POINT ARENA CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA ITEM SUMMARY
AGENDA ITEM: VII E
MEETING DATE: 1/28/2025
TITLE
SCORE’s Proposed Housing Ordinance and Rent Control
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Reject the Proposed Rent Control Housing Ordinance and Rent Control
ANALYSIS
In October 2020, the South Coast Organizing for Radical Equity (SCORE) presented a proposal to the Point Arena City Council with demands to address the urgent displacement issues related to a lack of affordable housing. The City Council took no official action.
In December 2023, SCORE made a presentation to the Point Arena City Council regarding rent control, and stated in their letter “we return to the City of Point Arena with the following policy demands:
● A city-wide moratorium on rent increases until the City of Point Arena has complied with providing the full amount of affordable housing legally mandated by the State of California.
● After the city-wide moratorium on rent increases is lifted, a city-wide rent control ordinance to be imposed at a rate of 3% allowable annual increase. This ordinance should be permanent, to be revisited by the City when the median income of Point Arena increases to at least $95,000.
● A city-wide moratorium on approval of any new short-term rental permits until the City of Point Arena has complied with providing the full amount of permanent affordable housing legally mandated by the State of California, and 100% or more of any planned new affordable housing units have been built.
● Restricting the number of short-term rental properties to the current number of permitted short-term rentals (instead of a percentage of residential housing in the city limits).
● Limiting short-term rentals to one per property owner, whose primary residence must be in Mendocino County.”
The City Council took no formal action regarding SCORE’s policy demands.
Over the past year, SCORE has continued to communicate with Interim City Manager Ducey about implementing a rent control program. Ducey has maintained that, given the City’s current financial situation, implementing a rent control program is not possible. Most recently, SCORE has pushed the program through an informal community group.
Notably, SCORE’s demands come at a time when the City continues to face serious financial instability. In the same month that SCORE made a presentation to the City Council regarding this new rent control program, the City laid off three employees and reduced the remaining employee hours from 32 to 25 hours per week, a 20% reduction.
That reduction remained in place until December 2024. The previously laid off employees were not rehired.
SCORE representatives have maintained that implementing a new rent control program would be simple because the City could copy rent control ordinances from other cities.
While staff often studies similar City programs when developing a new project, it is never a simple “cut and paste”. All new programs must address Point Arena’s unique situation and circumstances. Additionally, a rent control program would increase the City’s legal costs substantially at a time when it is still in financial recovery.
SCORE has been given an opportunity to present their proposal to the City Council. The City Council has had an opportunity to ask questions and express concerns about the program. Given the City’s current financial priorities, staff requests that City Council reject SCORE’S proposed housing ordinance and rent control program.
FISCAL IMPACT
No fiscal impact if the City Council directs staff to not pursue implementation of this proposal.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment I: SCORE Letter dated July 20, 2023
Attachment II: Point Arena Affordable Housing Petition
CITY MANAGER SIGNATURE
_________________________________
Peggy Ducey, Interim City Manager
Submitted to City Council
on 7.20.23
Point Arena Housing Ordinance Proposal 2023
Point Arena City Council, Mayor Point Arena City Council, Vice-Mayor Barbara Burkey Anna Dobbins
Point Arena City Council, Councilmember Point Arena City Council, Councilmember Dan Doyle Jeff Hansen
Point Arena City Council, Councilmember
Jim Koogle
In October 2020, South Coast Organizing for Radical Equity (SCORE) presented a proposal to the Point Arena City Council with demands to address the urgent displacement issues related to lack of affordable housing and rapid purchase of a significant amount of commercial and residential real estate by a single investment group. These demands were made in direct response to unlawful evictions, displacement of city residents and inaction on the part of the City of Point Arena to enforce tenant protections.
The Point Arena City Council’s response to SCORE asserted that SCORE’s demands were unnecessary and that displacement was not a relevant concern at that time. The City of Point Arena also asserted to SCORE that it has no internal capacity to provide tenant rights information to renters—SCORE has filled this gap by starting a Housing Warm Line and assisting local renters facing unlawful eviction and rent increases with legal and navigational resources.
Since that time, the City of Point Arena has publicly acknowledged that a lack of affordable housing is an issue directly affecting the retention of essential workers, educators, service industry workers and healthcare professionals. In the past two years, we have lost countless beloved community members because they could not find affordable housing or were unlawfully removed from their homes. Young adults who grew up in the region are unable to afford to return. Year-round residents struggle to afford rent month-to-month and are unable to find affordable options while more short-term rentals continue to appear. While we commend the City of Point Arena for prioritizing community input in its forthcoming housing plan, SCORE and many other members of the community believe that the plan as currently articulated is not enough to prevent ongoing displacement as it is being implemented, and that policies can and must be enacted now in order to protect residents from further displacement.
For this reason, we return to the City of Point Arena with the following policy demands:
ATTACHMENT I
● A city-wide moratorium on rent increases until the City of Point Arena has complied with providing the full amount of affordable housing legally mandated by the State of California.
● After the city-wide moratorium on rent increases is lifted, a city-wide rent control ordinance to be imposed at a rate of 3% allowable annual increase. This ordinance should be permanent, to be revisited by the City when the median income of Point Arena increases to at least $95,000.
● A city-wide moratorium on approval of any new short-term rental permits until the City of Point Arena has complied with providing the full amount of permanent affordable housing legally mandated by the State of California, and 100% or more of any planned new affordable housing units have been built.
● Restricting the number of short-term rental properties to the current number of permitted short-term rentals (instead of a percentage of residential housing in the city limits).
● Limiting short-term rentals to one per property owner, whose primary residence must be in Mendocino County.
We recommend that ordinances supporting these policies be discussed, drafted and voted upon by December 2023. We have provided example policies sourced from other cities that have successfully implemented similar ordinances, listed below. If members of City Council require support in ordinance drafting, SCORE is willing and able to connect City Council members with supportive resources to increase capacity for ordinance drafting. SCORE recommends that any City Council member who owns short-term rentals recuse themselves from the discussion of these ordinances and any potential future vote, as there is a direct conflict of interest. Lastly, SCORE recommends that the City Council prioritize the discussion and development of enforcement protocols as part of or immediately following any new ordinance adoption.
It is our hope that the City of Point Arena will acknowledge the need for these restrictions and ordinances in order to ensure tangible access to affordable housing in the immediate short term, and that waiting for a five-to-ten-year plan to be implemented will result in displacement that has major economic, health, educational and community impacts.
Example Ordinances:
Rent Increase Caps/Stabilization
Antioch (municipal code 11-1.03) (3% max. annual rent increase cap):
https://astanehelaw.com/2022/08/27/antioch-rent-control/#:~:text=For%20units%20covered% 20by%20Antioch,notice%20in%20 any%20twelve%2 Months.
Santa Ana: https://www.santa-ana.org/documents/rent-stabilization-ordinance-english/ St Paul (Rent stabilization success):
https://www.stpaul.gov/sites/default/files/2022-07/Saint%20Paul%20-%20Rent%20Stabilizatio n%20Stakeholder%20Group%20-%20Final%20Report%20with%20Appendix%20Optimized.pdf Fort Bragg:
https://www.facebook.com/CityFortBraggCA/photos/a.765760326873875/1302622586520977/ ?type=3
Rent Control Ordinance summary for all California Cities:
https://fileshares.nolo.com/dl/FvVaW8qFYI
Short Term Rentals
South Lake Tahoe:
https://legistarweb-production.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/attachment/pdf/740807/Ordinance__Hoste d_Rentals__Clean__1_.pdf
Cathedral City:
https://www.cathedralcity.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/10337/637546777043470000 Calistoga:
https://www.ci.calistoga.ca.us/home/showpublisheddocument/21807/635924362685270000 Yountville:
https://www.townofyountville.com/home/showpublisheddocument/9905/6366094484569700 00 Sunnyvale:
https://www.sunnyvale.ca.gov/home/showpublisheddocument/3702/637964301124070000 Palm Springs (not all ordinance is applicable, but has language on one short term rental per owner): https://www.palmspringsca.gov/home/showdocument?id=51396 Point Arena Affordable Housing Petition