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Perris city council continues first reading of local just-cause eviction ordinance after large public hearing
Summary
Council held a lengthy public hearing on a proposed local just-cause eviction ordinance aligned with AB 1482, heard more than a dozen speakers, and directed staff to revise the draft (including 2 months relocation assistance and removing incident-logs as sole evidence) and return for another first reading on Dec. 9.
The Perris City Council held a public hearing and first reading on a proposed local just-cause eviction ordinance aligned with state law, then directed staff to return with a revised draft after broad public testimony and council amendments.
Michelle Ogawa, the city’s director of economic development, said the draft largely aligns with AB 1482 and reflected research from prior committee meetings. She told the council the city’s current business-license data shows about 162 rental units citywide — roughly 140 single-family rentals, 12 mobile-home units and 10 multifamily units — and that staff does not anticipate needing additional city resources to administer enforcement under the proposed draft.
Tenant advocates and legal-aid representatives urged stronger protections. Veronica Garcia, housing practice group director at Inland Counties Legal Services, told the council that her office had assisted “over 320 individual households in Perris” since 2023 and said clearer notice rules and documentation standards would reduce confusion for tenants and landlords. Community organizers pressed the council for higher relocation assistance and multilingual outreach.
Several council members said they wanted changes before the ordinance moves forward. After discussion the council agreed to remove incident logs as standalone proof of criminal activity (retaining police reports as qualifying documentation), to increase relocation assistance from the city staff’s initial proposal to two months, and to modify applicability timing so units would be covered earlier (a compromise of 6 months/12 months windows was discussed). The mayor said the revised draft will be returned for another first-reading hearing on Dec. 9.
Council actions were procedural: the council set direction on the content and timing but did not adopt the ordinance at tonight’s meeting. The council’s decisions were framed as changes to the draft that staff should reflect in new language for the next public hearing.
