Committee advances SB 436 to extend pay-or-quit notice from three to 14 days; landlords and tenant advocates split

Senate Bill 436, introduced by Senator Maha, would increase from three days to 14 days the notice period a tenant receives to pay past-due rent or move out before a landlord may file an unlawful-detainer action. The author and numerous housing and legal advocates argued the short three-day notice can trigger near-immediate eviction for low-income households and that a longer window would let tenants secure rental assistance, get paychecks, or arrange help to avoid homelessness.

Supporters including Public Advocates, Stanford Law School clinicians, Housing California and other tenant advocates testified that 14 days is reasonable and that other states use longer cure periods. Suzanne Dershowitz of Public Advocates noted research linking evictions to homelessness and argued that additional days allow time for rental-assistance disbursement and reduce unnecessary court filings.

Opposition came from apartment and rental property associations, who said landlords—particularly small, single-property owners—rely on rental income to meet mortgages and expenses and that longer cure periods could burden owners who have thin margins. Several members of the committee, including those who represent districts with many small landlords, voiced concerns about limiting landlords’ ability to collect mortgage payments, and urged the author to add guardrails to prevent systematic abuse (for example, repeated month-to-month use to delay payment indefinitely).

The author accepted committee-level clarifications and said she would work on additional guardrails and carve-outs (for commercial leases and repeat-use safeguards). After debate the committee moved SB 436 forward; the bill was placed on the call for reconsideration in one recorded sequence as members continued to negotiate clarifying language.