Sonoma County tenant rights town hall set for December 4 in Sonoma Valley

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Sonoma County will host an in-person town hall in Boyes Hot Springs on Dec. 4 to update residents about their tenant protection rights including new rights recently adopted by the Board of Supervisors. The informational session, which will include Spanish interpretation, will feature representatives from Legal Aid of Sonoma County and the Sonoma County Counsel’s office.

What: Tenant Rights Town Hall
When: Dec. 4 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Where: La Luz Center, 17560 Greger St., Sonoma

“The idea of these protections is to promote neighborhood stability and prevent homelessness, while still ensuring landlords get a fair and reasonable return on their investment,” said Supervisor Gorin, who represents the Sonoma Valley. “Please join us on Dec. 4 and bring your questions. We will have a panel of experts on hand to explain the ordinance and answer your questions.”

The new County ordinance augments the California Tenant Protection Act, a 2019 state law that limits rent increases and requires landlords of many types of rental units to have a just cause before evicting a tenant who has lived in a property longer than one year. Just-cause evictions are allowed for such things as nonpayment of rent, lease violations or criminal activity.

The state law preserves the right of local jurisdictions to enact increased tenant protections. Under the new rules approved by the Board of Supervisors in September, tenants in unincorporated areas of the County are protected by just-cause requirements as soon as they begin renting, and state law exemptions for subsidized housing from just-cause protections no longer apply.

The changes also protect a tenant from eviction for nonpayment unless more than one month of rent is overdue. A tenant is allowed to use this protection only up to two times per year. The local ordinance also prohibits evictions in most cases during a declared emergency and requires dissemination of tenant rights information in English and Spanish when tenants are asked to vacate a property or when eviction proceedings begin.

For more information about the new tenant protections for unincorporated areas of Sonoma County, click here.

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Media Contact:
Matt Brown, Communications Specialist
publicaffairs@sonoma-county.org
(707) 565-3040 
575 Administration Drive, Suite 104A
Santa Rosa, CA 95403