State lawmakers in Sacramento affect us so very much in Los Angeles and Santa Monica.
Hot News: The bill to stop the Ellis act is dead... for this year.
Sen. Mark Leno has halted his pursuit of state legislation that would undermine
a landlord's right to leave the rental housing industry.
Leno, D-San Francisco, has given up on Senate Bill 1439 after its
rejection in the Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee last
week. The bill took aim at the Ellis Act, a landmark 1985 law that bars local
governments from making property owners stay in the apartment business.
Leno told the San Francisco Chronicle on Tuesday that he'll
probably try to resurrect the bill in 2015. " I'm very committed to this,..." he said in the
article.
The Housing and Community Development Committee voted down SB 1439
by a 4-3 vote on June 18, leaving little chance for Leno to keep the bill
afloat this year. The bill would force many rental property owners in San Francisco
to wait at least five years before removing their units from the market - even
if losing money month after month.
While the bill would have applied only to San Francisco, it could
have statewide ramifications. Los Angeles and Santa Monica has already
expressed interest in pursuing legislation similar to SB 1439.
Before the Ellis Act, rent-controlled cities -
Santa Monica in particular - were forcing landlords to stay in business, even
if they were losing money or experiencing other hardships. The Ellis Act has
blocked this type of government intrusion, providing a veritable escape hatch for
owners who can no longer thrive - or even survive - in rent-controlled
communities. All the owner in California owe a debt of gratitude to The
California Apartment Association (CAA) for their tireless work to defeat this
bill.