San Jose delays soft‑story retrofit ordinance for one year while seeking federal and state aid
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Summary
The City Council voted unanimously to delay enforcement of a long‑planned soft‑story earthquake retrofit ordinance for one year while staff pursues federal, state and philanthropic funding and steps up outreach to property owners.
The San Jose City Council voted unanimously March 25 to postpone by one year the city’s soft‑story residential retrofit ordinance, asking staff to use the delay to seek clarity about federal funding and to expand outreach to property owners.
Council members and staff said the pause is meant to avoid imposing work on small landlords and tenants before the city can deliver assistance. Housing Department Director Eric Sullivan told the council that the city has “had limited contact with FEMA” and is pursuing alternate state and philanthropic sources to fill potential funding gaps.
Why it matters: the ordinance, first discussed publicly in fall 2024, would require owners of seismically vulnerable “soft‑story” buildings to retrofit them to reduce collapse risk in a major quake. Council members said they want to avoid forcing owners to shoulder retrofit costs without clear aid in place, while also urging staff to keep outreach and pilot programs moving so projects ready to proceed can do so.
Councilmember David Cohen, who led council questioning of staff, pressed for specifics on the city’s plan to keep property owners moving toward compliance even during the delay. Sullivan said the city will continue an education campaign, coordinate with local funders and run targeted pilots if smaller private or foundation funds become available.
Council action: the consent calendar vote that included the postponement passed unanimously. Councilmembers said they expect a progress update from staff within the coming year and reserved the right to revisit Measure E allocations if the city chooses to devote those dollars to preservation funding.
What’s next: staff will notify landlords and tenants of the delayed effective date, continue outreach and pilot efforts, and pursue federal and state grant opportunities. If those external funds remain uncertain, council members signaled they could revisit the timing or the funding plan before the ordinance resumes enforcement.
