern California Rental Housing Association, said property owners work hard to work with tenants who may struggle with rent and other issues. She said that their group is working hard to help the city in creating new laws.
Lawmakers said after nearly four hours of public comment that they are open to working with landlords as they consider new laws to strengthen rent protections.