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SHHS: ACTION ITEM - Discuss and Provide Direction on the Proposed Changes to CCMC 15.09.200 Rent Stabilization and CCMC 15.09.300 Tenant Protections
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Meeting Date: September 9, 2026
Contact Person/Dept.: Shannon Louis, Housing and Human Services
Christina Burrows, City Attorney’s Office
Phone Number: (310) 253-5787
Fiscal Impact: Yes [] No [X] General Fund: Yes [] No [X]
Attachments: Yes [X] No []
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Meetings and Agendas - Advisory Committee on Housing and Homelessness (09/03/2026)
Department Approval Name, Title Date: Diane Glauber, HHS Director (09/03/2026) _____________________________________________________________________
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the Standing Housing and Homelessness Subcommittee (SHHS) discuss the proposed changes to the Rent Stabilization (RSO) and Tenant Protections Ordinances (TPO), collectively “Ordinances” CCMC 15.09.200 Rent Stabilization and CCMC 15.09.300 Tenant Protections.
BACKGROUND
On September 29, 2020, the City Council adopted Ordinance No. 2020-14 and Ordinance No. 2020-15, which amended CCMC Chapter 15.09 to add two new subchapters establishing permanent residential rent control and tenant protections. The details of these provisions are discussed below.
At its May 24, 2021 meeting, City Council approved an annual registration fee of $167 per residential rental unit, as well as fees for late payment, failure to register, and change in rental property ownership with the initial rent registration fee due July 31, 2021, and every July thereafter.
On October 7, 2025, staff presented proposed changes to the Ordinances to the Council Standing Housing and Homelessness Subcommittee (Subcommittee). Based on the Subcommittee’s direction, staff pared down the proposed changes to purely cleanup items and agreed to return at a later date with more substantive changes. The cleanup ordinances were then taken to the full City Council and adopted on January 12, 2026.
The recommended substantive changes have been prepared and are attached to this staff report.
DISCUSSION
Since the inception of the Rent Stabilization and Tenant Protections Program, staff has been analyzing feedback from the public on the implementation and enforcement of both the Rent Stabilization Ordinance and Tenant Protections Ordinance. In consideration of feedback received and in alignment with the protections extended to tenants by other jurisdictions, staff has identified various areas of the Ordinances that require more substantive changes in an effort to better execute the spirit of the ordinances and the protections extended to tenants. At a high level, staff has identified the following areas of opportunity, which are categorized as “additions” or “revisions” to the Code:
Additions:
1. Ellis Act Regulations
2. Establishment of a Minimum Evictable Rent
3. AB 1620 Permanent Disabilities: Comparable or Smaller Units
4. Prohibition on Security Deposit Increases
5. Prohibition on Algorithmic Rent Setting
These items are in no particular order and are not currently addressed in the RSO or TPO.
Revisions
1. Application of RSO and TPO
a. 12-month mark for tenancy
b. Exemption from RSO and TPO for Permanent Supportive Housing and Interim Supportive Housing sites run by the City
c. Hotels and Motels
d. Addition of Rental Complex Definition
2. Rent Adjustment Applications
3. Landlord Occupancy (Section 15.09.320.B)
a. Percentage ownership in trusts to recover possession for landlord occupancy
b. Alternatives to the landlord occupancy notice
c. Landlord occupancy during school year
4. Capital Improvement Pass-throughs
5. Demolitions - Rental Units
6. Housing Services
These topic areas currently exist in the RSO and TPO but may benefit from further clarification and cleanup. Further details on the additions and revisions can be found in the attachment to this report.
Outreach
To provide the public, especially landlords and tenants, an opportunity to better understand and weigh in on these items, staff presented the substantive changes at the Advisory Committee on Housing and Homelessness Special Meeting on August 25, 2026 and during a virtual online session on September 1, 2026. Additionally, we are taking written comments via email. Below are the topic areas that have garnered the most feedback from the public:
• 12-month mark for tenancy
o Members of the public who have commented on this item have largely advocated for this provision to remain unchanged.
• Rent Adjustment Applications
o Members of the public who have commented on this item have largely mentioned concerns around not being made whole if a smoothing is put in place for larger increases that exceed the maximum permissible limit.
• Landlord Occupancy
o Members of the public who have commented on this item have largely been concerned with the required notice period
• Capital Improvement Pass-throughs
o Members of the public who have commented on this item have mainly been interested in learning about which work will be eligible to be passed-through and how substantial renovations will be defined, if substantial renovations were to become allowable through the ordinance.
Advisory Committee on Housing and Homelessness
At its August 25, 2026 special meeting, the ACOHH weighed in on the substantive changes and provided recommendations for consideration by SHHS and the full council. The positions taken and recommendations by the ACOHH are reflected in the “Substantive Revisions to the RSO and TPO” attachment to this report. A representative from the ACOHH will also be in attendance at this SHHS meeting to discuss recommendations for this item.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
None.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Substantive Revisions to the RSO and TPO
MOTION(S)
That the Standing Housing and Homelessness Subcommittee:
1. Discuss and Provide Direction on the Proposed Changes to CCMC 15.09.200 Rent Stabilization and CCMC 15.09.300 Tenant Protections