Renter Protection Comes Before The City Council: The Great Untalked About Topic to be Talked About

October 6th Council Meeting Marks the Beginning of a City Hall Working to Take Renter Protection Seriously

After more than two decades of a frantic paced rental apartment building spree, the City of Emeryville is poised, finally, to own up to its duty to provide more than just a modicum of protection for the scores of renters that now make up a majority of the population.   Before its regular 7:00 PM meeting on Tuesday, October 6, the Emeryville City Council will hold a special 6:00 PM study session devoted entirely to tenant-protection policy recommendations.

It's a case of better late than never for most renters here who have faced unfair and sometimes illegal evictions and rent increases from mostly faceless corporate landlords who are now in the aggregate,  a large part of the Emeryville living experience.  

While the Tuesday meeting will not itself enact any final ordinances, Council direction Tuesday could determine which protections move forward, how strong they are, and what staff ultimately brings back for adoption.

The package for discussion is broad. The City’s work includes a Tenant Right to Organize, expanded just-cause protections for Below Market Rate tenants, temporary relocation assistance, and changes to Emeryville’s rules governing eviction, relocation, right to return, tenant harassment, and related protections.

Among the recommendations are proposals concerning a minimum amount of unpaid rent before a landlord can begin an eviction for nonpayment, minimum damages for certain violations of tenant-protection laws and requirements that landlords file termination notices with the City.

Those questions are especially significant in a city now dominated by renters. Emeryville reports that more than 65 percent of its housing units are tenant occupied.

City housing records also show how frequently residents encounter the eviction process. Emeryville reported 905 three-day eviction notices submitted to the City in 2024. That does not mean 905 completed evictions, but it does show the scale at which residents can enter the first stage of the eviction process.

At the same time, Emeryville rents are the highest in the East Bay.  According to Zillow, the online real estate marketplace, current rental-market data puts the average Emeryville rent at about $3,095, with the average one-bedroom around $3,087.  For comparison, Zillow reports average one-bedroom rents of roughly $2,100 in Oakland, $2,295 in Berkeley, $2,299 in Alameda, and $2,395 in Walnut Creek.

California housing officials classify households spending 50 percent or more of gross income on housing as severely cost burdened, an increasing demographic in Emeryville.

For Below Market Rate and income-restricted tenants, the October 6th study session may be particularly important. The City’s own tenant-protection work specifically identifies stronger protections for BMR tenants as part of the policy discussion.

Emeryville already has local just-cause, anti-harassment, relocation, and tenant-notification protections but the study session will help determine whether the City significantly expands and strengthens that framework.

For residents who have dealt with a rent increase, eviction notice, BMR recertification, landlord dispute, or fear of displacement, this will be a meeting worth watching and attending.

Important: the tenant study session starts at 6:00 PM, not 7:00 PM.