Title
Final Passage of Ordinance Concerning the Establishment of an Annual General Adjustment, a Rent Registry, Banking, and a Petition Process for an Upward and Downward Adjustment of Rents (Community Development 265)
Body
CITY OF ALAMEDA ORDINANCE NO.______
New Series
AN UNCODIFIED ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF ALAMEDA CONCERNING THE ESTABLISHMENT OF AN ANNUAL GENERAL ADJUSTMENT, A RENT REGISTRY, BANKING, AND A PETITION PROCESS FOR AN UPWARD AND DOWNWARD ADJUSTMENTOF RENTS
WHEREAS, there is a shortage of decent, safe, affordable and sanitary housing in the City of Alameda (City); and
WHEREAS, given the increased housing cost burden faced by many Alameda residents, excessive rent increases threaten the public health, safety, and welfare of Alameda residents, including seniors, those on fixed incomes, those with very low, low, and moderate income levels, and those with other special needs, to the extent that such persons may be forced to choose between paying rent and providing food, clothing, and medical care for themselves and their families; and
WHEREAS, according to American Community Survey Data, between 2008 and 2017, rents have increased 34% while tenant households have experienced only a 12% increase in median household income in this same time period; and
WHEREAS, according to 2017 American Community Survey One-Year Estimates, tenant households make up more than half of the community and 49% of Alameda tenant households are "overpaying", meaning the household pays 30% or more of its income on housing costs; and
WHEREAS, the City of Alameda currently does not restrict the amount of any given rental increase and the compounding effect of annual rent increases of 5% that, as a practical matter are not reviewed under current regulations, may price many residents, especially those on fixed income or low- or lower-income households, out of the Alameda rental housing market; and
WHEREAS, data fr...
Click here for full text