HomeMy WebLinkAbout4/15/2025 Item 7a, DePuy
Jack DePuy <
To:E-mail Council Website
Subject:Support for Stronger Tenant Protections in SLO
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Dear Mayor Stewart and City Councilors,
My name is Jack DePuy, and you have heard my public comment on this issue before- sadly I am not able
to join in person at the City Council meeting on the 15th as I work later evenings on Tuesdays supporting
evening students’ access to campus food resources and other basic needs, such as housing
information. I am myself a renter in our city, and I work with students who are in unstable and unsafe
living situations every day. With more than 60% of SLO residents renting, it is critical that our city
prioritizes policies that ensure safe, stable, and affordable housing for all.
When I moved to San Luis Obispo to take a job, I was unable to find affordable housing that seemed safe,
and slept in my car for a time. I know many students and non-students alike in our community struggle
with similar challenges. By implementing more robust protections, the City Council can make San Luis
Obispo a safer, healthier, and more equitable place to live.
I urge the City Council to take action by adopting:
1. A Rental Registry – This will provide essential information about the housing market that is not
currently available to the city. A Rental Registry will help provide essential data for policy decisions,
ensure renters have a standardized path for addressing concerns, and hold negligent landlords
accountable. Other cities like Monterey, Salinas, and Fresno have successfully implemented rental
registries, and San Luis Obispo should, too.
2. Stronger Health & Safety Requirements – We need modernized requirements to keep renters safe,
including:
o Deadbolts on all exterior doors, and working locks on windows.
o Motion-sensing exterior lighting for rental properties.
o A mold ordinance to protect tenants from unsafe living conditions.
o A smoke-free multi-unit housing within units to improve air quality and public health.
3. Stronger Tenant Protections – Incorporate AB 1482 “just cause” eviction protections into the SLO
Municipal Code, and close loopholes in the Tenant Protection Act to stop unfair evictions and safeguard
renters, including:
o Extending eviction protections to all rental units, including single-family homes.
o Closing the Ellis Act loophole, which allows bad-faith evictions under the guise of “removing a unit
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from the market.”
o Requiring landlords to have building permits before they can displace tenants for renovations, and
ensuring fair relocation assistance.
Please prioritize renters by committing time and resources to these necessary reforms. I look forward to
seeing meaningful action on these issues.
Sincerely,
Jack DePuy
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