Action Alert: Oppose Chula Vista Just Cause Evictions Proposal

Review the complete draft proposal - CLICK HERE.

TAKE ACTION!

Take Action using the talking points below and complete one or more of the following:

1. Submit an eComment (this option is available now)

Step 1:  Visit the Website for the Housing Advisory Commission Agenda, CLICK HERE.

Step 2:  Click on the link for Agenda Item 5.1 - CONSIDERATION OF RECOMMENDING ADDING A PROPOSED LANDLORD AND TENANT ORDINANCE TO THE CHULA VISTA MUNICIPAL CODE

Step 3:  Click on “Leave Comment” and use the talking points below to share your opposition.

2. Provide In-Person Comment

Attend the January 31 meeting at the Chula Vista City Hall (Council Chambers, 276 Fourth Avenue, Chula Vista, CA)

KEY ISSUES

• The City of Chula Vista is rushing to draft an ordinance based off allegations against only two housing providers of harassment and of removing their rental properties from the market falsely claiming the intent to substantially renovate. Their actions are the subject of an ongoing lawsuit. 
• The ordinance will leave housing providers vulnerable to lawsuits and establish substantial new penalties and relocation assistance requirements that will drive independent “mom-and-pop” housing providers out of business. REITs and well-financed property management firms stand to capitalize as our local, independent housing providers go out of business and the community risks encountering significant blight due to the disincentive for renovations.
  
•  This is an unnecessary and one-sided ordinance that will create even more division between tenants and housing providers. Existing law already provides significant protections for tenants and the actions used to justify this ordinance – if found true - are already unlawful.
• The ordinance will protect nuisance tenants at the expense of renting families, preventing housing providers from evicting problematic residents.

TALKING POINTS

• The Chula Vista Housing Advisory Commission should oppose this hastily drafted ordinance and instead create a working group comprised of housing providers and tenants. As existing state laws already provide extensive and necessary protections, education of the laws and rules currently in place should remain the priority.
• This ordinance will have a devastating impact on our local Chula Vista housing providers, especially seniors, who rely on this rental income to sustain their retirement and put food on the table. These residents will have a difficult time navigating the provisions in this ordinance and will be displaced by REITs and large property management firms with substantial legal support.
• The majority of housing providers are independent, “mom-and-pop” housing providers, many of whom worked throughout the pandemic to support struggling tenants and ensure they had access to safe, clean housing.
• Of note, according to a recent study by the Southern California Rental Housing Association, housing providers in San Diego and Riverside Counties lost approximately $3.8 billion in rental income during the pandemic. Despite the challenges and uncertainty of future rent payments, property managers supported their tenants in several ways, including:
  • 53% of housing providers negotiated temporarily reduced rental rates  
  • 47% of housing providers agreed to waive late fees and penalties 
  • 32% offered a payment plan 
  • 15% removed the penalty for early lease termination 
  • 11% offered rent forgiveness
• The rental housing policies we put in place must remain balanced and must bring both tenants and housing providers together toward a shared goal of expanding the supply of safe and affordable housing options in Chula Vista. The Housing Advisory Council should request that staff abandon this proposal and convene a working group tasked with expanding education and resources to benefit all tenants and housing providers.