UPDATE: On February 9, the Board of Supervisors approved the urgency ordinance on rent freezes and accepted the federal assistance.
San Rafael, CA – On February 9, the County of Marin plans to consider an urgency ordinance that in most cases would temporarily prevent residential rent increases in Marin City and northern parts of West Marin as a protection against the economic ramifications of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a separate action but related to the urgency ordinance, the Marin County Board of Supervisors also will consider accepting $7.7 million in federal assistance that is earmarked to help renters who have experienced economic hardship during the public health emergency. Both agenda items will be presented to the Board during the afternoon session that begins at 1:30 p.m.
The Marin County Community Development Agency (CDA) has prepared a draft ordinance that would support the long-term recovery of residents most impacted by the public health emergency and lower the risk of housing displacement. The staff report with more details will be part of the Board agenda to be published on the County website on the afternoon of February 4. If approved by the Board on February 9, the rent freeze would run through the end of the calendar year.
Single-family dwellings, condominiums, and apartments built after 1995 would be exempt from the proposed rent freeze because California law limits local jurisdictions from regulating rent on certain housing units.
U.S. Census Tract #1290, which consists solely of the Marin City neighborhood, has a population of just under 3,000 and a median household income of $38,958. Before the pandemic, 17.9% of the tract’s racially diverse residents were living below the poverty line.
Tract #1330 includes the rural areas of West Marin’s northern section – areas northwest of Novato and San Rafael up to Tomales and Dillon Beach. It has a cumulative population of about 2,700, a median household income of $96,667, and a 7.2% poverty rate.
Marin County CDA reported that there was a 40% increase in unemployment for Marin’s lower-wage earners between January 1, 2020, and October 15, 2020. In Marin City, overcrowding compounds risks of COVID-19. Although overcrowding is not an issue in most of West Marin, there is a comparatively higher rate of the virus occurring there.
Meanwhile, the County is set to receive the $7.7 million as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, passed by Congress in late December. The stimulus funding will be directed toward residents’ current and past rent. Last year, Marin’s own safety-net rental assistance program – a partnership between the County and the Marin Community Foundation – contributed $6 million to the most financially needy local residents.
Approximately 10,700 Marin households are at imminent risk of displacement and/or eviction, with an estimated 8,270 children living in those households, CDA reported. In addition to the threat of eviction, many households are facing an overwhelming accumulation of rental debt because of pandemic-related job and income loss. Indications are that Marin households are behind on $74 million of accumulated debt thus far during COVID-19.
“Any rent increase compounds the accumulated debt faced by renters who have been disproportionately impacted by the virus,” said CDA Planning Manager Leelee Thomas. “We would like to lower the unsustainable strain on those households that struggled to pay rent even before the pandemic began, let alone after almost a year of additional hardship.”
The County and its civic partners are trying to prevent more homelessness in one of most expensive places to live in the United States. While other parts of the Bay Area have seen substantial declines in rent because of increased vacancy levels from COVID-19 – most notably in San Francisco – Marin rents have remained stable or slightly increased during the emergency.
“Many of our local landlords have not increased rent during the pandemic, and we appreciate their compassion,” Thomas said. “But there have been some notable exceptions.”
The Supervisors have taken earlier actions during the pandemic to prevent renter displacement and additional homelessness including legal assistance, rental assistance, and eviction protections. If the ordinance is approved, Legal Aid of Marin has indicated it would serve as the first point of contact for tenants who believe their rent has been illegally increased.
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