Albany council orders anti-harassment and just-cause ordinance drafts after heated tenant-protection debate

Albany City Council on March 2 directed staff to draft local tenant-protection ordinances after an extended public discussion that included tenants, landlords, housing advocates and the Housing Advisory Commission.

Planning manager Leslie Mendez and consultant Chris Hess summarized the legal framework the city faces: the state Tenant Protection Act (AB 1482, amended by SB 567), the Costa-Hawkins Act (which limits local rent-stabilization reach for some units) and the Ellis Act (which allows landlords to exit the rental market in defined circumstances). Hess said local options fall into three buckets: anti-discrimination/harassment protections, just-cause eviction coverage, and local rent-stabilization.

Staff recommended against building a local rent-stabilization program now because a locally administered rent-control regime generally requires dedicated staff (the report estimated multiple full-time equivalents and startup costs) and because current data did not, in staff's view, demonstrate conditions demanding a full program. Instead, staff recommended education and outreach (a centralized tenant/landlord housing webpage), expanded promotion of an existing rent-review program run by Echo Housing, and continued monitoring of eviction and rent trends.

Consultant Chris Hess said Albany's observed median rent increased about 30% from 2020–2025 using combined census and Zillow indicators, but that Zillow is not a perfect measure of tenancy. Staff estimated roughly 1,900 units in Albany could be subject to local rent stabilization if a local cap were chosen.

Public comment ran nearly two hours and presented sharply divided views. Landlord groups and many small property owners warned that a heavy-handed local program would increase operating costs, push small owners to sell, and reduce rental supply. Tenant advocates, the Housing Advisory Commission chair Aaron Tiedemann and other residents urged the council to adopt protections—especially anti-harassment and just-cause measures—pointing to rising rents and enforcement barriers in state law.

Councilmember Jordan moved and the council approved (4–1 with Mayor Peggy McQuade opposed) a direction for staff to return with: (1) a draft anti-harassment/discrimination ordinance based on ABAG templates, and (2) a just-cause eviction draft that would expand the housing types covered where legally permitted, require property owners file eviction notices with the city, and require that property owners hold a business license in order to pursue eviction authority. Councilmembers said the initial ordinance drafting is intended to create legal protections tenants can use even if the city does not immediately build a staffed enforcement program around them.

A separate motion to ask staff to prepare both a rental registry and a rental-inspection program failed on a split vote (one yes, three no, one abstain). Council later approved a narrower follow-up to return with models for rental-inspection programs only; staff will present cost estimates and program options in a future report.

Council members repeatedly stressed education as a near-term priority: improving tenant/landlord outreach, publicizing the rent-review program, and better enforcing existing business-license requirements so the city understands who operates rental properties.

The council did not adopt a local rent-stabilization ordinance at the meeting; staff will monitor outcomes and return with draft ordinances and more detailed implementation and budget estimates for council review.