San Rafael staff, council discuss county rental registry, stronger just‑cause rules and standardizing relocation payments

San Rafael city leaders and staff discussed possible expansions to tenant protections — including a county‑led rental registry, strengthened "just cause" eviction rules and a single citywide relocation assistance policy — during a council meeting and public comment period.

City staff explained that San Rafael's just‑cause eviction ordinance, adopted in 2019, applies to properties with three or more units and requires landlords to state the cause for an eviction in notices but does not require landlords to submit that information to the city. The staff presentation noted the city ordinance produces little centralized data on evictions because informal terminations and pre‑court vacancies frequently go unrecorded.

The lack of early‑stage data led staff to recommend exploring a county rental registry to collect notices of termination, rent increase levels and other unit‑level information. Staff said a registry could be started as a phased pilot among three to four jurisdictions. A vendor identified during discussions, Ptolemy, was described as experienced and user‑friendly; county funding was said to be available for an initial year of a pilot.

Staff outlined how state law limiting annual rent increases to 5 percent plus the consumer price index — or 10…