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CC - ACTION ITEM: (1) Discussion of Proposed Clarifying Amendments to Culver City Municipal Code (CCMC) Subchapters 15.09.200 Rent Control, and 15.09.300 Tenant Protections as Recommended by the Council Standing Housing and Homelessness Subcommittee; (2) Introduction of Respective Ordinances Amending CCMC Subchapters 15.09.200 Rent Control and 15.09.300 Tenant Protections; (3) Direction to City Manager on Outreach to Landlords and Tenants Regarding Future Substantive Changes to the Rent Control and Tenant Protections Ordinances; and (4) Other Direction to the City Manager, as Deemed Appropriate.
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Meeting Date: November 10, 2025
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 - City Council (11/06/2025)
Department Approval: Tevis Barnes, HHS Director (10/31/2025) _____________________________________________________________________
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the City Council (1) discuss proposed clarifying amendments to Culver City Municipal Code (CCMC) subchapters 15.09.200 Rent Control and 15.09.300 Tenant Protections (collectively, “Ordinances”), as recommended by the Council Standing Housing and Homelessness Subcommittee (“Subcommittee”); (2) introduce respective Ordinances amending CCMC Subchapters 15.09.200 Rent Control and CCMC 15.09.300 Tenant Protections; (3) provide direction to the City Manager on outreach to landlords and tenants to receive feedback on more substantive changes that will be forthcoming to the Ordinances; and (4) provide other direction to the City Manager as deemed necessary.
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.
Since the inception of the Rent Control and Tenant Protections Program, staff has been analyzing feedback from the public on the implementation and enforcement of the Ordinances. 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 can benefit from clarifying changes and cleanup legislation.
DISCUSSION
On October 7, 2025, staff presented the proposed changes to the Ordinances to the Subcommittee (Council Members McMorrin and Fish). Based on the Subcommittee’s direction, staff has pared down the proposed changes to purely cleanup items that clarify ordinance requirements which are listed below. The revisions below are listed in the order in which they appear in the Ordinances.
Rent Control Ordinance
1. Rename “Rent Control Ordinance” to “Rent Stabilization Ordinance” since the ordinance does not totally control rent increases, but instead seeks to stabilize fluctuations in rents through a specified formula.
2. Replace “Housing Division” with “Housing Services Division” and “Housing and Human Services Department” in all sections to reflect the recently formed department.
3. Add Section 15.09.200.D. to clarify that the City may extend additional protections to tenants beyond the baseline protections extended through State law, as authorized by California Civil Code Section 1946.2.
4. Revise Section 15.09.205 “Definitions” and Section 15.09.215.B to clarify within the “Housing Services” definition that the restrictions contained within the City’s Rent Control Ordinance are applicable to housing services, even if they are separately contracted with the tenant.
5. Rename Section 15.09.210 to General Applicability and Exemptions and add 15.09.210.A. to clarify that the subchapter applies to all landlords and tenants unless otherwise exempted within the Code.
6. Add Section 15.09.210.5. to reflect that licensed residential care facilities for elderly are exempt from the subchapter, as specified by State law.
7. Revise Section 15.09.215.A to specify that in addition to the annual permissible rent increase, a landlord can apply for a rent adjustment pursuant to Section 15.09.220.
8. Add Section 15.09.215.B.1. to announce the maximum permissible increase on an annual basis in alignment with other cities and for ease of understanding and planning purposes for the public.
9. Revise Section 15.09.220.B. to specify that landlords must register their rental units prior to filing a rent adjustment application.
10. Relocate procedural requirements for Notices of Decision pertaining to Rent Adjustments from Appeals Section 15.09.240 to Applications for Rent Adjustments Sections 15.09.220.D. and 15.09.220.E.
11. Add Section 15.09.225.C. to specify that landlords must register their rental units prior to filing a capital improvement pass-through application.
12. Relocate procedural requirements for Notices of Decision pertaining to Capital Improvement Pass-throughs from Appeals Section 15.09.240 to Capital Improvement Pass-through Cost Recovery 15.09.220.C.8. and 15.09.220.C.9.
13. Relocate section 15.09.230 Rent Registry to Tenant Protections Ordinance since all rental units require registry and are extended protections through the TPO, while only a limited number of units are covered under the RSO.
14. Relocate procedural requirements for Notices of Decision pertaining to Tenant Petitions for Noncompliance from Appeals Section 15.09.240 to Tenant Petitions for Noncompliance Sections 15.09.235.
15. Revise Section 15.09.240.B. to allow the hearing officer to select the date for the hearing.
Tenant Protections Ordinance
16. Replace “Housing Division” with “Housing Services Division” and “Housing and Human Services Department” in all sections to reflect the recently formed department.
17. Revise 15.09.300 to clarify that the City may extend additional protections to tenants beyond the baseline protections extended through State law, as authorized by California Civil Code Section 1946.2.
18. Revise Section 15.09.205 “Definitions” to clarify within the Housing Services definition that the restrictions contained within the City’s Rent Control Ordinance is applicable to housing services, even if they are separately contracted with the tenant and add a definition for Rental Complexes.
19. Revise Section 15.09.205 “Definitions” to add a definition for “Rental Complex” to mean “More than one rental unit owned by the same landlord on a property.”
20. Revise Section 15.09.310.2. to clarify that a tenancy must be in place for more than 12 months in order to be extended the evictions protections set forth in 15.09.310. This was the direction from the City Council prior to adoption of the original Tenant Protections Ordinance.
21. Clarify that the notice mentioned in Section 15.09.310.B.4.a. pertains to the tenant’s right to be notified of the applicability of the Tenant Protections Ordinance eviction protections after 12 months or more.
22. Revise Section 15.09.310.B.4.b to clarify that the landlord can include the information requirement by this notice in the rental agreement or the notice of termination.
23. Remove 15.09.310.B.4.c, a portion of 15.09.310.B.6, a portion of 15.09.310.A.1, and 15.09.325.D as they applied only to the period before the adoption of the Tenant Protections Ordinance on October 30, 2020.
24. Update 15.09.320.B. to include the title “Landlord Occupancy” and 15.09.320.B.3.b. to specify that a landlord pursuing a landlord occupancy may not recover possession of an occupied unit if there is a vacant unit containing the same number of bedrooms needed by the landlord or eligible relative.
25. Add 15.09.320.4. to clarify that a landlord may not pursue a landlord occupancy eviction unless they are a natural person or trust recovering the unit for a trustee who is natural person.
26. Add 15.09.325.H. to clarify that landlords must present proof of payment for relocation assistance provided to tenants.
27. Clarify in Section 15.09.330.E.4. that Housing will establish the daily per diem amount for relocation assistance.
28. Clarify in Section 15.09.335.A.5, 15.09.335.B.2.c, 15.09.335.B.3, and 15.09.335.C that landlords must inform tenants that there is a specified minimum buyout amount, that the executed agreement cannot be below the minimum buyout amount, and that the landlord must provide the tenant with a copy of the fully executed buyout agreement.
29. Revise Section 15.09.340 (Rent Registry) to delete the provision regarding rent registration certificates that expired August 31, 2021.
FISCAL ANALYSIS
The review and cleanup of the Ordinances does not result in additional expenditures outside of staff time.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Redlined Rent Stabilization Code Sections
2. Redlined Tenant Protections Code Sections
3. Proposed Ordinance Amending Rent Stabilization Ordinance
4. Proposed Ordinance Amending Tenant Protections Ordinance
MOTION(S)
That the City Council:
1. Discuss proposed clarifying amendments to Culver City Municipal Code (CCMC) subchapters 15.09.200 Rent Control and 15.09.300 Tenant Protections, as recommended by the Council Standing Housing and Homelessness Subcommittee; and
2. Introduce respective Ordinances amending CCMC subchapters 15.09.200 Rent Control and 15.09.300 Tenant Protections; and
3. Provide direction to the City Manager on outreach to landlords and tenants to receive feedback on more substantive changes that will be forthcoming to the Ordinances; and
4. Provide additional direction to the City Manager, as deemed appropriate.