The Ventura City Council unanimously approved on Feb. 10 an ordinance that gives tenants protection from landlord harassment.
The proposed ordinance, according to a staff report, gives tenants the right to seek damages in a civil action against harassment, with penalties ranging from $2,000 to $10,000.
It would also give tenants the right to seek an additional penalty of up to $5,000 per violation if the tenant is disabled or is 65 years or older.
Harassment is defined in the ordinance as “intentional conduct by a property owner that is designed to intimidate, annoy, harass, injure, provoke, or vex another person, that serves no lawful purpose,” according to the staff report.
“If you’re a property owner or not, harassment is out there and it needs to be stopped at every step of the way if we’re going to have a healthy society,” said Councilmember Doug Halter at the meeting.
The anti-harassment ordinance is set to take effect 30 days after a second reading, said Maruja Clensay, assistant community development director.
The second reading is on the consent calendar, typically reserved for noncontroversial topics, and is scheduled for 5 p.m. Feb. 17 at the Ventura City Council meeting at the Wright Event Center in Ventura.
There is no retroactive approval and in the meantime, tenants seeking legal assistance can contact the nonprofit Housing Rights Center, which the city contracts with for legal services, Clensay said in an email. When the ordinance takes effect, tenants should still contact the center for assistance, she said.
The nonprofit’s Ventura office is at City Hall and open on Tuesdays and Thursdays and can be reached at HRCVentura@cityofventura.ca.gov or visit cityofventura.ca.gov/2724/Housing-Rights-Center.
Less than 10 residents spoke about the item, with most in favor and some against.
Resident, property owner and housing provider Matt Capritto said in public comment the ordinance was a “no-brainer” to pass. “This is really about doing the right thing” between tenants and landlords, he said.
Ventura landlord Robert Chatenever said he was against the ordinance and would be implementing annual rent increases as permitted.
“This ordinance functions like a lottery that landlords are forced to enter,” he said. “One in which a winning ticket gets you a frivolous harassment claim.”
Jose Rodriguez, a community organizer with the Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy, or CAUSE, an environmental justice and farmworkers’ rights group, said he supported the ordinance.
Rodriguez said it’s important to identify “bad landlord business practices” such as failing to address maintenance issues.
The ordinance was the result of Ventura’s housing element program, a proposed plan for how the city will meet housing needs for the next eight years, which states that the city should hold public hearings to review options for tenant protection policies, according to the staff report. In 2024, staff members held tenant and property owner workshops and presented the findings to the City Council.
On May 27, 2025, councilmembers directed staff to define what harassment is, protect tenants and property owners from harassment and anti-retaliatory behavior taking advantage of state laws in place, according to a Feb. 10 staff report. Councilmembers added that educational outreach and enforcement should also be part of the program, according to the report.
The Planning Commission unanimously approved on Jan. 14 the Anti-Harassment Ordinance and the schedule of civil penalties as presented.
The ordinance also includes voluntary mediation, as well as education and outreach for tenants and property owners, according to the report.
Councilmembers previously requested that staff evaluate the protections for property owners in the ordinance, but the owners’ concerns can be addressed through existing legal mechanisms, such as temporary restraining orders or eviction, according to the report.
An outreach and education plan, called “Ventura Housing Connection Series,” includes services from the Housing Rights Center and Ventura County Coastal Association of Realtors, are already scheduled.
Wes Woods II covers West County for the Ventura County Star. Reach him at wesley.woodsii@vcstar.com, 805-437-0262 or @JournoWes.
This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Ventura to grant tenants protections from landlord harassment
Reporting by Wes Woods II, Ventura County Star / Ventura County Star
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