2 Aug 2019

Santa Cruz City Task Force, Rent Control, Just Cause for Eviction – Where We are Now?

If you’ve been following the Santa Cruz City Council legislative process, there’s no doubt that you’re curious where the Council stands today on Rent Control and Just Cause for Eviction legislation, the Rental Housing Task Force, the Housing Blueprint, and other legislative measures that have been proposed and accepted or rejected along the way. In this article we’ll give a broad overview of the City’s legislative actions related to these housing-related topics and discuss where

By Christine Schneider | | In All About Santa Cruz County, Rent Control, Rent Control and Just Cause For Eviction, Santa Cruz Legislation and Your Real Estate, Santa Cruz Real Estate Trends, Uncategorized | Read moreLeave a comment
16 Jul 2019

Statewide Rent Cap and Just Cause for Eviction Proposed

Rent control and just cause for eviction laws have been proposed on both a statewide and local level over the past year. One bill is inching towards implementing state-wide rent control and just cause for eviction - AB 1482. However, unlike past bills, this one has numerous provisions in place to temper the negative impacts that rent control and just cause for eviction often have on property-owners. For example, the changes made by the bill

By Christine Schneider | | In California Legislation and Your Real Estate, California Real Estate Trends, New Legislation and Your Real Estate, Rent Control, Rent Control and Just Cause For Eviction, Santa Cruz Legislation and Your Real Estate | Read moreLeave a comment
8 Feb 2019

An Update: Rental Housing Task Force, Just Cause for Eviction and Large Rent Increase Laws in Santa Cruz City

Are there rent control or just cause for eviction laws in the City of Santa Cruz? In this short post, we discuss the succession of events related to rent control and just cause for eviction laws in the City of Santa Cruz after the November elections. We answer the question above and help you understand what is being proposed, and where the City Government is in the legislative process. As a reminder, voters rejected Measure

By Christine Schneider | | In All About Santa Cruz County, Politics and Real Estate, Rent Control and Just Cause For Eviction, Santa Cruz Legislation and Your Real Estate, Santa Cruz Real Estate Trends | Read moreLeave a comment
10 Jan 2019

Summary of “An Interim Ordinance Of The City Council Of The City Of Santa Cruz Requiring Just Cause For Tenant Evictions Within The City”

On Tuesday, January 8th, 2019 the Santa Cruz City Council, voted to push an “interim” Just Cause for Eviction ordinance to the next round of voting. However, during the second meeting held on January 23rd, the City Council voted to postpone moving forward with the ordinance due to a large amount of community feedback (over 1000 letters) opposing the measure. Having originally voted "yes" on the ordinance, vice Mayor Justin Cummings proposed tabling the initiative

By Christine Schneider | | In All About Santa Cruz County, Investment Property in Santa Cruz County, New Legislation and Your Real Estate, Rent Control, Rent Control and Just Cause For Eviction, Santa Cruz Legislation and Your Real Estate | Read more1 Comment
30 Nov 2018

Election Results – Housing Related Measures in Santa Cruz and California

Now that the election season has passed and a majority of the votes have been counted, where do we stand with the many local and statewide housing-related ballot measures? Below we’ve summarized both Santa Cruz County and California ballot measures and proposition results, and what each means for our local market.   Note, after November 6th, there is a 30 day “canvasing” period in which vote-by-mail ballots, provisional ballots (including conditional voter registration provisional ballots),

By Christine Schneider | | In All About Santa Cruz County, California Legislation and Your Real Estate, New Legislation and Your Real Estate, Rent Control, Rent Control and Just Cause For Eviction, Santa Cruz Legislation and Your Real Estate | Read moreLeave a comment
9 Oct 2018

Fiscal Impact Report on Measure M

The Santa Cruz City Council commissioned an independent and impartial analysis of the Santa Cruz Rent Control and Tenant Protection Act (The Act) or Measure M. This analysis is limited in scope and only focuses on the financial and administrative impact that the "Rent Board" will have on the City of Santa Cruz should Measure M pass.   If Measure M is voted into law, a City Rent Board comprised of City residents will be created.

By Christine Schneider | | In All About Santa Cruz County, Politics and Real Estate, Rent Control, Rent Control and Just Cause For Eviction, Santa Cruz Legislation and Your Real Estate | Read moreLeave a comment
3 Oct 2018

Ballot Measure M – The Santa Cruz Rent Control and Tenant Protection Act

The “Santa Cruz Rent Control and Tenant Protection Act”, or Measure M, which proposes to establish long-standing rent control and just cause for eviction regulations will be on the November ballot. You can find the full text of the measure here. If you own or plan to own a rental property in the City of Santa Cruz, please take time to read this ballot initiative carefully. If passed into law, this ordinance may have a significant

By Christine Schneider | | In Rent Control, Rent Control and Just Cause For Eviction, Santa Cruz Legislation and Your Real Estate | Read moreLeave a comment
10 Sep 2018

New Relocation Assistance Fees if Santa Cruz Rent Control (Measure M) Fails?

If Measure M, the Santa Cruz City Rent Control and Just Cause for Eviction ballot measure does not pass, new relocation assistance laws may still come into affect. Santa Cruz City has drafted an ordinance-amendment, creating a law that will require landlords to pay a relocation assistance fee to displaced tenants and tenants that must move because of "large" rent increases. To read the proposed ordinance amendments (in red), click here and click here for additional information.

By Christine Schneider | | In Rent Control and Just Cause For Eviction | Read more1 Comment
7 Aug 2018

Santa Cruz Rent Control and Just Cause For Eviction – The Counter Movement

Now that the Rent Control and Just Cause for Eviction measure is officially on the ballot, the counter movement has begun to gather steam.   Santa Cruz Together, a grass-roots movement to stop the measure from passing, has collected $60,000 from supporters and hopes to raise up to $200,000 to fund their campaign. The California Apartment Association, nation's largest statewide trade group, has also promised to fight the ballot measure and has raised $403,000 thus

By Christine Schneider | | In All About Santa Cruz County, Rent Control and Just Cause For Eviction, Santa Cruz Legislation and Your Real Estate, Santa Cruz Real Estate Trends | Read moreLeave a comment
15 May 2018

Repealing Costa Hawkins Act?

The Costa Hawkins Act (Costa-Hawkins) allows cities to implement local rent control laws, but within specific parameters: housing constructed after 1995, single-family homes, condominiums, and townhouses are exempt from local rent control regulations. Additionally, Costa-Hawkins allows rental property owners to establish their own rates at the time of a change in tenancy.   A proposed ballot initiative entitled the “Affordable Housing Act for the California November 2018 Ballot” was submitted to the California Attorney General’s

By Christine Schneider | | In California Legislation and Your Real Estate, California Real Estate Trends, Politics and Real Estate, Rent Control, Rent Control and Just Cause For Eviction, Santa Cruz Legislation and Your Real Estate | Read more3 Comments
15 May 2018

UPDATE: Enough Signatures for the Ballot – Rent Control and Just Cause For Eviction Initiatives

If you’ve been reading our newsletter, you’ve undoubtedly heard about the  rent control and just cause for eviction ballot initiative (Renter Protection Ballot Initiative) which has been circulating through the city. The Movement for Housing Justice has submitted 10,791 signatures to the City of Santa Cruz, well above the required number of signatures needed qualify the initiative for the November polls. The group is now awaiting the results of a 30 day signature validation process.

By Christine Schneider | | In Investment Property in Santa Cruz County, New Legislation and Your Real Estate, Politics and Real Estate, Rent Control, Rent Control and Just Cause For Eviction, Santa Cruz Legislation and Your Real Estate | Read more1 Comment
27 Mar 2018

Proposed Just Cause for Eviction Ballot Initiative Explained

Should disagreements arise, the right to evict is an important component of property rights, giving real estate owners the ability to re-gain possession of their property in difficult situations. There is a new ballot initiative that is circulating throughout the city of Santa Cruz that poses to, in many situations, take away this right. This will increase the risk of renting in the City of Santa Cruz.

By Christine Schneider | | In All About Santa Cruz County, Investment Property in Santa Cruz County, Rent Control and Just Cause For Eviction | Read more5 Comments
20 Feb 2018

Rent Freeze in Effect in Santa Cruz City, Rent Control On the Ballot

On Tuesday, February 13th, the Santa Cruz City Council passed temporary rent freeze and a just cause for eviction ordinances for certain rental properties within the city limits (see exceptions below). This sudden action was in response to community-member complaints that, given the impending threat of a rent-control moratorium (City of Santa Cruz Rent Control and Tenant Protection Act) on the November ballot, landlords have an incentive to raise rents and evict tenants to guard

By Christine Schneider | | In Politics and Real Estate, Rent Control, Rent Control and Just Cause For Eviction, Santa Cruz Legislation and Your Real Estate, Santa Cruz Real Estate Trends | Read more4 Comments
13 Feb 2018

Rent Control In Santa Cruz – The Counterpoint

  Assemblyman Richard Bloom (D-Santa Monica) proposed legislation on January 11th to repeal Costa-Hawkins, which would have allowed local governments to implement new rent control policies. The bill failed.   But this is not the end of the rent-control battle. The California Local Rent Control Initiative, which would expand local government's authority to adopt rent control and repeal the Costa-Hawkin's Rental Housing Act may be on this year's November ballot. Locally, the Sentinel reports that

By Christine Schneider | | In All About Santa Cruz County, California Legislation and Your Real Estate, Rent Control, Rent Control and Just Cause For Eviction, Santa Cruz Legislation and Your Real Estate | Read more6 Comments