Housing: tenant protections.

California State Senators Wahab and Allen propose modifications to the state's tenant protection laws through legislation that narrows exemptions to just-cause eviction requirements. The bill specifically addresses properties rebuilt after disasters, ensuring they remain subject to existing tenant safeguards even when issued new certificates of occupancy.

Under current law, housing units with certificates of occupancy issued within the previous 15 years are exempt from just-cause eviction requirements. The proposed amendment creates an exception to this exemption for replacement housing units that meet three criteria: they replace units previously covered by tenant protections, were substantially damaged or destroyed by a disaster as defined in state law, and had received their original certificate of occupancy before the disaster occurred.

The legislation maintains other existing provisions of the Tenant Protection Act of 2019, including requirements for landlords to demonstrate just cause when terminating tenancies and provide relocation assistance or rent waivers in cases of no-fault evictions. These protections continue to apply to qualified residential properties through January 1, 2030.