Supervisor Campos introduces ordinance to increase relocation payments for Ellis Act evictions

Supervisor David Campos introduced legislation seeking to increase relocation payments for tenants displaced under the Ellis Act, advocating a market‑based calculation to better match San Francisco housing costs.

Campos told the board his office and tenant groups have held neighborhood conventions where increasing relocation payments was a recurring theme. He said the current statutory relocation cap—$5,200 per tenant and the $15,000 unit cap in state law—does not reflect local rental market conditions and is insufficient to keep displaced tenants in the city.

The proposed ordinance would assess relocation costs using a market analysis consistent with eminent‑domain compensation methods, according to Campos and his staff. Campos said he worked with the controller’s office on technical support and that the San Francisco Apartment Association provided input. He acknowledged broader state‑level reform of the Ellis Act is also underway in Sacramento but said local action is necessary to mitigate immediate displacements.

Supervisors including Jane Kim and London Breed (comments in support) and others expressed cosponsorship and said they would refer the measure for committee hearings. Public testimony from tenants and tenant‑advocates at the meeting echoed concerns about inadequate relocation assistance and the urgency of local remedies for displacement.

The ordinance was introduced and referred to committee for further consideration; no final vote was taken on relocation amounts or specific calculation methodology at this meeting.