Senate Bill 1410 may bring welcome support to both tenants and landlords

Relief for tenants and landlords tops the list of housing bills that Concord City Council members are seeking before state lawmakers wrap up the legislative session in late August.

Discussion at the July 7 council meeting focused on Senate Bill 1410, which would allow tenants and landlords to enter into optional tenant/landlord eviction relief agreements to ensure the tenant is not displaced due to any impact from COVID-19.

Under the proposed legislation, tenants would owe the state at some point. They would be required to pay all or a substantial portion of the deferred amount to the state, depending on their income, beginning with the 2024 taxable year. Landlords will get tax credits before that.
The concern is that the legislation benefits major corporations with large holdings and any relief for small landlord lags.

“We need to communicate to legislators that this tax business is not helping the little guys,” said Councilman Edi E Birsan.

In advocating for change and clarity in the legislation, Birsan said “the little landlord and the little tenant don’t have to mutually destroy each other.”

Councilwoman Carlyn Obringer echoed her colleagues, questioning what good is does to help the smaller landlord when there will be no property value increases in the foreseeable future.

The council directed city staff to work with lobbyist Niccolo De Luca, the Northern California director with Townsend Public Affairs, to draft a statement to the legislation’s sponsors and Senate pro tem so Concord’s voice is heard as the legislation evolves.

The panel also discussed SB1120, a bill allowing for duplex development on residential property. Developments could be approved over the counter, provided the projects meet the criteria laid out in the bill, including parking and transit requirements.

Other housing bills sparking conversation were SB899, which would negate a municipality’s zoning authority, and SB902 that provides full authority for a city related to proposed development in its jurisdiction.

Birsan put forth the scenario of land owned by a church or other institution that is zoned for single family, such as exists along Oak Grove Road, and if a five-story affordable housing project could “boom, pop in.” De Luca acknowledged that could happen under SB899 as it is already zoned for residential or mixed use.