Community Development Agency
www.santa-ana.org/cd
Item # 10
City of Santa Ana
20 Civic Center Plaza, Santa Ana, CA 92701
Staff Report
October 7, 2025
TOPIC: Rental Registry Software for the Rent Stabilization and Just Cause Eviction Ordinance
AGENDA TITLE
Agreement with OpportunitySpace Inc. dba Tolemi for a Rental Registry Portal to Enforce the Rent Stabilization and Just Cause Eviction Ordinance (Spec. 25-073) (Non- General Fund)
RECOMMENDED ACTION
Authorize the City Manager to execute an agreement with OpportunitySpace Inc. dba Tolemi to implement, operate, and maintain a Rental Registry portal in a total amount not to exceed $580,000 for a three-year term beginning October 7, 2025, and expiring October 6, 2028, with provisions for two one-year extensions (Agreement No. A-2025- XXX).
GOVERNMENT CODE §84308 APPLIES: Yes
DISCUSSION
Ordinance NS-3052, known as the Rent Stabilization and Just Cause Eviction Ordinance (“Ordinance”), required the creation of a Rental Registry, defined as “the database or portal where Landlords register Rental Units, update Rental Unit information, update Tenancy information, submit notices, and pay the Rental Registry Fee,” effective July 1, 2023. The Rental Registry is the primary tool for the City of Santa Ana (“City”) to administer and enforce the provisions of the Ordinance, including the tracking, monitoring, and revision of annual rent increases and just-cause evictions.
On February 7, 2023, the City Council approved an agreement with 3Di Inc. (Agreement No. A-2023-011) to implement, operate, and maintain the Rental Registry after soliciting and awarding Request for Proposals (“RFP”) No. 22-156 in December of 2022. The City’s Agreement with 3Di Inc. will expire on January 31, 2026, and the Agreement does not allow for extensions.
RFP No. 25-073 was issued on April 29, 2025 on the City’s online bid management and publication system. A summary of vendor participation and results is as follows:
Rental Registry Software for the Rent Stabilization and Just Cause Eviction Ordinance October 7, 2025
5 3
5 0
Count Action
896 Vendors Notified
1 Santa Ana vendor notified
26 Vendors downloaded the RFP packet
6 Proposals received
0 Proposals received from Santa Ana vendors
Proposals were solicited, opened on May 27, 2025, and evaluated. Six (6) proposals were submitted by the RFP deadline and four (4) were determined to be responsive to the specifications and met the City’s requirements. The proposals submitted by Autocene Government Solutions Inc. and FSH Technologies were deemed non- responsive because they did not meet the formatting requirements and minimum qualifications of the RFP specifications. An evaluation committee of Rent Stabilization Division staff reviewed and rated the proposals according to the criteria listed in the RFP. The following list summarizes the responsive firms and their rankings:
Firm Rank Score
OpportunitySpace Inc. dba Tolemi 1 91.00
3Di Inc. 2 85.80
Pasadena Consulting Group LLC 3 84.80
Intellectyx Inc. 4 79.80
Staff recommends awarding an agreement to the highest-ranked firm, Opportunity Space Inc. dba Tolemi (Exhibit 1). Tolemi is a trusted provider of custom civic software applications with more than 100 municipalities nationwide contracting their services.
They provide specialized solutions for rental registry software and Tolemi’s platforms are becoming the software of choice for cities with similar Ordinances such as the City of Berkeley, the City of Half Moon Bay, and the City of Salinas in California. Their references expressed enthusiasm about continuing services with Tolemi into the foreseeable future.
Tolemi’s Software as a Service (“SaaS”) product will increase the operational efficiency of the City by supporting more advanced compliance methods, increasing compliance rates, transforming business practices, reducing manual data processing errors, providing flexible reporting capabilities, providing a simple and intuitive user interface, and meeting changing demands as enforcement of the Ordinance evolves.
The potential for increased operational efficiency is demonstrated by Tolemi’s robust technical capabilities and excellent customer service. The system will allow the City to implement a centralized communication platform where public users can directly respond to and complete certain business process requests through the system interface. The direct interaction will bypass the need to use separate platforms for compliance communication and tracking. Their customer service, both for public users and administrators, will allow for the quick resolution of concerns and minimize delays in implementing, performing, and completing routine and new business processes. Staff expects this level of product and vendor support will benefit both staff and the public in Rental Registry Software for the Rent Stabilization and Just Cause Eviction Ordinance October 7, 2025
5 3
5 0
facilitating, maintaining, and increasing compliance with the requirements of the Ordinance.
FISCAL IMPACT
Funds are budgeted in the Fiscal Year 2025-26 budget under the following account.
Subsequent fiscal year funding will be included in the proposed budgets for City Council consideration.
The first-year contract amount for Fiscal Year 2025-2026 includes $108,000 annual service fee and a $40,000 one-time implementation fee. Contract amounts for subsequent fiscal years are annual service fees of $108,000.
Fiscal
Year
Account Unit -
Account #
Fund
Description
Accounting Unit,
Account Description
Amount
2025-2026 18518700-
66511
Rent
Stabilization
Rent Stabilization –
Computer Software
Subscription
$148,000
2026-2027 18518700-
66511
Rent
Stabilization
Rent Stabilization –
Computer Software
Subscription
$108,000
2027-2028 18518700-
66511
Rent
Stabilization
Rent Stabilization –
Computer Software
Subscription
$108,000
2028-2029
(Optional)
18518700-
66511
Rent
Stabilization
Rent Stabilization –
Computer Software
Subscription
$108,000
2029-2030
(Optional)
18518700-
66511
Rent
Stabilization
Rent Stabilization –
Computer Software
Subscription
$108,000
Grand Total $580,000
EXHIBIT(S)
1. Consultant Agreement for OpportunitySpace Inc. dba Tolemi Submitted By: Michael L. Garcia, Executive Director, Community Development Agency Approved By: Alvaro Nuñez, City Manager