Lemon Grove planners seek input on tenant-protection ordinance after Sarah Grove rehabs; staff to brief council May 19

City staff and legal counsel described possible local changes to California’s Tenant Protection Act and asked the Lemon Grove Planning Commission for feedback on options ranging from enhanced relocation assistance to tighter definitions for "substantial remodel." The commission spent more than two hours on questions, public comment and policy trade-offs.

Interim City Manager Tony Muni and City Attorney Kristen Steinke led the presentation. Steinke summarized state law, noting that the Tenant Protection Act (codified at Civil Code §1946.2) governs statewide but allows local jurisdictions to adopt more protective substantive rules. "If your tenancy is terminated for a no-fault just cause, the landlord is required to pay relocation assistance — generally one month of rent — or waive the last month’s rent," Steinke said.

Staff presented Lemon Grove’s housing profile — roughly 44% renter-occupied units, with an older housing stock (about 46% built before 1960) — and highlighted a recent substantial-remodel case at Sarah Grove Apartments (60 units) that prompted community concern. Staff also summarized two public workshops and a short survey: attendees were split between sticking with state law, requiring 2–3 months of relocation assistance, or adopting targeted stronger protections (for seniors, disabled tenants or households with children).

Comparative examples from nearby cities helped frame options. Chula Vista, Imperial Beach and San Diego each adopted different local tweaks — Chula Vista, for example, adopted a cost-per-square-foot test and a searchable registry and reported about 188 units with substantial-remodel activity since 2023, staff said.

Public commenters urged stronger tenant protections and new revenue tools to assist displaced households. Richard Hamlet, citing parcel-assessor data, urged the city to consider raising deed-transfer or similar revenues and to create a local fund to help tenants displaced by rehab or ownership changes. "We need to investigate raising the tax in the city and creating a fund for displaced tenants," Hamlet said.

Commissioners pressed staff on the administrative and budget implications of different approaches — for instance, whether the city would need a rental registry or additional housing staff to track remodels, and what enforcement options the city attorney could pursue (injunctive relief vs. damages). Staff noted Lemon Grove does not currently operate a housing authority and lacks dedicated housing-staff capacity; staff recommended leveraging county and nonprofit resources for tenant education while pursuing policy changes.

No ordinance vote occurred: staff asked the commission to prioritize options and provide feedback for City Council. Staff will present a summary of commission feedback and workshop input to the City Council on May 19; if council directs staff to draft a permanent ordinance, staff anticipates returning with a draft in June.

Commissioners asked staff to include clearer tenant notices (plain-language summaries and a glossary), consider tiered relocation payments keyed to owner scale (to protect mom-and-pop landlords), and to evaluate options to narrow the "substantial remodel" category to reduce alleged abuse of the statute.

Next procedural steps: staff will compile the feedback and provide the commission notes and a packet to review prior to the City Council meeting. The commission did not take formal action but provided direction on priorities for council consideration.