Rental registry

Speaking as a renter with the Tenants Union, urged full funding of a rental registry in the 2027-2029 budget to protect renters, support climate goals, and improve code enforcement.

Also with the Tenants Union, urged swift action on the rental registry, cited Monterey's rental inventory model, and called for more code enforcement staff.

A renter and SLO Tenants Union member urged the council to fully fund a rental registry in the 2027–2029 fiscal cycle, tying it to affordability, climate resilience, and renter safety.

With the SLO Tenants Union, he thanked four council members for backing a mandatory rental registry, argued it would improve housing data and flag illegal rent hikes, and estimated ~$196,000/year in uncollected license revenue. He also shared the slurry schedule near the high school.

Thanked staff for the rental registry outreach and asked that the registry be fully funded and implemented as a first-quarter work item; also asked why the Center for Dispute Resolution RFP is delayed.

Urged the council to serve renters and lower-income residents, not just wealthy property owners, and asked for full funding and quick rollout of the rental registry.

Urged the council to put a rental registry ordinance on the agenda now rather than in a year or two, calling it a step toward safer, stable, affordable housing and a social justice issue.

Tenants Union organizer cited 400-door canvassing findings and demanded more code enforcement personnel, a dedicated safe-housing officer, and public data reporting.

Angry longtime renter asked for more code enforcement staff, a rental registry within six months, and a smoking ban in multifamily housing.

Also with the Tenants Union, renewed the push for a mandatory rental registry as a data-driven tool for addressing the housing crisis.

Philbin performed an adapted 'I Believe I Can Fly' to urge the council to pass a mandatory rental registry this year, saying the data would help planners and that budget money exists for it.

Thanked the council for supporting a mandatory rental registry and urged implementing it in the current budget cycle so it can generate data for budget decisions.

Said the presentation ignored affordability; argued dorm-room rents of $1,500-$1,800/month anchor the city's unaffordable housing.

Realtor and property manager; warned regulation increases uncertainty, slows housing investment, and urged policies encouraging supply.

Local property manager urging solutions that support supply, maintenance, and collaboration over another layer of regulation.

Spoke for the SLO County Tobacco Control Coalition supporting a mandatory registry linked to code enforcement with a health and safety checklist and public data, citing Fresno's model.

Realtor and property manager/owner; acknowledged the program's ongoing costs and urged full assessment of long-term financial and staffing implications before proceeding.

Property owner on Broad Street; opposed, saying the city already has ownership data through assessor records and asking what problem the registry solves.

Canvasser for the tenant housing union; described tenants living with carbon monoxide risks and urged a mandatory registry tracking code violations as basic accountability.

Lifelong renter; argued renters, good landlords, and cities all want safety and accountability, and that a mandatory registry supplies the data needed for good decisions.

30-year-old choosing to build his life here; urged a mandatory registry, asking who benefits from blocking transparency and noting ~8,200 professionally managed units should welcome scrutiny.

Local real estate broker and property manager; asked for clear objective data showing necessity, said state protections already exist, and urged targeting bad actors with existing tools.

30-year real estate agent; called the registry redundant, expensive, and counterproductive, citing cost pass-through, harm to mom-and-pop landlords, and privacy concerns.

Speaking as an individual, advocated for a mandatory registry to catch slumlords preying on students and the elderly; said voluntary registries won't work.

Urged a mandatory registry as a first-in-the-county continuation of SLO's history of leading ordinances, calling data essential for housing needs.

Local contractor; came opposed but left indifferent, saying costs will just pass to renters like the Los Osos sewer and state rent caps did, and questioned if it's the best use of money.

Realtor and retiree; proposed a fourth option — hiring a real estate data consultancy via RFP — arguing 70% of units are already known through property managers and warning forced-out mom-and-pops would be replaced by private equity.

SLO Tenants Union member (speaking for herself, not the HASLO board); shared retaliation-after-repair-requests experiences and argued a mandatory registry provides data for city planning, green space, and renter protection.

With the Tenants Union; argued you can't plan housing growth in the dark, that precision is protective for small landlords, and urged moving forward with option three in the current planning cycle.

Property owner critical of the notification process; saw no tangible benefits, citing bureaucracy, privacy, property rights, and disincentives to rental supply; asked for eviction data and faster permitting instead.

Realtor of 37 years; opposed, noting only 35 of 483 California cities have registries and 31 of those have rent control or inspections, and urged upgrading the business license program instead.

Renter for eight years and property manager employee; said her rent rose by the maximum every year for seven years — $1,400/month more — and cautioned against a voluntary program or relying on landlord goodwill.

President of the SLO Association of Realtors; described professional move-in/move-out inspection practices, cited Cal Poly data that 85%+ of students view managers neutrally or positively, and suggested targeting bad actors via the Ask SLO app plus mediation.

Chair of the local tobacco control coalition; strongly supported a mandatory registry with public aggregate data, code enforcement links, and a health/safety checklist, saying voluntary participation would leave data incomplete.

With the SLO Tenants Union; tied a mandatory registry to the city's diversity, equity, and inclusion goal and safe housing goal, arguing it creates belonging and enables protections against harassment and displacement.

Renter and human relations commissioner (speaking personally); tied housing justice to climate, homelessness, and equity goals, urging a mandatory registry with a health and safety checklist and action within two years.

Cal Poly ASI Secretary of Community Relations; described a pending ASI board resolution urging the city to establish a rental registry tracking student housing issues, noting ~13,930 students live off campus.

For the SLO Chamber of Commerce; urged the city not to proceed now, citing costs passed to tenants, an unclear value proposition, and recommending the housing element update be used for a holistic housing assessment.

Non-student renter and voter; cited racial justice dimensions of housing and strongly supported a timely mandatory registry.

Supported safe housing and streamlined permitting but couldn't find the registry's benefit; suggested cheaper alternatives like CoStar data, mediation services, tenant education, and bolstered code enforcement.

Rental property owner and attorney who has prosecuted slumlord cases; urged a pause, arguing the registry fails all three stated goals, noting market already adding supply, and flagging public-records discoverability and data breach risks.

Torn speaker with landlord parents and landlord friends; challenged cost pass-through arguments ($25-$50/unit is less than a cup of coffee a month), noted TPA doesn't cover single-family homes (most SLO rentals), and questioned some opponents' motives.

Mayor of Monterey, sharing his city's two-year registry experience: 66% renters, $50/unit fee, self-funding by year two, 82% compliance, no rent control followed, rents reportedly decreased; advised careful data structuring and small-landlord fee exemptions.

Said she doesn't know the problem being solved; cited LA's registry as limited, suggested $150,000 spent on tenant education would go further, and urged the council to narrow its focus before going further.

Recent Cal Poly graduate; recontextualized the debate, citing years of community demands on rents and habitability and his MPP thesis on LA-area renter protections, warning the tenants union will return regardless.

Speaking for SLO Climate Coalition Executive Director Laura Albers; argued climate policy requires good data on rental housing stock for energy efficiency and emissions goals, and shared his own struggle affording a 500 sq ft studio.

Government affairs director for two realtor associations; defended realtors, supported smoke-free multifamily and mediation, said after 20+ stakeholder meetings the industry still can't identify the problem being solved, and offered help with business license compliance instead.

Lifelong community member; said the current system is broken, tenants fear retaliation, and the city is flying blind without data; urged quick adoption of a mandatory registry citing Monterey's self-funding model.

Said realtors support safe housing but question whether a registry will fix the problem, suggesting the existing business license process and offering ideas ahead of the Feb. 24 session.