ACTION Apartment Association - City Council News

As Reported by Wes Wellman

A. The City Council voted to place on the ballot for the November 8, 2022, general election amendments to the City Charter, as follows:

For an owner occupancy eviction, require that an owner make a declaration of intent to occupy the unit for at least two consecutive years unless there are extenuating circumstances and require the owner to occupy the unit within 60 days of the tenant moving pursuant to the eviction.
Provide that an election need not be held if the number of qualified candidates does not exceed the number of open Rent Control Board positions.
Give the City Council authority to suspend rent increases in an emergency subject to possible criteria for what constitutes an emergency and with some possible limitations to be further discussed.

B. Other Council Action/Inaction

Rejected a request by the Rent Control Board to allow Rent Control Board Commissioners to be elected to a maximum of three full terms.
Did not act on a request by the Rent Control Board to establish a rent registry on non-rent-controlled units. (This is likely to reappear in the near future as a Council ordinance)
Directed the City Attorney to return 7/26 with the draft of an amendment to be placed on the November ballot limiting annual rent increases to no more than 3%.
There was no discussion, and no action was taken (yet?), regarding limiting the 6% increase, subject to the $140 cap, approved by the Board effective 9/1/2022.
Directed the City Attorney to return 7/26 with the Draft of a Transfer Tax Measure of $20 per thousand dollars of consideration or value transferred in excess of $8 million subject to certain exemptions and be collected in addition to existing transfer tax rates that apply to the entire transfer amount. This (AKA the “Brock” Measure) would have a 10-year sunset clause. If approved at the 7/26 meeting this would be a competing initiative to the “Mayor’s” transfer tax measure for which 10,000 signatures were recently submitted to the City Clerk. If both measures are put on the ballot, the one which receives the most qualifying votes will become law.