Costa Mesa council directs staff to study rental registry, update tenant-notice rules; ratifies $100,000 in community donations

The Costa Mesa City Council on Sept. 9 directed staff to return with an update to the city's Tenant Protection Ordinance to require notice of any eviction, to draft a proposal for a Costa Mesa rental registry modeled after Santa Ana's registry (but without a rent-cap), and to form a "network for renter solutions" to coordinate outreach to renters and landlords.

The council also ratified staff action to disburse $50,000 each to two local nonprofits, Enough For All and Someone Cares Soup Kitchen, money staff said has already been dispersed.

City staff opened the discussion by summarizing work requested at an Aug. 5 council meeting. "The $50,000 contribution to Enough For All Fund will help provide assistance with rent, groceries, and other essential necessities," Management Analyst Sergio Escobar told the council, adding that both organizations "confirmed the acceptance of the donation" and that the funding had been dispersed.

Deputy City Manager Reyes and Government Affairs Manager Jay Barkman presented preliminary research on rental registries and tracking at-fault evictions. Barkman said staff found eight California cities with rental registries, mostly charter cities with larger populations, and that registries are typically used to track base rent, annual increases and related fees. "Fees for landlords to register range from as low as $29 to almost $400 per unit," Barkman said. He told the council that start-up costs can be close to $300,000 in the first year and that annual software costs may run about $85,000; registries also require dedicated staffing.

Staff emphasized that courts do not provide searchable, aggregate data on at-fault evictions. "The courts do not report or track at fault…