The Lemon Grove City Council voted 4-1 Tuesday to adopt an urgency ordinance that establishes temporary protections for residential renters. The ordinance gives tenants 120 days to vacate their apartments for all “no-fault” evictions and increases relocation assistance requirements. Although the legislation impacts renters and landlords across the city, the proposal was introduced after residents of the Serra Grove apartment complex complained their new landlord was bending substantial renovation rules to clear out longtime renters and re-list units at double the price. Over 20 Serra Grove residents attended the meeting to support the ordinance, while other attendees warned the stricter measures would scare off new developers. The 64-unit apartment complex primarily houses seniors and was purchased in November by the Phoenix-based company Orsett Serra Grove for $14 million. Tenants of Serra Grove started getting notices in January telling them they had 60 days to find a new place to live. According to several of the notices, the planned renovations required them to move out and the work was expected to be done in 45 days. Some tenants have not yet been served with notices, but said they were told to expect them. Serra Grove officials could not be reached for comment. The situation led Mayor Alysson Snow to introduce an urgency ordinance aimed at strengthening tenant protections in Lemon Grove. “This is happening throughout the community; substantial renovation is just one of the issues,” Snow said. The California Tenant Protection Act was passed in 2019 and provided a variety of protections to renters, including a provision requiring that tenants can only be told to move out if the owner plans to demolish or “substantially remodel” the unit. But the renovations happening at Serra Grove could have been completed without evicting tenants, Snow said, noting similar cases across the county. The ordinance she had originally proposed would have put a number of stricter rules on residential developers who have more than 15 properties. One would have required planned demotion of a unit to evict a tenant, which was defined as “more than 75%” of the unit being remodeled. It would have also doubled relocation payment requirements. Councilmember Seth Smith voted against the original draft of the legislation, which he said needed amending and was being rushed through. “State law has oversight in it,” Smith said, while pointing out his issues with the ordinance. “While I would like to see us do something, I don’t think we’ve had enough time to go through and craft this ordinance.” Councilmembers Jessyka Heredia and Yadira Altamirano also voted against the original ordinance, while Councilmember Jennifer Mendoza voted for it. After the first ordinance failed to pass, Snow introduced a second motion for an urgency ordinance. She said her goal was to provide immediate protection to current residential tenants before the city council agrees on a permanent ordinance. Her second proposed ordinance requires landlords to give tenants 120 days to vacate their apartments for all “no-fault” evictions. It also mandates landlords provide relocation assistance equal to one month of the tenant’s current rent plus one month of fair market rent. Disabled, senior and low-income tenants would be provided two months of fair market rent. The urgency ordinance will expire in 180 days. Altamirano was the sole vote against the proposal. The policy is not retroactive, so it will not help those who have already been given notices at Serra Grove. However, the council will meet in closed session with the city attorney to discuss whether the city will take legal action. In the meantime, city officials said they will hold public workshops so the community can provide input on a permanent tenants’ rights ordinance. ...read more read less