Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Tenant Protections topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Rules Committee backs ordinance to let tenants seek hardship relief for bond pass‑throughs
Summary
The Rules Committee recommended moving an ordinance to the full Board that would let tenants seek rent‑board relief when landlords pass general‑obligation bond repayment costs onto renters. Advocates said small monthly pass‑throughs cause displacement for low‑income and SRO tenants.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors’ Rules Committee on Oct. 21 recommended forwarding an ordinance to the full board that would allow tenants who received pass‑throughs of general‑obligation bond repayment costs from landlords to seek rent‑board relief based on financial hardship. The measure was moved forward with a positive recommendation and passed the committee without objection; Supervisor Walton was recorded as absent.
Tenant advocates told the committee the change is needed to prevent displacement. Theresa Flandrick of Senior and Disability Action said she was “thrilled” Supervisor Peskin had introduced the item and urged committee members to support it. Jordan Davis, a District 6 resident and tenant representative on the city’s SRO task force, said even $10–$15 monthly increases from bond pass‑throughs can force people who live on the margins to reduce meals or leave their homes.
Ken Fujioka of the Chinatown Community Development Center described counseling cases in which tenants faced bond pass‑through increases and called the ordinance a correction of a gap in existing rent law, proposing a hardship waiver process. Peter Cohen of the Council of Community Housing Organizations and other housing advocates called the reform “smart policy” and long overdue.
Clerk Victor Young noted that items acted upon at the hearing will appear on the Oct. 29 Board of Supervisors agenda unless otherwise stated. The committee’s recommendation sends the ordinance to the full board for consideration; no full‑board vote was recorded during the meeting.
