Tenant advocates in Salinas continue in their efforts to try to save the city’s rent stabilization program ahead of a pivotal vote on its future at the next city council meeting.
“Why are we here and what are we asking for?” said Joel Hernandez Laguna, executive director of Center for Community Advocacy at a press conference in front of Salinas City Hall on Friday, May 9.
“One, is to pause the repeal process and extend the timeline―let’s continue to have dialogue and conversation on this topic,” Hernandez Laguna said. “Two, is hold public hearings for tenants, landlords, and experts to come together and talk about this issue. Three, is to bring back the technical advisory committee to continue to have these conversations among partners and four is to create space for making modifications to ensure that this ordinance is the best ordinance possible.”
The city council voted on April 22 to move forward on repealing the series of ordinances that make up the rent program.
Advocates appeal to Salinas residents to reach out to their council representative or show up at the May 13 meeting.
City council moves to repeal during packed April meeting
On April 22, the city council directed staff to return as soon as possible with an ordinance that would repeal the Residential Rental Registration ordinance, the Rent Stabilization Ordinance, the Tenant Protection and Just Cause Eviction Ordinance and the Tenant Anti-Harassment Ordinance.
The four ordinances passed in 2024 and took effect January 2025.
Part of the city’s eviction ordinance came up in a case brought before the Monterey County Superior Court which recently ruled “Salinas’s 10-day eviction notice requirement contradicts the state’s three-day eviction notice” according to reporting by KSBW.
Should the proposed ordinance to repeal the four ordinances be adopted, the city council would need to take further action to rescind the resolutions establishing the program fees for the Residential Rental Registration Program and the Rent Stabilization program fee, according to the staff report.
At the April 22 meeting, the council heard that the program, which had been launched four months previously collected more in revenue than it cost to run and was on track to cover its yearly operating costs.
Staff also anticipate additional staff work will be required “to wind down the programs” and address questions from those affected by the closure, which may result in the need for further action.
Tenants face high costs and living ‘doubled up’
At the Friday press conference, speakers shared how the rent stabilization ordinance offered a sense of relief and stability for the city’s tenants.
More than half (53%) of the city’s households are renter occupied, according to city findings, in comparison to 44% statewide, and rents in multifamily properties (or apartment complexes) built before 1995 in Salinas have increased 117% between 2000 and 2024, with an average vacancy of only 3.3%.
Rental units that were built prior to Feb. 1, 1995, are subject to rent stabilization but there are exemptions, including single-family homes, condos and properties listed as historic.
“These rent stabilization ordinances and tenant protections gave my family a little peace,” said Jasmine Topete, a 21-year-old university student who grew up in Salinas. “My parents have lived in the same apartment complex for over 25 years, and they were scared to ask for repairs. After 20 years, we finally got the carpet replaced because my mom felt safer, knowing that these ordinances were in place.”
Speaking Mixtec, Graciela Gonzalez, from the Centro Binacional para el Desarrollo Indígena Oaxaqueño in Salinas said when the ordinances were approved, and tenants found out they lived in a rent stabilization unit they were “happy because going into this year some of them didn’t get a rent increase.”
“They felt safe and taken into account for the first time,” Gonzalez said. “Now that there is a possibility that the ordinances will be removed the anxiety and insecurity to the community has returned.”
Eric Mora, policy analyst for Monterey County Supervisor Wendy Root Askew said the supervisor urged the Salinas City Council to “support meaningful protections for renters.”
“It is crucial that we make decisive steps to ensure that stable and secure housing is available for all members of our community,” Mora said on the supervisor’s behalf.
Rebeca Andrade, Salinas City Elementary School District Superintendent, said she was at the press conference not just as the leader of a school district that serves local families, but as someone who “personally experienced housing instability as a young person, including displacement due to rent increases.”
“At Salinas City Elementary School District, we see firsthand how housing insecurity impacts our student’s ability to focus, learn and thrive,” Andrade said. “Nearly 94% of our students are identified as homeless—that means they are living ‘doubled up’ with other families. That’s 94% that live doubled-up, while others are seeking shelter in motels, temporary housing, or face nights unsheltered. These figures are well above the statewide average and reflect a profound need for stable and affordable housing options.”
“When children have safe and stable housing they are better positioned to grow academically, socially and emotionally,” she added.
This article originally appeared on Salinas Californian: Tenant advocates in Salinas try to save landmark rent stabilization ordinance
Reporting by Roseann Cattani, Salinas Californian / Salinas Californian
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
