On Monday, November 4^th, the City Council and I unanimously agreed to enact a new urgency ordinance that will temporarily prohibit no-fault evictions and limit rent increases through the end of the year for any property built prior to 2005. This decision comes as a response to the Tenant Protection Act of 2019, AB 1482, which was passed by state legislature and goes into effect at the start of next year. The act prevents rent increases over five percent each year plus adjustments to the Consumer Price Index and prohibits evictions without “just cause”. This means that landlords will not be able to evict a tenant without a legally sufficient reason to do so.

Following the passage of the state legislation, I heard from many tenants throughout Pomona who were experiencing sudden rent increases and no-fault evictions before the new law takes effect. Many of these tenants were families living paycheck to paycheck, who could not afford for their rent to increase. It was clear to my colleagues on the City Council and myself that immediate action was needed to prevent city residents from losing their homes before the state legislation provides protection.

There are many landlords in Pomona who are trying to do the right thing for their tenants throughout this process, but there are also some who are not, and that is the issue that our city is facing today. Some tenants have described treatment that is unacceptable.

There are many issues in housing policy that need to be addressed. You will be hearing about additional steps we will be taking to provide affordable housing for Pomona residents. But by enacting this ordinance immediately,  and protecting tenants in Pomona from no-fault evictions and unreasonable rent increases in the short-term, we are making progress in improving the way of life for people in our city.