Housing and Human Services Commission declines immediate 3‑month relocation ordinance, directs staff to study exemptions and protections

The Housing and Human Services Commission on April 14 voted 4‑0 to halt immediate introduction of an ordinance that would raise Sunnyvale's no‑fault relocation assistance to three months and instead directed staff to return with a narrowed proposal and further study.

Chair Friedlander moved the action, which Commissioner Duncan seconded. Under the motion, staff was directed to retain two months of relocation assistance as the baseline; draft an exemption for small properties (discussants proposed a threshold below seven units and asked staff to clarify whether the threshold applies per building or per owner portfolio); and pursue the commission's Alternative 3 direction to study day‑one just‑cause protections, additional protections for vulnerable populations, and use of fair‑market rent indexing for relocation amounts. The vote carried 4‑0; Vice Chair Rivera and Commissioner Davis were absent.

Why it matters: staff said the change under consideration would alter financial and operational burdens on landlords while aiming to reduce housing instability for tenants displaced by no‑fault evictions (for example, demolition, substantial remodel, or owner move‑in). Ryan Dyson, the city's housing specialist, told commissioners staff's outreach and analysis found no‑fault evictions are relatively infrequent but can have large personal and financial impacts when they occur.

What staff reported: Dyson reviewed AB 1482 (California's tenant protections act) and noted Sunnyvale's 2023 ordinance already increased relocation assistance from the AB 1482 baseline of one month to two months. For the current round of outreach staff said it mailed roughly 2,700 notices to registered landlords and property managers and received about 212 landlord responses and 278 tenant responses (roughly 500 total), a much higher response rate than prior outreach. Staff also reported Project Sentinel call data showing about 25 calls related to relocation assistance over the last 18 months and an approximate discussion count of 17 no‑fault evictions in that same period, but cautioned those figures are not court records and may undercount or mix inquiries with actual evictions.

Public comment framed the tradeoffs. Janet Murdoch, who identified herself as a small fourplex owner, challenged staff's summary on recent state law and warned of legal and financial risk to small landlords, saying, "I've already written the first check, $5,000 to the real estate attorney." Marie Bernard of Sunnyvale Community Services urged more tenant protections and cited the agency's rehousing work and client volume, noting most households assisted last year were Sunnyvale residents. Anil Babar of the California Apartment Association urged emphasis on education about existing protections rather than additional local legislation.

Commission debate and direction: commissioners expressed competing concerns about protecting tenants from displacement and avoiding disproportionate burdens on small landlords. Suggestions included keeping two months as the baseline but creating a third month only for defined special circumstances (examples discussed: seniors, people with disabilities or serious medical conditions) and exempting very small properties or owners with limited portfolios. Commissioner Weiss proposed a practical compromise: maintain two months for most cases and allow a third month in narrowly defined circumstances; she also suggested using a seven‑unit threshold to align with other planning definitions. The commission asked staff to return with clarified ordinance language, definitions for exemptions and special circumstances, and additional data.

Next steps: staff had noted earlier in the presentation that, absent commission direction, the item was scheduled to go to City Council on May 5. Under the commission's action, staff will instead refine the approach based on the motion and return with draft language and additional analysis.