At two public-comment periods Dec. 16, numerous Long Beach renters described receiving 30- to 60-day notices to vacate tied to claims of "substantial remodel" or renovation, and asked the council for immediate action.

Speakers included tenants from multi-unit buildings, tenant-organizing groups and neighborhood residents who said owners are using a substantial-remodel clause to displace long-term tenants, sometimes after neglecting maintenance. Maria, a tenant organizer with the Long Beach Tenant Union, described ongoing court proceedings and a 10-unit building where all tenants, including a resident on dialysis, received 60-day notices. She urged a moratorium on substantial-remodel and nonpayment evictions, a nonpayment threshold to protect immigrant families and updates to the city’s just-cause policy.

Other speakers called for independent verification requirements before any renovation eviction is enforced, a right of return at the same rent, stronger penalties for bad-faith eviction claims, and expansion of relocation benefits. Several residents said notices often appear just after an ownership change and that permit records do not always justify vacancy claims.

Councilmembers acknowledged the testimony, asked staff for existing code references and enforcement mechanisms, and directed the matter to be worked through housing and committee processes. Staff said municipal code already limits some nonliving materials in parkways and that code-enforcement priorities currently emphasize life-safety issues, but several tenants said immediate fixes are needed for rising displacement threats.