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San Leandro council moves first reading to shift rent‑registry filing deadline to July 31
Summary
City council voted unanimously on the first reading of an ordinance amendment to change the rental registry filing deadline from Jan. 31 to July 31, 2026, citing software procurement and implementation delays. Staff said the change will allow time for vendor selection, software development, outreach and landlord assistance before launch.
The San Leandro City Council on Monday approved the first reading of an ordinance that would push the municipal rental registration filing deadline from Jan. 31 to July 31, 2026, after staff said the software needed to operate the registry will not be ready for the earlier start date.
Housing Manager Carrie Huesler told the council staff had worked “aggressively” to meet the original timeline but that software procurement, vendor selection and development required additional time. She described a revised schedule in which the city will release an RFP this year, return to the council with a vendor recommendation in December, complete development and staff training over winter and spring, and begin an outreach campaign ahead of a July 2026 launch.
Council Member Roberta Viveiros Walton moved the ordinance forward; Council Member Victor Aguilar seconded the motion. The first reading passed unanimously.
Huesler said the change is intended to give staff and the selected vendor time to build a system that provides good customer service for landlords and that lessons learned from other jurisdictions show intensive assistance will be needed during the first filing period. She said the city expects to submit the two‑year software contract for council approval in December.
Public commenters raised privacy and scope concerns. One commenter asked that the city tighten the ordinance’s definition of “landlord” and narrow the registry’s data fields, arguing the draft language could be used to request bank or Social Security information. Another commenter suggested the city explore county models that add fields to an existing business‑license renewal process instead of building a standalone registry.
City staff said the program’s adopted budget covers the initial work and that the finance team would review software costs; Huesler estimated a possible additional one‑time software development cost of $50,000–$75,000 and ongoing annual software maintenance of about $55,000, with final numbers to come after the RFP process.
No changes to the ordinance’s substantive requirements were adopted Monday; the council will return for a second reading on Oct. 20. If the council adopts the amended ordinance at second reading, the new effective date would be July 1, 2026, with the first required filings due July 31, 2026.
