California Apartment Association

The California Apartment Association’s Tri-County Division is opposing a plan to make sweeping changes to San Jose’s rent control ordinance.

The proposal, introduced today, Friday, May 8, comes from City Councilman Raul Peralez and would include:

• Reduce the current 8 percent limit on rent increases to 4 percent by January 2017.
• Explore the necessity of additional tenant protections, possibly including a just cause eviction law.
• Extend rent control to units built between 1979-1995.
• Prohibit discrimination based on source of income and potentially require rental owners accept Section 8 vouchers.

CAA Tri-County believes that this proposal is unwarranted and won’t address the issues of housing affordability that face Northern California.  Reducing the current 8 percent limit on rent increases would jeopardize an owner’s ability to maintain a property and provide quality housing.  In addition to questioning the legality of some of these proposals, CAA Tri-County questions the need for a just cause eviction policy.  Under current laws, property owners can’t force out tenants as a way to circumvent rent control.

Peralez’s proposal will be presented to the San Jose Rules and Open Government Committee on Wednesday, May 13.  CAA Tri-County encourages local rental property owners to attend this meeting and speak out against this proposal.  Watch your e-mail for updates from CAA Tri-County on this issue.

What You Can Do

It’s important that San Jose rental property owners tell the San Jose City Council that this proposal is BAD public policy.

1. Attend the Rules Committee on Wednesday, May 13, at San Jose City Hall, 200 E. Santa Clara St., San Jose
2. Write to members of the Rules Committee asking them to oppose any changes to the city’s rent control ordinance. Here are the email addresses:
   mayoremail@sanjoseca.gov
   happie.jones@sanjoseca.gov
   agdalena.carrasco@sanjoseca.gov
   johnny.khamis@sanjoseca.gov
   rose.herrera@sanjoseca.gov
   cityclerk@sanjoseca.gov

A sample email you can send is below

Dear Mayor Liccardo & Rules Committee Members,

As a rental housing property owner in the city of San Jose, I urge you to oppose stricter regulations on the rental housing industry, including a “just cause” eviction ordinance and tighter price controls, as these would jeopardize safe, quality housing for our residents.

We share the same goals with you — to preserve safe neighborhoods and to protect good residents.  However, a just-cause ordinance would make these goals difficult if not impossible to achieve.  Eviction controls would eliminate my ability as a responsible, law-abiding owner/manager to quickly and effectively rid my property of tenants engaging in drug-dealing or other illegal activity.  This could put me, my staff, and most importantly, my good tenants in a very uncomfortable and dangerous situation.

I am a responsible landlord and follow the rules of the law.  It is my hope that you will determine as I have that an eviction-for-cause ordinance is not in the best interest of the city of San Jose.  I know it is illegal to evict tenants in order to raise rent.  If there are landlords who are skirting the rent control laws, then the City should punish them.  Do not punish me by taking away my ability to provide my good residents a safe community.  Let’s continue to preserve strong San Jose neighborhoods and protect good tenants by allowing owners and managers to effectively manage their properties.

No one can deny that we do not have enough housing to meet demand.  The only way we can address housing affordability is to make more housing available and support the construction of more housing for families of all income levels.  Stricter regulations won’t solve our problems.

I urge you to focus on meaningful solutions that will keep our economy strong, our communities safe, and provide quality housing opportunities.