Lemon Grove holds tenant protections workshop as officials weigh permanent ordinance

Lemon Grove staff outlined this city’s emergency tenant-protection ordinance at a community workshop March 24 and asked residents for input on whether to convert temporary changes into a permanent local law.

City Attorney Kristen Stenke told attendees that the state’s California Tenant Protection Act (adopted in 2019) sets baseline requirements — including many no-fault grounds for termination and specific notice and relocation rules — and that cities may adopt regulations that are more stringent than state law but not weaker. Stenke said the city’s urgency ordinance (adopted Feb. 3 and amended March 17) keeps enhanced relocation payments while removing an initially adopted 120-day notice that conflicted with state law. "The city council adopted the urgency ordinance that increases relocation, where there is a no fault just cause termination to 1 month of fair market rent and 1 month of actual rent then in effect for everybody," Stenke said.

Under the urgency ordinance staff reviewed, tenants subject to a no-fault termination generally…