Bill Text: CA AB854 | 2021-2022 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Residential real property: withdrawal of accommodations.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 10-0)
Status: (Failed) 2022-02-01 - Died on third reading file. [AB854 Detail]
Download: California-2021-AB854-Amended.html
Amended
IN
Assembly
January 27, 2022 |
Amended
IN
Assembly
January 13, 2022 |
Amended
IN
Assembly
March 18, 2021 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2021–2022 REGULAR SESSION
Assembly Bill
No. 854
Introduced by Assembly Members Lee and Carrillo (Coauthors: Assembly Members |
February 17, 2021 |
An act to add Section 7060.8 to the Government Code, relating to residential real property.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
AB 854, as amended, Lee.
Residential real property: withdrawal of accommodations.
Existing law, commonly known as the Ellis Act, generally prohibits public entities from adopting any statute, ordinance, or regulation, or taking any administrative action, to compel the owner of residential real property to offer or to continue to offer accommodations, as defined, in the property for rent or lease.
Existing law authorizes any public entity that has in effect any control or system of control on the price at which accommodations are offered for rent or lease to require by statute or ordinance, or by regulation, that the owner notify the entity of an intention to withdraw those accommodations from rent or lease, and to require that the notice contain specified statements.
This bill would, when a public entity has a price control system in effect, prohibit an owner of accommodations from
filing a notice with a public entity of an intent to withdraw accommodations or prosecuting an action to recover possession of accommodations, or threatening to do so, if not all the owners of the accommodations have been owners of record for at least 5 continuous years, with specified exceptions, or with respect to property that the owner acquired within 10 years after providing notice of an intent to withdraw accommodations at a different property.
This bill would require an owner of accommodations notifying the public entity of an intention to withdraw accommodations from rent or lease, as provided, to identify each person or entity with an ownership interest in the accommodations, as provided. That information would be available for public inspection. The bill would prohibit an owner or any person or entity with an ownership interest from acting in concert
with a coowner, successor owner, prospective owner, agent, employee, or assignee to circumvent these provisions. The bill would provide specified, nonexclusive remedies for a violation.
The bill would include findings that changes proposed by this bill address a matter of statewide concern rather than a municipal affair and, therefore, apply to all cities, including charter cities.
Digest Key
Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NOBill Text
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
SECTION 1.
Section 7060.8 is added to the Government Code, to read:7060.8.
(a) When a public entity which, by a valid exercise of its police power, has in effect any control or system of control on the price at which accommodations are offered for rent or lease, all of the following shall apply:(1) An owner of accommodations shall not file a notice with a public entity to withdraw accommodations pursuant to this chapter, prosecute an action to recover possession of accommodations pursuant to this chapter, or threaten to do either of these things, unless all the owners of the accommodations have been owners of record for at least five continuous years. If an owner of record is not a natural person, then all persons or entities with an ownership
interest in that entity shall have held that interest for at least five continuous years. The five-year ownership requirement in this paragraph shall not apply to an owner of accommodations who is a natural person, who owns no more than two properties, and who owns no more than a total of four residential units.
(2) If an owner of accommodations files a notice of intent with the public entity to withdraw accommodations under this chapter, and the owner subsequently acquires a new property containing
accommodations within 10 years of that filing, the owner shall not withdraw accommodations pursuant to this chapter, prosecute an action to recover possession of accommodations pursuant to this chapter, nor threaten to do either of these things, with respect to the later acquired property.
(3) An owner of accommodations, or any person or entity with an ownership interest in an entity that owns the accommodations, shall not act in concert with a coowner, successor owner, prospective owner, agent, employee, or assignee, to circumvent the limitations of paragraph (1) or (2).
(4) An owner of accommodations notifying the public entity of an intention to withdraw accommodations from rent or lease shall identify each person or entity with an ownership interest in the accommodations,
and if any entity is not a natural person, identify all persons or entities with an ownership interest in that entity. This information shall not be confidential and shall be available for public inspection.
(b) A person or entity that violates the provisions described in paragraph (1) or (2) of subdivision (a) is liable to the tenant or lessee for actual damages, special damages of not less than two thousand dollars ($2,000) for each violation, and reasonable attorney’s fees and costs in an amount fixed by the court. The remedy provided by this section is not exclusive and shall not preclude either the tenant or lessee from pursuing any other remedy provided by law.