IMPARTIAL ANALYSIS PREPARED BY THE CITY ATTORNEY
The City Council of the City of Salinas has placed this measure on the November 3, 2026, ballot, as the result of a referendum on the City Council’s adoption of Ordinance No. 2687, to ask the voters to approve an ordinance that would repeal four other ordinances, collectively the “Rent Ordinances”: Ordinance No. 2663 (Rental Registration), Ordinance No. 2681 (Rent Stabilization), Ordinance No. 2682 (Tenant Protection and Just Cause Eviction), and Ordinance No 2683 (Tenant Anti-Harassment).
On April 4, 2023, the City Council adopted Ordinance No. 2663 (Rental Registration) which requires that all residential rental properties in Salinas (including single-family units, multi-family units, non-owner-occupied Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), and vacant on-market units) be registered with the City of Salinas and that owners of residential rental properties provide certain information identifying the owner and information describing the rental unit. The Rental Registration Ordinance establishes penalties for failure to comply.
On September 24, 2024, the City Council adopted Ordinance No. 2681 (Rent Stabilization) which established limits on annual rent increases for controlled rental units, as defined in the ordinance, and processes by which landlords and tenants can petition for additional rent increases or rent reductions; Ordinance No. 2682 (Tenant Protection and Just Cause Eviction) which established local criteria for just cause evictions beyond what State law currently provides and provided additional protections for tenants residing within applicable residential rental units, including additional bilingual notices and relocation assistance in the amount of three months’ rent; and, Ordinance No. 2683 (Tenant Anti-Harassment) which augmented existing protections under federal, state, and local law to prohibit and to deter harassment of tenants by landlords in all residential rental units, including single-family residences and condominiums. The Rent Stabilization Ordinance, Tenant Protection and Just Cause Eviction Ordinance, and the Tenant Anti-Harassment Ordinance establish penalties for failure to comply.
Ordinance No. 2687, the subject of this measure, would repeal all four of the Rent Ordinances, thereby eliminating local rental registration requirements, local annual rent increase limits, local requirements for evictions from rental units, and local protections for tenants from harassment by landlords.
A “YES” vote is to vote in favor of the measure and to repeal the four Rent Ordinances.
A “NO” vote is to vote against the measure and to keep the four Rent Ordinances in effect.
The measure would be approved if it received a simple majority (50% + 1) of “YES” votes.
Ordinance No 2687, the four Rent Ordinances, and the related materials are available on the City Attorney’s webpage. (https://www.salinas.gov/Your-Government/Departments/City-Attorney) Christopher A. Callihan, City Attorney