Legislative Update

SB 395 (Wahab) Statewide Database: Notices of Termination and Rent Increases – This bill would have required housing providers to file copies of notices of termination and notices of rent increases with the Secretary of State within ten days of serving the notices on tenants. SB 395 would have further specified that failure by a housing provider to file such a notice would have constituted an affirmative defense to a cause of action for an unlawful detainer. Lastly, the bill would have required the creation of a publicly searchable database that would have included the volume of termination of tenancy notices by zip code and the rates of rental increases by address and unit number. C.A.R. opposed SB 395: it would have imposed burdensome and costly requirements on housing providers while providing no benefits for tenants.

Position: Oppose

Status: Held in the Senate Appropriations Committee

AB 770 (Kalra) Elderly Residential Care Facilities: Capacity in Residential Neighborhoods – AB 770 would have permitted a residential care facility for the elderly to be placed in a residential neighborhood in excess of the six-person limitation in current law as long as it conformed to the occupancy limits for that property. C.A.R had concerns with this change to existing law, as the current law strikes a balance allowing residential care facilities in neighborhoods without disrupting the residential character of the neighborhood. Allowing a larger number of occupants creates effectively a commercial use of the property. Furthermore, with a persistent lack of housing supply and constant pressures on housing affordability, converting even more residential housing to commercial uses is of great concern and would have likely resulted in reducing homeownership opportunities for our working families while serving to further increase the price of median housing in California. 

Position: Oppose Unless Amended

Status: Held in the Assembly Appropriations Committee