Tenants and advocates press council to strengthen ‘right to cooling’ habitability ordinance

A cluster of tenants, tenant organizers, and housing advocates urged Spokane City Council to adopt stronger language in Ordinance C36877, which would establish a right to cooling as a basic habitability condition for residential tenants. Talana Reed, membership and workshop manager for the tenant team in Washington State, testified that access to cooling “should be treated as a basic habitability standard just like access to heat during the winter, safe drinking water, electricity, and functioning plumbing.” Reed said the proposed implementation timeline offers balance but urged implementation support for vulnerable households.

Other commenters, including Peter Hampson and tenant advocates Salvador Resinos and Scott Ward, warned that the ordinance as amended shifts too much burden to tenants. Ward said the 72-hour window for landlord remedy could be deadly during heat domes and expressed concern about retaliation; Ari Dean and others asked that landlords bear responsibility for installation and maintenance rather than tenants. Speakers recommended pairing implementation with grants, utility incentives, and retrofit funding to avoid rent increases and protect low-income households.