Council advances tenant anti-harassment and just-cause changes after hours of public comment from renters and landlords

The Oxnard City Council on April 29 approved first readings and directed staff to implement administrative rules for two related tenant-protection measures: a new tenant anti-harassment ordinance and amendments to the city’s just-cause eviction code. Council approved the items following extensive public comment from tenants, tenant advocates and landlord representatives. The two items together create new enforcement tools, penalties and procedures for alleged harassment or retaliation and clarify implementation of just-cause eviction protections.

What the council approved: Councilmembers voted to introduce the tenant anti-harassment ordinance and the just-cause code amendments, and to authorize staffing and administrative regulations needed for implementation. The anti-harassment ordinance creates a defined list of prohibited practices (for example, abusive entry, threats based on immigration status and interference with tenant organizing activities) when done with intent to intimidate or retaliate. The ordinance also proposes civil damages (statutory caps were proposed consistent with cited civil-code provisions), attorney fees and administrative enforcement tools. The council also advanced code amendments implementing just-cause evictions and directed staff to prepare implementing regulations and a registration/fee study for owner notification and program financing.

Public testimony and key concerns: Dozens of tenants gave in-person and translated testimony describing alleged intimidation, retaliation after code or rent-cap complaints, and threats involving immigration reporting. Tenants and advocates argued the city needs enforceable remedies and a staffed program to resolve disputes and deter harassment. Tenant attorneys and organizers asked the council to provide staffing and funding and to adopt the ordinance to give residents confidence to report habitability and safety problems.

Landlord concerns and process: Representatives of property-owner associations and small landlords testified that portions of the draft ordinance were too broad, could discourage necessary owner-tenant communication and create costly litigation exposure for “mom-and-pop” owners. At the March stakeholder workshop and a subsequent council committee meeting, city staff convened landlords, tenants and neutral mediators to refine language. Staff emphasized the proposal is meant to target bad actors and protect tenants while providing due process. The City’s Office of the City Attorney and outside consultants participated in the drafting and stakeholder sessions.

Budget and staffing: The anti-harassment ordinance included a request for two full-time positions in the FY 2025–26 budget to administer the program. The city manager and staff noted a fee study is in progress to determine whether a program fee or other funding source will offset program costs; any fee would be set later by council resolution. Staff said similar mediation programs in other cities had a mix of full-time staff and volunteer mediators and total operating budgets that can exceed several hundred thousand dollars.

Council debate and outcomes: Council discussion ranged from concern that a punitive ordinance could push small landlords out of the rental market to repeated tenant testimony about the need for legal remedies. Several council members said the ordinance is intended to deter bad behavior without penalizing good landlords, and they cited the stakeholder process used to refine the ordinance. Councilmember Star raised concerns about unintended consequences for housing supply and advocated for a mediation-first approach; he ultimately abstained from the anti-harassment vote. Council approved the first reading of the anti-harassment ordinance and the just-cause amendments; both items will return for a second reading as required by law, and staff will bring program details, fee study results and administrative rules back to council.

Votes: Tenant anti-harassment ordinance (first reading): motion carried 6–1 with Councilmember Star recorded as abstaining. Just-cause code amendments (first reading): motion carried 6–1 (Councilmember Star registered a no vote on the just-cause item).

Why it matters: The changes erect local enforcement options that did not previously exist or were not consistently enforced, including civil penalties and administrative processes for certain harassment and retaliatory behaviors. The council also approved staff positions to implement the program and asked for a fee study and additional community outreach.

Next steps: The items are at first reading; staff will return with a second reading for final adoption, implementing regulations (administrative rules), and the results of the fee study and recommended funding approach. Staff said the city would coordinate outreach with tenant and landlord stakeholders and will report program metrics back to council after implementation.

Sources: Staff reports and presentations by Housing Department staff, public testimony at the April 29 council meeting, and statements from tenant attorneys and landlord representatives recorded in the meeting transcript.