On Tuesday night, the Mountain View City Council is poised to strengthen the city's tenant relocation ordinance, a policy that is a key component of Measure W. Revisions to the policy will determine how aggressively city leaders want to discourage evictions.
In August, a majority of the council voted to draft its own rent stabilization measure as an alternative to Measure V, the citizen-backed rent-control initiative which they criticized as inflexible and costly. Like the citizen-backed measure, the council's Measure W includes just-cause eviction protections that spell out the specific circumstances when landlords may oust tenants. But Measure W also includes a way for landlords to circumvent those just-cause eviction protections.
In an idea suggested by Councilman Chris Clark, Measure W includes a system of financial disincentives to discourage evictions That plan called for updating the tenant relocation assistance ordinance, enacted in 2010, to force landlords to pay compensation if they displace four or more low-income tenants.
On Tuesday, the existing tenant relocation ordinance could be expanded to include every rental unit in the city. The City Council will consider raising the income threshold for tenants, which is currently set at 80 percent of the area median income (about $85,000 for a four-person household). Mountain View staff members suggest that the city could raise that threshold to 120 percent (about $130,000 for a four-person household) or they could make all tenants eligible.
The city could also increase the amount displaced tenants would be paid. Under the current system, evicted tenants are entitled to the cash equivalent of three months of rent, along with additional money for special-needs tenants, such as the elderly or the disabled.
Measure V supporters argue that allowing landlords to buy out tenants in a rent-controlled apartment and replace them market-rate tenants represents a giant loophole in Measure W.
The Tuesday City Council meeting agenda includes some other hot-button issues. In a study session before the regular meeting, the council will discuss the transportation impacts of the upcoming North Bayshore Precise Plan. Plans by Prometheus Real Estate Group for a 583-apartment development at 400 San Antonio Road are also on the agenda.
The Mountain View City Council will meet for a study session on the North Bayshore Precise Plan at 5 p.m at the Council Chambers at 500 Castro St. The regular session will convene at 6:30 p.m.
An agenda and staff reports for the meeting can be found at the city website.