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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/26/2019 Item 1, Yukelson Wilbanks, Megan From:Daniel Yukelson < AM To:E-mail Council Website Cc:Sims, Shannon; Harmon, Heidi; Pease, Andy; Christianson, Carlyn; Gomez, Aaron; Stewart, Erica; City_Attorney Subject:Emergency Measure to Protect Local Renters Attachments:AAGLA Letter - SLO City Council (11.26.19).pdf Please see the attached letter that is being submitted in reference to the proposed Emergency Measure to Protect Local Renters. I would like this letter to be distributed to members of the City Council and be made part of the record. Thank you for your consideration. Daniel M. Yukelson Executive Director Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles 621 South Westmoreland Avenue Los Angeles, California 90005 t: 213/384-4131, Ext. 322 | f: 888/384-4131 | dan@aagla.org www.AAGLA.org Twitter Facebook “Great Apartments Start Here!” © 1 APARTMENT ASSOCIATION OF GREATER LOS ANGELES AAGLA “Great Apartments Start Here!” 6 2 1 S . WES T M ORE L A N D A V E ., L O S A N G E L E S, C A 9 0005 | 21 3 .38 4 .4 1 31 | AAG L A .OR G Daniel M. Yukelson Executive Director dan@aagla.org (213) 384-4131; Ext. 322 November 26, 2019 Via Electronic Mail Hon. Mayor Heidi Harmon and the Members of the San Luis Obispo City Council San Luis Obispo City Hall 990 Palm Street San Luis Obispo, California 93401 Re: Emergency Measure to Protect Local Renters Dear Mayor Harmon and the Members of the City Council; The Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles’ (AAGLA) has strong concerns relative to the Council’s proposed Emergency Measure to Protect Local Renters ordinance pending the January 1, 2020 effective date of Assembly Bill 1482, the statewide rent control and renter protection law. As the Council deliberates on this issue, we strongly urge you to consider the issues and recommendations set forth herein. First, at this juncture, any rent increases given after March 15th of this year, will need to be rolled-back to comply with the limitations set forth in Assembly Bill 1482 as of January 1, 2020. Any action by City Council at this time is “too little, too late.” Second, no supportable data has been provided to City Council proving evidence widespread evictions or extraordinary rent increases within the City that could possibly warrant adoption of an emergency ordinance. City Council should not be acting on conjecture, but on evidence uncovered following extensive research. In October 2019, Governor Newsom signed into law statewide rent control and renter protection measures effective on January 1, 2020. As of November 1, 2019, rental housing providers were no longer be permitted to merely serve 60-day termination notices to evict renters, as the notice period would fall within the effective date of the new law, and therefore, eliminating the opportunity for such “no fault” evictions within the remainder of the interim period. Moreover, under Assembly Bill APARTMENT ASSOCIATION OF GREATER LOS ANGELES AAGLA “Great Apartments Start Here!” 6 2 1 S . WES T M ORE L A N D A V E ., L O S A N G E L E S, C A 9 0005 | 21 3 .38 4 .4 1 31 | AAG L A .OR G 1482, housing providers are legally permitted to issue rent increases above the established limits of the new state law, with the knowledge that beginning on January 1, 2020, any rent increase previously issued must be reduced based on the rental rate in effect on March 15, 2019 plus the maximum permissible rent increase (5% plus the change in the Regional Consumer Price Index). Because State law under Assembly Bill 1482 already offers renters within the City of San Luis Obispo significant eviction and rent increase protections, which are in effect today, then why does City Council feel a need to implement its own tenant protection measures? There has been absolutely no evidence of mass evictions or excessive rent increases put forth. The only possible reason City Council might consider an emergency tenant protection ordinance that would be of no effect at this juncture would be to pander to a growing number of tenant voters at the expense of making housing providers in the City look bad. Retreaded rent control and tenant protection regulations from the 1970’s never work and are merely temporary stop gaps. Just look at the major cities in California that have had rent control in place for nearly 40 years like Los Angeles, Santa Monica, San Francisco and Berkeley – these are cities with the fastest growing homeless populations, the severest housing shortages and fastest rising rents caused by the limited availability of housing. The City of San Luis Obispo should strive to implement creative and targeted solutions that actually p rovide affordable housing solutions to those that are in need, and not 1970’s style price controls that benefit very few and that merely cause shortages and discourage housing production. There is no doubt, California is experiencing severe housing shortages and is in dire need of advancing initiatives that encourage, not discourage, housing production. Please don’t make the fatal flaws other California cities have made with their housing policies. We urge the City Council to consider ways to encourage innovative and immediate housing production rather than impose more of the same, retreaded and draconian regulations that got us into this situation of rising rents and housing shortages in the first place. Please act innovatively. Thank you for your time and consideration of these important issues. If you have any questions, please call me at (213) 384-4131; Ext. 322 or contact me via electronic mail at dan@aagla.org. Very truly yours, /s/ Daniel M. Yukelson Daniel Yukelson