Sonoma County adopts targeted urgency ordinance extending eviction protections for Lower Russian River communities

Sonoma County supervisors on Feb. 11 approved an urgency ordinance designed to limit evictions in unincorporated Lower Russian River communities after the February atmospheric river storm, and agreed to pursue a non-urgent code change to allow narrower, locality-specific invocations of the county'wide tenant-protection ordinance.

The ordinance, introduced and read by County Counsel Liz Coleman, narrows protections to tenants in the unincorporated communities of Forestville, Guerneville, Rio Nido, Monte Rio, Via Grande and Duncan Mills and would prevent landlords from commencing a termination of tenancy except in specific cases such as serious violence, imminent threat to safety, removal from the rental market, or compliance with a court or governmental order. The urgency ordinance will sunset on the earlier of Aug. 25, 2025, or 30 days after the termination of the underlying flooding emergency declaration.

The board first ratified a proclamation of local emergency for the Feb. 2025 Atmospheric River storm on Feb. 11 and at that time activated countywide emergency tenant protections under Ordinance No. 6,496. Counsel said the board directed staff to return quickly with a more geographically tailored urgency ordinance; that ordinance and a companion resolution terminating the countywide protections (if the resolution is adopted) were on Tuesday's agenda and were approved by the supervisors.

Why it matters: Board members and community groups said the measure aims to stabilize housing in flood-affected river communities and to protect tenants facing direct housing loss and indirect economic impacts from the storm. Supporters urged a broad approach because many residents who work in the affected area live elsewhere in the county and could lose income, while some board members said targeted protection is a preferable approach when the emergency is localized.

Discussion and public input

County Counsel Liz Coleman told the board that the urgency ordinance would restore protections similar to those previously in effect countywide but limited to the Lower Russian River area. The ordinance as drafted would become effective immediately upon adoption and would automatically sunset in six months unless the emergency declaration ends sooner. Coleman said staff can use the template again if future geographically focused emergency protections are needed.

Supervisor Robert (Bob) Corsi and Supervisor Susan Abbott asked about the data supporting an uptick in…