By Jorge Casuso

Editor's note: A previous version of this article stated the City Council had removed the measure from the ballot. It, instead, removed a provision from the measure.

July 30, 2026 – The City Council Tuesday night scrapped a key provision of a ballot measure that would have allowed tenants to move a family member into their units without giving the landlord a reason why.

The move came after a hastily called special joint meeting of the Council and Rent Control Board Monday to address concerns the provision in the measure the Council had placed on November ballot at its July 14 meeting could expose the City to a lawsuit.

Property owners objected to the provision that revised the requirements "for owners to evict tenants for breach of a rental agreement based on the addition of new occupants" and also revised the protections "for certain occupants remaining in the unit after the original tenant vacates."

The proposed provision required the tenant to have lived in the unit for at least a year and allowed a spouse, partner, parent, grandparent, child, grandchild and sibling to move in.

The tenant would not be required to give the landlord a reason why the person was moving in, such as financial hardship or a medical emergency.

Property owners objected to the provision, which they said could "effectively force landlords to enter into new landlord-tenant relationships," according to the report to the Council from City staff.

The provision also "could create a possibility that a landlord would be prohibited from taking back possession of their property perpetually" and "would circumvent state-law rights to reset rents under specified conditions."

Under the 1996 Costa-Hawkins Rental Act, commonly referred to as the State's vacancy decontrol law, landlords of rent control units can raise the rent to market rates when a tenant voluntarily vacates or is evicted for non-payment of rent.

At the June 25 Rent Board meeting, Commissioner Ericka Lesley assured property owners the provision did not create "a perpetual tenancy" that deprived them of their rights. One Commissioner, however, indicated the Board would "let the courts decide."

At the joint meeting Monday, the Rent Board commissioners recommended that the Council rescind the resolution placing the measure with the provision on the ballot "to allow for more study and community input on those proposed changes," staff said.

Under the resolution approved by the Council Tuesday, the Board and Council will "carefully consider and develop appropriately tailored eviction protections related to adding additional occupants to a rental unit and family members and occupants being allowed to stay when a tenant of the owner vacates," staff wrote.