SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – San Diegan Barbara Green is a single mom of three, and she told ABC 10News that she was recently given a notice from her landlord.
"He said that the pandemic hasn't been good to him and he needs to sell the property,” Green said.
While she was understanding of the situation, she wasn’t happy with the 31 days to vacate that she said she and her neighbor were given.
"They got to think about the families and kids that they're actually kicking out on the street,” Green said. "As you can imagine, I was totally stressed and my kids are all worried about school and things like that. It's just not fair to the people. It has to be longer than that."
Typically, these incidents are referred to as no-fault evictions.
As previously reported, the City of San Diego is taking the next step to install a temporary no-fault eviction moratorium on these types of evictions.
The moratorium would put a pause on landlords being able to issue notices for tenants to vacate for wanting to pull the property and its units off of the market, do substantial repairs or remodels.
But, the ordinance is allowing property owners to have tenants vacate if they want to move back into the property or want to move one of their family members in to the property.
"To continually press more regulations on the rental housing ecosystem doesn't seem like the right thing to do right now,” said Lucinda Lilley, president of the Southern California Rental Housing Association.
This proposal is facing some opposition from some like the Southern California Rental Housing Association. Lilley worries about unintended consequences of approving this.
"This could be a situation where you've got a developer who in order to develop more property has to create a large amount of affordable housing by relocating residents that are in market rate housing,” Lilley said.
Those opposed to the ordinance are hoping for more collaboration between the city, renters and landlords to resolve the issues across the board.
But some are worried if this temporary moratorium isn't put on the books.
"When we first came to San Diego, we were homeless for a little bit. And, it's not somewhere you want your kids to be put in that way. We got out of that and I certainly don't want to be back there again,” Green said.
The San Diego City Council will hold a second reading of the ordinance after Monday’s first reading vote.
On Monday, the council voted to add an amendment to include a sunset clause. The moratorium would end either on Sept. 30 or 60 days after the end of the city’s state of emergency for COVID-19.
In a statement following Monday's vote, Council President Sean Elo-Rivera said, “We must protect San Diego families and their ability to remain in their homes. The passage of this moratorium means that every renter in San Diego will have a bit more security in this far too expensive city and fewer people will be at risk of experiencing homelessness.“
