§ 66-96. Findings.

The city council finds and determines that:

(1)

There is a continuing shortage of rental housing in the city, as demonstrated by vacancy rates of approximately four percent and rapidly rising rents. For households who are low income, the housing shortage is especially acute. As recently determined by the Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG), an additional 455 low-income residential units will be needed in the city by 2007.

(2)

The withdrawal of a significant number of residential rental units from the rental market over a short period of time necessarily increases the existing shortage of residential rental units, making it more difficult for tenants displaced by the withdrawal to find other housing, as well as making it more difficult for other persons seeking housing to obtain it. A decision by a single owner of a large number of residential rental properties within the city to simultaneously withdraw such properties from rent or lease, resulting in the mass eviction of tenants upon the minimum notice required by law, inflicts a severe burden on those tenants' ability to find available replacement housing, as well as the ability of other persons seeking housing to obtain it. That burden constitutes a threat to the health, welfare and safety of persons seeking such housing.

(3)

The financial hardships created by mass evictions in an already tight rental housing market are especially severe for low-income households, many of whom are on a fixed income or are hourly wage employees. For example, low-income households are less likely to have ready access to the funds necessary to pay rental application fees, security deposits, and other moving-related expenses, especially when they are given no more than 30 days' notice to vacate. The inability of some low-income households to meet this heavy financial burden could result in homelessness and a corresponding increase in the need for publicly and privately funded social services and other city services.

(4)

Because of the overall shortage of housing for low-income households, the low vacancy rates, and the particularly heavy financial burden that mass evictions pose for low-income households, it is appropriate that property owners who greatly exacerbate these problems by engaging in the mass withdrawal of residential rental properties provide relocation assistance to the low-income households displaced by such mass evictions.

(5)

The relocation benefits provided by this article reflect actual relocation costs likely to be incurred by low-income households displaced by mass evictions.

(6)

The obligations imposed on property owners by this article will partially mitigate the financial hardships to low-income tenants resulting from the mass withdrawal of residential rental properties and will also encourage property owners to avoid the withdrawal from the rental market of large numbers of residential rental units over short periods of time.

(Ord. No. 2002-03, § 1(16.150.010), 2-21-2002)