BY EMILY MIBACH
Daily Post Staff Writer
San Carlos City Council has passed a law requiring landlords to only evict tenants for “just cause,” and it took a step toward enacting a $15 an hour minimum wage starting in July.
Those actions came at Tuesday (Nov. 12) night’s meeting, during which council decided against restricting rent increases until Jan. 1, when a state rent cap law goes into effect.
Some landlords on the mid-Peninsula have been raising rents in response to the state law.
Only Mayor Mark Olbert supported the local rent caps, while the rest of the council did not want to change their stance against rent control. The council did unanimously pass a law requiring just cause evictions.
City Attorney Greg Rubens recommended that the council approve both ordinances in order to protect tenants until Jan. 1.
What is just cause?
Just cause means that landlords need to give tenants reasons why they’re being evicted, such as for not paying rent, being a nuisance, or because the owner or a family member needs to live in the unit.
The state law, AB1482, forces landlords to provide a just cause for evicting tenants and freezes rent increases at 5% plus inflation each year.
At least three residents at Tuesday night’s meeting said they were either being evicted or at risk of being evicted because their landlord wants to renovate their complex.
However, Susan Raines said she thinks it’s possible that her landlords will not really renovate the apartment, and just want her out.
Wage would go up every year
Meanwhile, the council told City Manager Jeff Maltbie that it wants to vote on an ordinance raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour starting on July 1.
After the initial raise in July 2020, the minimum wage would be raised every Jan. 1 by the regional inflation rate. There would be no incremental increases for smaller businesses.
Right now, the minimum wage for companies with 25 or fewer employees is $11 an hour.
Raising it to $15 an hour would be a 35% increase. Of the 44 businesses that responded to the city, 39 have 25 employees or less.
Other cities in region
Seven cities in the area have already taken on the minimum wage issue.
• Mountain View’s current minimum wage is $15.65.
• Palo Alto, Los Altos and San Mateo councils each passed an ordinance in 2016 to reach $15 by this year.
• Belmont, Redwood City and Menlo Park will reach $15 by 2020. The minimum wages in those cities are now $13.50 an hour.
San Carlos City Council has passed a law requiring landlords to only evict tenants for “just cause,” and it took a step toward enacting a $15 an hour minimum wage starting in July.
