By Mathew Millen

On September 8, the City Council enacted a new ordinance governing the rental of housing in Santa Monica ("Santa Monica Council Approves Measures to Spur New Housing," August 26, 2020).

Under the ordinance, "a landlord and tenant may enter into a lease only if the tenant will use and occupy the rental housing unit as the tenant’s primary residence."

The new law also requires that the lease be for at least one year and prohibits a property owner to lease furnished housing, a feature college students and medical interns at our hospitals frequently look for.

In effect, rental housing providers can no longer rent to foreign students under the ordinance.

Read More: http://www.surfsantamonica.com/ssm_site/the_lookout/letters/Letters-2020/09_14_2020_OPINION_Santa_Monica_City_Council_Enacts_New_Chinese_Exclusion_Law.html