San Luis Obispo studies rental registry, mobile‑home fixes and smoke‑free rules; council asks staff for follow‑up

San Luis Obispo city staff laid out a menu of possible renter‑protection tools on Oct. 21 and asked the City Council for direction on next steps. The discussion — which followed a community‑wide public‑comment period — focused on building better rental data through a registry, closing a loophole in the city's mobile‑home rent stabilization ordinance and exploring locally enforceable eviction and rent rules.

"In our staff estimate about 64% of all housing units in the city are likely exempt from the protections of the state Tenant Protection Act," Housing Coordinator David Amini said, noting the city's current data sources leave significant gaps. Amini and Principal Planner Teresa McClish told council the city lacks verified, unit‑level rental data and recommended a phased approach that begins with a February study session on rental registries to explore software, privacy protections, rollout sequencing and costs.

What staff proposed

- Amend the city's mobile‑home park rent stabilization ordinance to remove a long‑term‑lease exemption that state law recently changed; staff suggested this as a near‑term code cleanup that can be done within existing resources.

- Ho…