Council Meeting Key Item Recap - September 22, 2026

Council Meeting Key Item Recap - September 22, 2026

On Tuesday, September 22, 2026, the City Council reviewed several items, including a winter storm readiness update and the introduction of a proposed Residential Rent Stabilization and Rental Registry Ordinance.

Council received a Winter Storm Preparedness Update (Item 11), highlighting the City's coordinated preparations for potential El Niño-related impacts. The presentation included forecast updates from Todd Hall, Warning Coordination Meteorologist with the National Weather Service Los Angeles/Oxnard, and departmental storm preparations. This year's forecast indicates a strong El Niño winter, with more actionable forecasts becoming available just days before a storm event.

Readiness efforts include facility and drainage inspections, pre-staged equipment and coastal protections, increased storm period staffing, emergency shelter planning, sandbag stations, and storm parking options for residents in flood-prone areas. Staff are reviewing and strengthening emergency response protocols, operational readiness, interagency coordination, and will continue to monitor conditions and adjust preparedness activities throughout the winter.

Residents are encouraged to prepare a plan, understand their local risks, build a kit, and sign up for emergency alerts. Citywide preparedness efforts will continue through community education programs, information sharing with regional partners, and social media updates.

To stay informed, residents should sign up for ReadySBC.org alerts, subscribe to City News, and follow City and County social media accounts.

Council discussed the Residential Rent Stabilization and Residential Rental Registry Ordinance (Item 12), outlining provisions for rent adjustments, landlord and tenant petitions, capital improvements, notices, Rent Stabilization Board procedures, and rental registry requirements.

A split Council approved the draft ordinance with specified amendments and will return the ordinance for introduction at the next City Council meeting.

Directed amendments to the draft as presented include:

• Removing the requirement that the rental registry collect the number of tenants in each rental unit.
  
• Adding certain exemptions, including exemptions for deed-restricted affordable housing and Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) tenancies. These exemptions reflect existing affordability covenants and federal oversight mechanisms that regulate rents, income eligibility, habitability standards, and subsidy determinations for the affected units.
  
• Adding a requirement for one senior tenant representative on the Rent Stabilization Board.

The Rent Stabilization Board, as proposed, would be a seven-member, tenant-majority body with at least four tenant members, including one senior tenant.

Council affirmed that annual rent adjustments will remain equal to 60 percent of the annual percentage change in the Consumer Price Index or 3 percent, whichever is less.

Staff will incorporate approved amendments and exemptions into a finalized ordinance and return for formal ordinance introduction at the September 29, 2026, Council meeting.

To review the full meeting agenda, key documents, and recordings, visit City Council Meetings.

Video Links:

• City Council - September 22, 2026
• Item 11 - Winter Storm Preparedness Update
• Item 12 - Residential Rent Stabilization and Residential Rental Registry Ordinance

City Council meeting minutes are the official written records of actions, discussions, and votes that happen during a local government meeting and can be found in Archived Document Search.