| Government Affairs |
San Mateo Adopts State Law Tenant Protections
On Monday, November 17, 2025, the San Mateo City Council voted to pass two local ordinances dealing with policies extending State law, AB 1482, provisions to include relocation assistance for no-fault evictions for tenants with a tenure of less than a year from 12 months to 11 months and adhere to requirements for property owners to notify tenants displaced due to substantial rehabilitation when the new or substantially remodeled unit becomes available.
On April 21, 2025, the City Council held a study session on tenant protections and anti-displacement policies and rejected rent control policies that exceeded AB 1482. Instead, the council directed staff to come back on November 17 with proposals not to exceed state law. SAMCAR and the California Apartment Association (CAA) successfully argued at the time against numerous rent control proposals and for the need to adhere to State law regarding relocation assistance and notification requirements. SAMCAR and CAA were also successful in arguing against a restrictive rental registry that was included in the April staff presentation.
The Municipal Code will now be updated implementing the just-cause and relocation provisions of AB 1482. Secondly, the City's Tenant Relocation Ordinance will now streamline the enforcement protocol for red tag properties. Finally, the City's platform for business license tax collection (administered by a third party, HdL) will be used as a means of collecting basic information from rental property owners. Rental property owners will not be mandated to provide such information, as in a rental registry. Rather, it will be collected on a voluntary basis.
Adherence to provisions already found in State law is a welcome development for proponents of private property rights versus activists calling for more rent control. Thank you to all the SAMCAR members who made your voices heard. Calling on the council to direct staff to focus instead on building on the successful emergency rental assistance program, align ordinances to what is already found in State law, increase housing supply, tackle restrictive permitting, and educate both renters and housing providers on AB 1482 and the numerous resources available in the community is greatly appreciated.
