Anti-Displacement Measures

  1. Rental registry. EX: Concord: Cost $5-15 per unit and subcontracted. Could be paid by a fee to Air B&Bs, landlords, and tenants. Advantages – data source, track complaints, track displacement indicators referenced in Sharp Park Specific Plan,  Air B & B tax compliance.
  2. Anti-harassment ordinance. EX: City of Richmond, JAN 2022. “Landlord harassment can be persistent…aggressive, and can disrupt a tenant’s right to quiet enjoyment of their home…(forcing) the tenant to move out.”
  3. Red Tag Ordinance. EX: City of San Mateo – requires property owners to provide relocation payments to tenants displaced because of code violations.
  4. Short term rental regulations – EX: Under negotiation in Half Moon Bay. Restricting conversion of long-term housing stock to Air B&Bs. If a rental registry is in place, the restriction could be based on low-income vacancy rate. If vacancy rate is below 5%, conversions would be restricted and thereby preserve existing long-term housing.
  5. Substantial renovation ordinance. EX: City of San Mateo, Longbeach. Ordinance requires that a contractor pulls necessary permits before tenant eviction. Also includes tenant first right of return and tenant 3 month relocation benefits.
  6. Just cause eviction protection from 1st day of rental. EX: San Jose, Oakland. Fills a loophole in AB 1482 and protects tenants from eviction without cause from the first day of tenancy.
  7. Developer buyout. EX: East Palo Alto. Also known as Tenants or Community Opportunity to Purchase (TOPA/COPA). Used in other communities across the country, its provides the opportunity for current tenants or the community to come up with funding and resources to create a trust – this would retain the units at an affordable level in perpetuity while also providing the participants the chance at ownership as stipulated by the trust.
  8. Special needs, our unhoused. Our needs assessment must include plans to address housing for special needs populations. Our One Day Homeless Count county-wide demonstrates an increase of homeless living in cars and vans, and Pacifica ranks third in the County in numbers of homeless. Pacifica’s Safe Parking Program specifically assists those in motorhomes. We do not have a program that offers safe parking for those in cars/vans/tents that desire a pathway to permanent housing. Pacifica Housing 4 All recognizes this special need and suggests a tiny home pilot.

General policies to incentivize low-income housing

  1. Increase inclusionary rate to 20% to produce more low-income housing.
  2. In-lieu fees should be based on market values  (around $750 K/unit?
  3. Create a dedicated housing fund supported by: Monies can be used to leverage projects for low-income housing preservation and projects with non-profit developers.
    • Vacancy fee: all residential properties NOT just rental properties – see SF, Oakland,  Vancouver BC 2017 – 1% non-primary residence unoccupied for more than 6 months annually including short term rentals.
    • Title transfer fee: City of San Mateo charges $5 for every $1000 of sale value
    • In lieu fees, developer impact fees (to benefit low income housing), sale of city land.
  4. Pathway for preservation of existing affordable housing.
    • EX: HIP housing and HEART: to leverage funds from our dedicated housing fund.
    • EX: RWC has an established system to be at the ready in the event an opportunity for affordable housing occurs