Culver City has become the latest Los Angeles County jurisdiction to take steps toward increased renter protections.

At a meeting on June 24, the Culver City Council directed staff to draft an ordinance which would place limits on rent increases for 12 months.  The ordinance, which would be modeled after Los Angeles County's Temporary Rent Stabilization Ordinance, is to include the following provisions:

  • A 3% rent increase cap, or other appropriate percentage amount that can be supported by the findings;
  • A rent cap to be retroactive to June 24, 2019, or other appropriate date that can be supported by the findings;
  • Just cause and no fault eviction provisions;
  • A process for landlords to petition for relief from moratorium in certain circumstances; and
  • Relocation assistance of $1,000 and three months’ rent, or other appropriate amount that can be supported by the findings.

The City Council has also asked that staff research the possibility of creating a rental registry requirement for Culver City.  Staff has been directed to present the ordinance to the City Council by August 12, 2019.

"Everyone needs a home, and everyone needs a livelihood. Culver City’s tenants are concerned with runaway costs, stability and predictability, and so are landlords. Their concerns are strikingly similar - even though their 'sides' are different. Our challenge is to bridge that divide, to bring individuals together, and to provide stability for those who depend on housing and those who provide housing. We all want our families to thrive," said Mayor Meghan Sahli-Wells in a statement. "I look forward to a constructive community dialogue while we tackle the humanitarian crisis of homelessness, and the immense challenges of housing affordability and displacement."

Culver City is following in the footsteps of the nearby City of Inglewood, which recently adopted its own rent control policy.  Inglewood's ordinance, which caps annual rent increases at 5 percent, resulted from rising housing costs associated with the development of a new NFL stadium at the site of the Hollywood Park Racetrack.

Culver City, a longtime hub for the film and television industry, has recently welcomed technology companies that have entered the streaming and content arenas - namely Apple and Amazon.  The arrival of these companies is exacerbating an existing imbalance between jobs and housing in Culver City; LAist reports that although 60,000 people work in Culver City, the city has just 17,500 housing units.