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Daly City council adopts resolution to study local tenant anti-harassment ordinance
Summary
After hours of public testimony about mold, alleged harassment and evictions, Daly City council voted to adopt a resolution affirming support for housing stability and directing staff to study a local tenant anti-harassment ordinance and report back by the mid-cycle budget review in June 2026.
Daly City—ouncil on Dec. 8 adopted a policy resolution affirming support for housing stability and tenant protections and directed staff to study the feasibility, fiscal impacts, enforcement options and possible implementation milestones for a local anti-harassment ordinance.
City Attorney Rose Zimmerman told the council the resolution is intended as a phased approach that "advances the City's long standing commitment to equity and fair housing while allowing time for continued study of implementation needs for a tenant protection ordinance." The draft directs staff to return with a progress report during the city—udget mid-cycle review anticipated in June 2026.
The vote followed more than three hours of public comment. Dozens of tenants and local organizers described alleged habitability problems and landlord conduct they said forced families to move, citing mold, vermin infestations, threats and short eviction windows. "I'm almost 75 years old. I am suffering from cancer," said Elva Flores, who asked the council to "please do something because I have nowhere to go," describing an eviction notice she received and health problems she linked to her housing conditions.
Organizers and community groups including Faith in Action Bay Area, the Party for Socialism and Liberation and the Working Families Party urged the council to adopt the resolution as a first step toward a binding ordinance. Rachel (Faith in Action) and other speakers said local remedies can close gaps they see in state law and provide tenants with enforceable civil remedies.
Representatives of a rental property owners association urged caution. "Rental housing is a highly regulated industry and there are already so many laws that protect renters," said Rovi Lynn Antonio of a rental property owners group, urging enforcement of existing statutes and code enforcement rather than immediate new local regulations.
Councilmembers debated whether state law (including AB 1482 and other protections) already covers many tenant concerns, and whether local education and enforcement could achieve the same results. Vice Mayor Glenn Sylvester asked whether civil or criminal penalties could apply; City Attorney Zimmerman said civil penalties are possible under state law and criminal penalties would depend on penal code provisions such as assault charges for physical incidents.
Mayor (self-identified in the transcript as "doctor Bridal Magdwal") moved to adopt the resolution and the motion carried by majority vote after a roll call. Councilmembers DeGiovanni and Perano voted in favor, and Vice Mayor Glenn Sylvester voted no; other members recorded their votes during roll call. The resolution does not itself enact an ordinance; it affirms policy goals and directs staff to study options and stakeholder engagement for a possible future ordinance.
The council asked staff to analyze administrative costs, enforcement mechanisms (including whether code enforcement, the city attorney or a new administrative process would handle complaints), translation and outreach needs, and potential funding sources. Staff will return with findings and an implementation timeline in mid-2026, as directed by the resolution.
