Public Comment
Rass
Joseph A Raso
157 MURRAY ST. CHULA VISTA, CA 91910
[email protected] Telephone 619-454-1281
Honorable Mayor and City Council 12/20/22
Here is how the Residential Landlord and Tenant
Ordinance" effects Chula Vista residents. This new law forces Landlords to drastically raise rents to offset costs incurred by its implementation.
Outlined in Italics below are just a few fatally flawed clauses within this Act.
Clause 9.65.060 E States: "Owners and Tenants shall provide City with information regarding termination of Tenancies at such time(s) and with such details as shall be required by City in the attendant Administrative Regulations. "
Clause 9.65.080 C 2 & 4 states: "Civil penalties for violations of this chapter may be assessed at a rate not to exceed $5,000 per violation per day. ....it is not required that a warning or notice to cure must first be given.... Owner, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by ...imprisonment for a period of not more than six months, or by both a fine and
imprisonment."
1 Here is How These Clauses Hurt Everyone:
1) Tenant decides to terminate lease and move out.
2) Tenant inadvertently does not inform the city.
3) As result, with no right to cure, Landlord faces a
$5,000.00 daily fine and a six month prison term.
Threatening my wife & I and other Chula Vista Landlords with prison and the confiscation of entire life's savings for some inadvertent mistake on is wrong.
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Mary & I have ten tenants. Because I am handy with a
hammer we have managed to keep rents very reasonable. Our monthly rents range from $2,975.00 for a beautiful spacious four bedroom two bath house to $1,000.00 for a one bedroom unit.
October last we informed our tenants of the 2023 rent
schedule. Rent went up $25.00 for four tenants, remained unchanged for five, and to my surprise, rent for one actually went down. With the passage of this ordinance, January 1, we will be forced to scrap those plans and raise rents the maximum amount allowed by law.
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I have been a Chula Vista Landlord for 51 years. Mary & I have had wonderful relationships with individual tenants for 10, 20, and even 30 years. This ordinance brings all that to an end. 2 Example: Pam, a Grandmother, and a tenant of ours for eleven years, was absolutely thrilled and gave me a big hug when we recently completely modernized her condo.
Fortunately we were able to maintain her rent at $600.00 less than identical condos in the same complex. With her being on a fixed income I felt the passage of this ordinance would affect her more than any other. To give her time to prepare, we have already given her a 90 notice of the maximum rent increase. I think she now hates me. It just kills me how you can pass a law that just tears at the very fabric of our community.
I have lost countless hours sleep reading, rereading and rereading this ordinance. I have attended the workshop set up up by the city explaining the roll out of this ordinance and our responsibility to inform tenants. We will give all tenants a copy this new law so they will understand reason behind these unprecedented rent increases. I am absolutely positive this ordinance, as written, hurts many more people than it helps.
Please feel free to contact me if you feel I am wrong with my conclusions.
Respectfully,
Joseph A Raso