The Land Use and Transportation Committee on Dec. 8 advanced complex tenant-protection legislation that would require landlords demolishing residential units to replace all demolished units, strengthen relocation assistance for affected tenants (including added protections for lower-income tenants and victims of harassment), revise conditional-use criteria and tighten buyout and relocation processes.

Supervisor Cheyenne Chen requested the committee duplicate the file and refer a copy to the Planning Commission to allow her office to develop additional affordability amendments focused on priority equity geographies. Chair Mirna Melgaard presented substantive amendments that convert three conditional‑use criteria into mandatory requirements (relocation assistance, non-harassment, and filing buyout agreements with the Rent Board), and added a process for landlords to petition the Rent Board for a finding of substantial compliance when buyouts were conducted in good faith but imperfectly.

Community advocates spoke in support of further tightening demolition definitions and safeguards for priority equity geographies; the committee adopted Chair Melgaard’s amendments, recorded the duplicate file at Chen’s request, and continued the amended original file to the Land Use and Transportation Committee meeting on Dec. 15, 2025 for further consideration.

The committee recorded unanimous roll-call votes on the procedural motions and the continuance.