200 S. Anaheim Blvd.
Suite #356
Anaheim, CA 92805
Tel: (714) 765-5169
Fax: (714) 765-5723
www.anaheim.net
CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
City of Anaheim
OFFICE OF THE CITY ATTORNEY
DATE: SEPTEMBER 22, 2026
FROM: OFFICE OF THE CITY ATTORNEY
SUBJECT: TENANT PROTECTION ACT INTAKE PROGRAM
ATTACHMENT (Y/N): NO ITEM # 17
GOVERNMENT CODE § 84308 APPLIES: NO
ACTION:
Receive an update regarding the City Attorney's Office's implementation of a Tenant Protection Act information intake program for Anaheim renters.
BACKGROUND:
On February 24, 2026, Councilmember Rubalcava made a request to discuss how the City might be able to implement enforcement of the State’s rent control laws and also address no-cause evictions. Following that request, meetings were held between Councilmember Rubalcava, the Housing and Community Development Department, and the City Attorney’s Office to discuss options for supporting tenant protections in Anaheim.
As a result of those discussions, the City Attorney’s Office proposed exploring a program to support enforcement of state-mandated tenant protections by utilizing recently enacted laws that expressly authorize city attorneys and other local public prosecutors to enforce certain provisions of state tenant protection law. On June 23, 2026, Councilmember Rubalcava requested that staff provide an update on rent control enforcement.
As background, the California Tenant Protection Act (“TPA”) establishes statewide protections for certain residential tenants, including limitations on rent increases for covered rental properties and “just cause” requirements for certain terminations of tenancy.
In 2023, the Legislature adopted Senate Bill 567, which strengthened the TPA and expressly authorized local public attorneys to take enforcement action. Under Civil Code section 1946.2, the City Attorney, acting in the name of the City, may seek injunctive relief for violations of the TPA’s just-cause termination requirements. Civil Code section 1947.12 similarly enables the City Attorney to enforce that section and seek injunctive relief for violations of the TPA’s rent-increase limitations.
Tenant Protection Act Information Intake Program
September 22, 2026
DISCUSSION:
To assist the City in identifying potential violations occurring in Anaheim, the City Attorney's Office will launch a Tenant Protection webpage and online intake form. The webpage will provide residents with general information regarding the TPA and allow Anaheim renters to submit information concerning potential violations involving rent increases or eviction/termination notices.
The intake process is intended to serve two primary purposes. First, it will allow the City to collect information regarding the number and types of potential TPA violations being reported by Anaheim renters. This information will help the City better understand the nature and extent of tenant-protection concerns occurring within the community, including whether particular types of violations or patterns of conduct are emerging.
Second, the intake process will allow the City Attorney's Office to review reported matters and determine whether action by the City may be appropriate. Depending on the circumstances, the Office may request additional information, contact a landlord or property manager regarding a potential violation, seek voluntary compliance, refer the tenant to an appropriate outside resource, or, where warranted, initiate an enforcement action in the name of the City seeking injunctive or other relief authorized by law.
The program will focus on the areas of the TPA for which the Legislature has expressly provided City Attorney enforcement authority: rent-increase limitations and just-cause eviction/termination protections. The intake form therefore is not intended to serve as a general complaint process for all landlord-tenant disputes, such as habitability, repairs, security deposits, discrimination, or ordinary lease disputes. Those matters may involve rights and remedies under other laws but generally fall outside the scope of this TPA intake program.
City's Role and Individual Tenant Rights
The City Attorney's Office represents the City of Anaheim and the public interest; it does not represent individual tenants. Submission of an inquiry will not create an attorney-client relationship, and the City Attorney's Office will retain discretion to determine whether a matter warrants investigation or City enforcement action. Submission of an inquiry also will not stop or extend any deadline applicable to an eviction, lawsuit, or other legal proceeding, which the City intends to make clear in the intake forms.
Importantly, the City's enforcement role does not replace a tenant's individual legal rights. The TPA provides private remedies to tenants under certain circumstances. Depending upon the nature of the violation, an individual tenant may be entitled to pursue a civil action for actual damages and, in specified circumstances, additional damages, attorney's fees, or other relief. Tenants therefore will be advised that they should independently protect their legal rights and, where appropriate, consult a private attorney or tenant legal-services provider rather than wait for the City to act.
This distinction is important to the structure of the program. The City's purpose is not to serve as legal counsel for individual tenants or to resolve private landlord-tenant disputes. Rather, the intake process is intended to provide the City Attorney's Office with a mechanism to identify potential violations of Tenant Protection Act Information Intake Program
September 22, 2026
state law and determine when enforcement by the City is appropriate in the public interest, considering, among other things, available resources.
Implementation
The Tenant Protection webpage will provide a plain-language summary of the TPA's rent-increase and just-cause eviction protections, explain that exemptions may apply, identify resources available to tenants, and provide access to the City's online Tenant Protection Inquiry form.
The City Attorney's Office will review information received through the program and determine on a case-by-case basis whether further City involvement is appropriate. The Housing and Community Development Department may also use information collected through the intake process to evaluate trends and the effectiveness of the program. Staff can return to the City Council with an update regarding the program and reported TPA concerns after sufficient data has been collected.
IMPACT ON BUDGET:
The program will initially be administered by existing City Attorney's Office staff. Any significant future resource needs resulting from the volume of inquiries or enforcement activity will be brought to the City Council as appropriate.
Respectfully submitted,
Robert Fabela
City Attorney
Respectfully submitted,
Grace Ruiz-Stepter
Director of Housing and Community
Development