PREPARED BY: KIERON SLAUGHTER DATE OF MEETING: 6/1/2026
SUBJECT:
TITLE
CONSIDER AN ORDINANCE REPEALING CHAPTER 9.60 (“RENT REGISTRY”) OF THE CITY OF SAN PABLO MUNICIPAL CODE TERMINATING THE CITY’S RENT REGISTRY PROGRAM
CEQA: This proposed action is not a project as defined by CEQA.
Label
CITY MANAGER RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Waive first reading; introduce Ordinance
Body
Compliance statements
FY 2025-2027 Council Priority Workplan Compliance Statements:
Under Major Policy Goal: Expand Housing Options, Policy No. #309 (F) Tenant Protections and Policy No. #310 - Rental Protections: Explore policy feasibility to enhance tenant protections provided by the City are contained in the adopted FY 2025-27 City Council Priority Workplan, effective April 7, 2025.
CEQA Compliance Statement
The Ordinance is exempt from environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act in accordance with CEQA Guidelines Section 15378(B)(5) because it can be seen with certainty that there is no potential for causing a significant effect on the environment because the project solely involves administrative activity and does not authorize any construction or development activities.
BACKGROUND
Over the past two years, the City of San Pablo has expanded its policy work around tenant protections, rental housing regulations, and housing stability, following direction in the FY 2025-27 City Council Priority Workplan. The repeal of Chapter 9.60 and termination of the City’s Rental Registry Program is part of a larger and ongoing Tenant Support & Protection package initiative guided by the Council and implemented through multi‑step, multi-department coordination.
City staff have been conducting extensive research, community engagement, and interjurisdictional learning to identify best practices in rental regulations, including participation in regional meetings and targeted policy consultations. For example, staff recently attended the Fremont Rent Review Program Q&A to gather insights on rent review structures, staffing models, and case‑handling procedures used successfully in comparable jurisdictions.
Collectively, these initiatives form the backbone of a comprehensive Tenant Support & Protection package that also includes the proposed Just Cause for Eviction and Housing Stability and Anti-Harassment Ordinances (Chapters 9.70 and 9.80), adopted in alignment with Policy No. 309 (F) and Policy No. 310 under the Council’s Priority Workplan. These ordinances address unlawful evictions, harassment, housing stability, and tenant education-core pillars of the City’s approach to rental protections.
Within this broader framework, staff have evaluated the effectiveness of the existing Rental Registry Program and identified several limitations:
• Registry data proved insufficient, inconsistent, or incomplete, limiting its value for policy analysis.
• Staff were unable to rely on the Registry for timely or meaningful qualitative insights about rent levels, trends, or housing stability.
• The program’s limited value undermined its original purpose and did not advance the City’s goals around transparency, housing stability, or displacement prevention.
To better serve both tenants and housing providers and to produce more actionable data, the City intends to replace the Registry with a Rent Review Program that offers practical, hands‑on support. This includes voluntary dispute resolution, review of rent increases above a certain threshold, and proactive tenant‑landlord education, consistent with best practices observed in cities such as Fremont, Albany, San Leandro, Hayward, and Mountain View.
Repealing the Rental Registry Program also provides immediate financial relief to housing providers who were required to pay annual registration fees without receiving a commensurate benefit. Future program funding for Rent Review will be partially supported by a restructured fee as well as other future tenant-protection funding sources.
Overall, repealing the Rental Registry Ordinance and preparing for the Rent Review Program ensures that the City’s rental regulation framework is more effective, more equitable, more responsive, and better aligned with the City Council’s adopted priorities, Housing Element commitments, and the lived needs of San Pablo residents. Accordingly, City staff will be taking the following actions in anticipation of the Rent Review Program:
1. Complete all administrative actions necessary to sunset the Rental Registry Program, including termination of vendor services consistent with required notice provisions;
2. Finalize and return to the City Council with a proposed Rent Review Program ordinance, fee structure, and implementation plan; and
3. Continue community outreach, education, and communication with tenants and housing providers regarding rental regulations and upcoming program changes.
STANDING COMMITTEE REVIEW
On February 18th and May 13th, City staff presented a general overview and more specific proposal to the Economic Development, Housing, & Project Management Standing Committee (Cruz; Ponce). Upon completion of the presentation, the Standing Committee recommended the ordinance proceed to the City Council for formal consideration, introduction and adoption.
FISCAL IMPACT
Repealing the Rental Registry Ordinance will have no direct fiscal impact on the City, as the City does not pay fees for program administration; all Rental Registry fees are paid by housing providers. Eliminating the program will also relieve housing providers of fees that did not produce a meaningful benefit or usable product.
Although the fiscal impact to the City is neutral, repeal will restore significant staff time currently required across multiple departments to manage the Registry, coordinate with the service provider, troubleshoot compliance issues, and handle related inquiries. These regained staff hours can be redirected to support development of the forthcoming Rent Review Program and other tenant‑protection initiatives.
A fee structure for the Rent Review Program will be brought to the City Council separately as part of a cost‑recovery model, consistent with the City’s broader Tenant Support and Protection initiative.
ATTACHMENT
Att A. Proposed Ordinance