Santa Rosa studying measures such as rent control, Section 8 mandates

September 14, 2015

The Santa Rosa City Council on Tuesday will discuss a proposal that would force owners of rental properties to accept Section 8 vouchers.

The California Apartment Association’s North Coast Division has strong concerns about such a mandate, which would be premature as the courts review the legality of such ordinances. A copy of CAA’s letter to the Mayor and Council of Santa Rosa can be found here.

CAA is urging the council to instead work with rental property owners and managers to explore ways that incentivize acceptance of Section 8 vouchers and wait for the courts to rule on this issue before investing significant time in studying or legislating a Section 8 mandate.

In addition to a discussion of Section 8, Tuesday’s 3 p.m. meeting will include an overview of current fair housing protections. This meeting in Santa Rosa is one of a series of public hearings focused on housing affordability issues.

On Sept. 1, despite hundreds of rental owners writing letters, making phone calls, and attending meetings, the Santa Rosa City Council voted 4-3 to study the possibility of rent control.

No rent control program has been adopted in Santa Rosa, and the action on Sept. 1st only set the stage for the city to study rent control as a possible response to the housing crisis facing the region.

CAA strongly opposes rent control and is calling on all rental owners to continue letting the City Council know that rent control isn’t a solution to our housing challenges.

How to help

Attend the meeting and voice your concerns: The Santa Rosa City Council will meet at 3 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15, at Santa Rosa City Hall, 100 Santa Rosa Ave.

Contact your council member: It is important that Santa Rosa’s Mayor and City Council members continue to hear from rental owners. Using the contact information below, please call or send them an email opposing rent control policies. Feel free to personalize the text in the blue box at the bottom of this post.

Council contacts:

John Sawyer, Mayor: 707-578-6006, jsawyer@srcity.org
Chris Coursey, Vice Mayor: 707-527-6588, ccoursey@srcity.org
Erin Carlstrom, Council member: 707-321-0278, ecarlstrom@srcity.org
Julie Combs, Council member: 707-542-1906, jcombs@srcity.org
Ernesto Olivares, Council member: 707-975-0023, eolivares@srcity.org
Tom Schwedhelm, Council member: 707-326-4495, tschwedhelm@srcity.org
Gary Wysocky, Council member: 707-575-3820, gwysocky@srcity.org

Dear Mayor Sawyer & Council members:

I operate rental property in Sonoma County and provide homes to many people who live and work in Santa Rosa. I am proud to provide a quality, safe place for people to call home.

No one denies we have a housing shortage. Every day, there are more people seeking housing than we have units available. Clearly we don’t have enough housing to accommodate the region’s growing demand.

I strongly encourage you to prioritize the policies and programs that facilitate new housing, help overcome obstacles to development, establish new funding sources for affordable housing, and explore programs that help landlords and tenants understand their roles, rights, and responsibilities. Rent control is a divisive policy proposal that won’t address out region’s housing needs.

I appreciate the City Council’s collaborative approach to provide meaningful, long-term, solutions to our housing challenges.

Thank you for your continued leadership on this important issue.

Sincerely,

(YOUR NAME)

Tagged: Rent Control Section 8 North Bay Tri-County Contra Costa

Join CAA

Joining CAA will help you comply with laws and regulations that you need to understand for the protection of your rental housing business.

Learn More

QUICK LINKS

Rental Assistance Program
CTRA - COVID-19 Tenant Relief Act
AB 1482 - State Rent Caps
COVID-19 - General Information
Newsroom
Contribute to the Rental Housing Survival Fund

Newest Posts

Bill would mandate lease-guarantor disclosure in five languages April 19, 2021
L.A. to hike inspection fees, but program reform possible April 19, 2021
CAA derails bills that would harm rental housing providers April 15, 2021

I just want to say Thank You Team at CAA. Being a Landlord in California is frightening enough -- but with you, not as scary! I just know someone on the team understands!
– Kristi B. — Lewiston, CA

We have been a CAA members since 1984. CAA has provided us the guidance needed to successfully manage our property. The rental forms keep us on solid legal ground which has minimized our management workload and helped us maintain quality housing for our clients. Your weekly e-news keeps us appraised of property management issues to be on the lookout for. Your work in the California State legislature in Sacramento has provided valuable representation for our industry. Keep up the excellent work!
– Forrest L. — Ridgecrest, CA

I recently needed to take a few hours of classes to complete my Recertification as a CAA California Certified Residential Manager. I found it very convenient to do this through on demand classes at my office. The classes are well done and gave great education to further my property management skills. I even registered my maintenance team to listen to some of the classes. It benefitted us all. Thank you CAA!
– Beverly C. — Berkeley, CA

I would describe CAA as my "Best Friend" in this venture called LANDLORDING. So happy you are there!
– Marsha W. — Fresno, CA

Thank you. You guys conducted a great campaign with Measure C. We would have obviously lost without your management, coordination, and hard work. Sure glad you guys are here...
– Rich B. — San Rafael, CA

We could not have accomplished the defeat of Measure C without CAA. We have been CAA members for over 30 years and membership fees have been returned to us “100 fold” with protection of our rental owner rights and the defeat of rent control in Santa Rosa. We at Pine Creek and Goodwin Property Management thank CAA for always supporting us.
– Patty G. — Santa Rosa, CA

Dear Ms. Moss, I want to personally thank you for your timely and very professional response. You are very thorough AND you provide examples and attachments how to find solutions and how to address the issues effectively. What you did would have taken me hours of research and still I wouldn't feel as confident in my ability because I am not up to date on how certain areas of a contract are practiced.

I was wary about joining CAA but after today I know I did the right thing and plan on continuing my membership for a long time.

Many thanks
– Ravi K. — Folsom, CA

Andrea was very helpful and thorough. She provided different points and angles to my question for my consideration. In her questions she revealed that we need to revamp our internal paperwork and provided references from CAA's forms. I was very satisfied and felt confident in the decisions our company needs to make regarding the matter we sought with CAA. Thank you CAA. We appreciate your help.

Kevin, I don't say this often, but from the second we began this relationship you have been nothing but a wealth of knowledge and a tremendous help. I cannot thank you enough for being so flexible with us. Thank you again!
– Jeff P. — Menlo Park, CA

I recently needed to take a few hours of classes to complete my Recertification as a CAA California Certified Residential Manager. I found it very convenient to do this through on demand classes at my office. The classes are well done and gave great education to further my property management skills. I even registered my maintenance team to listen to some of the classes. It benefited us all.
– Beverly C. — Berkeley, CA