Residents and landlords press Salinas City Council over rent-stabilization ordinance

Dozens of Salinas residents, renters and property owners used public comment at the April 8 Salinas City Council meeting to press opposing views on the city's rent-stabilization ordinance, with some speakers urging the council to preserve the law and others asking that repeal or formal review be placed on a future agenda.

Supporters of the ordinance said it has helped tenants remain housed. Opponents — including landlords, property managers and brokers — said the rules have damaged property values, reduced investment and forced unit sales.

The debate matters because the ordinance affects thousands of renters and owners across Salinas and, speakers said, could influence whether landlords sell units or invest in maintenance.

"Our company has lost a number of clients already since December pulling their rental properties out of Salinas because of the implementation of that act," said Sally Backus, a property management business owner, asking the council to "put on an agenda very soon, a review of the rent stabilization act." Several other property owners repeated calls for a council hearing on repeal.

Renter advocates and low-income tenants urged the council to retain protections. "I feel very fortunate and safe with the protections of the rental ordinance," said Sofia, a field worker who said the cap on annual increases helped her family manage bills.

Adam Pinteritz, government affairs director for the Monterey County Association of Realtors who described himself also as a renter raising a family in Salinas, said he has tracked multifamily housing activity and believes the ordinance's effect on sales is significant. "I know of over 100 units that are currently in the process of being sold," he said, warning those sales could cause displacement if turnover follows.

Property managers and owners described financial impacts they attribute to the ordinance. Audrey Wardwell, a local property manager, told the council one owner paid more than $13,000 in registration fees for a single multifamily property and faced a combined income reduction she estimated at more than $90,000 annually when registration fees, lost rental income and utility-reimbursement changes are stacked. "This kind of dramatic loss in revenue does not exist in a vacuum," Wardwell said, warning of deferred maintenance and diminished services.

Affordable-housing developers described different consequences. "We had to not renew an 83-year-old couple's lease in order to avoid the impact and implications of these ordinances," said Starla Warren, executive director of Monterey County Housing, saying the ordinance had created unintended management complications for nonprofit and private owners alike.

Other speakers described how the ordinance has already reduced rent escalation for long-time tenants. Anita Cortez and Carlos Nava, both renters who said they work in the fields and live in Salinas, told the council monthly increases stopped after the ordinance took effect and credited the ordinance with stabilizing household budgets.

Council members did not take a vote on repeal or on any change to the ordinance during the meeting. Several speakers asked elected officials to place a repeal or formal review on a future agenda; landlord speaker Martha asked the council to "please add the repeal of the rent stabilization ordinance to a future agenda." Supporters urged caution: multiple tenants said rolling back protections would threaten housing stability.

The council did not announce any immediate next step on the rent-stabilization ordinance during the meeting; members heard the public comments and proceeded to the consent agenda.

Ending: The subject is likely to return to the council. Several speakers and organizations requested a formal study or an agenda item; the transcript records no formal motion or council vote on repeal at the April 8 meeting.