Item 26 - Long-Term Implementation Plan for the Rent Stabilization and Just Cause Eviction Ordinances

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Long-Term Implementation Plan for the Rent Stabilization and Just Cause Eviction Ordinances September 6, 2022 Page 5 2 9 3 0 administers the RSO and JCEO through a consultant, RSG, and partial staff time from a Housing Programs Analyst, Housing Division Manager, and Assistant City Attorney. Before adopting a rental registry fee, staff will need to develop a work plan detailing and itemizing exactly how the RSO and JCEO will be administered (e.g. how the fee will be used). In their research of Sample Jurisdictions, the following services were provided as best practices to effectively implement rent stabilization and just cause eviction ordinances: •Annual Registration – Process registration fees for the rental registry, maintain rental registry, and send annual notices of maximum allowable rent increases. •Compliance – Process notices of violations and complaints, send notices of non- compliance to landlords, and pursue compliance activities as necessary for non- compliant properties. •Evictions/Termination of Tenancy – Review notices of eviction/termination of tenancy to ensure compliance with the JCEO. •Hearings and Appeals – Process hearings for appeals to rent amounts and petitions. This includes communicating with the tenants and landlords involved, collecting supporting documentation, coordinating with the Rental Housing Board, and writing letters of determination. •Housing Counseling/Mediation – Provide tenant and landlord housing counseling and mediation services. •Petitions – Receive, review, and analyze data to provide decisions on petitions, subject to appeal. •Public Information – Provide customer service to inquiring tenants and landlords and conduct on-going community outreach and education. •Rental Housing Board Administration – Facilitate regular meetings and complete administrative tasks related to the Rental Housing Board. Taking into account all of these best practices, a work plan will be prepared and provided to an outside consultant to conduct a fee study to determine the rental registry fee. A detailed budget to match the work plan would also be included in the process to develop a rental registry fee. The work plan will account for the principles surrounding the rental registry fee and the most cost-effective way to implement the long-term implementation plan, including the consideration of setting the fee as low and lean as possible, utilizing consultants, and building upon other services across the city. 5. Conduct a Fee Study Based on the Work Plan and Staffing Needs Next, a fee study will be conducted based upon the work plan (Recommendation # 4) and staffing needs identified. Based on their research of seven (7) Sample Jurisdictions, RSG found that the overall program budget is largely related to the number of units in a rental registry and the services provided. Santa Ana has approximately 36,350 rental units that may be subject to registration in the rental registry. A fee study will account for the number of units that may be included in the rental registry and the proposed budget based on the work plan to determine the fees required to fully recover costs of all budgeted operations (e.g. 100% cost recovery). Using an average rental registry fee per unit for all Sample Jurisdictions of $195 and 36,350 rental units in Santa Ana, RSG estimates that the City