Sonoma supervisors approve new tenant protections

New rules require landlords to provide tenant rights information in English and Spanish when tenants are asked to leave a unit or when they're being evicted.

The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors approved new tenant protections this week that are designed to strengthen existing state rules governing evictions.

The new ordinance buttresses state law in several ways, including by applying "just cause" eviction requirements as soon as someone takes occupancy of a rental unit, rather than after a year of tenancy.

Just cause evictions are allowed for things like nonpayment of rent, lease violations or criminal activity, according to county officials.

The county's regulations also apply to subsidized housing, which the state rules exempt, and they prohibit most evictions during declared emergencies and require landlords to provide tenant rights information in English and Spanish when tenants are asked to leave a unit or when they're being evicted.

Also, people are protected from evictions for nonpayment of rent unless they owe for more than one month -- a provision that tenants can only use up to twice a year.

"The Board of Supervisors took a critical step toward maintaining housing stability for some of our most vulnerable residents, building upon existing state law," Supervisor Lynda Hopkins said in a news release Wednesday.

The vote was 4-1, with Supervisor David Rabbitt against.

The board's vote also authorized county staff to spend $34,100 on an outreach campaign to inform residents of their new rights as tenants.

The ordinance only applies to rental properties in the county's unincorporated areas and still requires a second reading and another vote to win final approval, which is expected at the board's Sept. 17 meeting.