Rental Housing Committee Meeting – February 26, 2026
Rental Housing Committee Meeting – February 26, 2026
The Mountain View Rental Housing Committee met on Thursday, February 26, 2026, at 6:01 PM in the Council Chambers and via video conference. The meeting covered routine consent items, a contested appeal hearing, a proposed non‑substantive amendment to the Community Stabilization and Fair Rent Act (CSFRA), and an update on landlord registration and fee compliance. The meeting adjourned at 7:55 PM.
Consent Calendar
- Minutes for January 22, 2026 – Approved unanimously.
- CSFRA and MHRSO Financial Expenditures (July–December 2025) – Received and filed.
- Rent Stabilization Division Activity Report (July–December 2025) – Received and filed. Vice‑Chair Cox noted that rents on newly constructed units (post‑CSFRA) are rising at an annual rate above 6% (about twice the inflation rate) and that city population grew by 2,978 people in the last year, the highest increase in 15 years.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Oral Communications (non‑agenda): None.
- Item 6.2 – Compliance Update: Philip Cosby commented that 96% registration compliance is a “pretty good job.”
Discussion Items
- Appeal of Hearing Officer’s Decision (Petitions C25260002 and C25260003): The appellant‑landlord, Linda Zhang, challenged two findings: (1) liability for unlawful rents due to the prior owner’s failure to register the property in 2021 and 2022, and (2) a rent reduction for mold and moisture conditions. Staff recommended affirming the hearing officer’s decision. The landlord argued she was a small, first‑time owner who relied on a property management company; she claimed the property was registered shortly after her purchase and that she spent over $20,000 to remediate mold. Respondent tenants Gerardo Robles and Blanca Zamora described health impacts on their children, two years and nine months of delay in mold remediation, and other habitability problems (broken closet door, inadequate trash bins, non‑working washing machine, etc.). Committee members discussed the narrow scope of review. Some members initially considered remanding to obtain the exact registration date, but staff confirmed that the property was first registered in December 2023—after the unlawful rent increase—and that the landlord had never rolled back rents as required. The committee voted 5‑0 to approve the Tentative Appeal Decision in its entirety, affirming the hearing officer’s ruling.
- Charter Modernization – Proposed Amendment to CSFRA §1702(o): City Attorney Jennifer Logue presented a technical correction to update the definition of “relocation assistance” by replacing references to repealed municipal code sections with current chapter numbers and adding language to automatically incorporate future amendments. The committee expressed support, noting it is non‑controversial and necessary for the November 2026 ballot measure.
- CSFRA and MHRSO Annual Fee Payment and Registration Compliance: Senior Management Analyst Kennedy reported that as of February 26, 2026, 90% of landlords were in compliance (fee and registration) and that mobile home park owner compliance was at 100%. New automated email reminders have improved response rates. Committee members praised the outreach efforts but urged continued attention to the small percentage of repeat non‑compliant owners.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Calendar approved unanimously.
- Appeal Decision (Petitions C25260002/C25260003) affirmed 5‑0 (motion by Brown, seconded by Keating).
- Charter Amendment supported by the committee; it will be submitted to voters as part of a broader charter modernization package.
- Compliance Report received; staff will continue automated reminders and follow‑up letters.
- March 26, 2026, RHC Meeting cancelled; next regular meeting scheduled for April 23, 2026, at 6:00 PM.
Committee/Staff Announcements
- Upcoming workshops: Utility Adjustment Petition workshop (March 24, 2026), Fair Housing workshops in April (in partnership with Project Sentinel).
- Housing Help Centers: Landlord help center every Thursday 1–3 PM; Tenant help center first and third Thursdays.
- Virtual office hours: Tuesdays 10 AM–12 PM.
- Staff will attend the Lunar New Year celebration on Saturday, February 28, 2026.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening. Welcome to the February 26, 2026 Rental Housing Committee regular meeting. This meeting will be called to order at 6 01 p.m. I will proceed with roll call. All members are present with the exception of Emily Stad Sislop. Moving on to item three, consent calendar. These items will be approved by one motion unless any member of the committee wishes to remove an item for discussion. The purpose of the consent calendar is for the committee to effectually and quickly consider routine or administrative business items with one motion. Public common worker after discussion. We invite you to submit a speaker card now. If you'd like to speak on this item or public comment, would any member like to pull an item? Seeing none. Oh. Hi, Chair Cox. Uh, yes, I just want to make my customary comments on item three point three. Okay. And uh, oh. This is for uh this is just for polling. We have to do comments for then we can do all right if no one pulls. Um, and I'll now invite public comments. In person public comments will be called first. Seeing none, we'll move on back to this item back for committee action. Uh, go back to Vice Chair Cox. All right. I just wanted to make, as I said, my customary comments on 3.3, the uh rental housing committee report, and um on market conditions. And I wanted to note that it uh appears that rents. Um rents on newly constructed units, meaning since the CSSRA has been passed, um, are up and uh up at an annual rate of greater than six percent, which is about twice inflation. And it seems that that may have had a tendency to pull up on the vacancies as well, which uh I mean make them go down uh another 2% to 8.5%. So it means that the vacancies are getting filled and uh at higher rental rates. Um on rent control departments, uh, it's pretty close to being stable with a.3% increase in the vacancies and a slight $25 decrease in the rents. So one of the things that I did to try to understand the basis for this, I went into the California Department of Finance and checked the population figure estimates for our city over the last 15 years, and they claim that our city grew by 2,978 people last year, which was the highest increase in 15 years. So that's kind of an interesting thing. Anyway, that's what I just wanted to mention. Thank you. Does anyone else have any comments? Otherwise, a motion is in order. Member Brown. I move to approve all items in the content calendar. Motion made by member Brown, seconded by Vice Chair Cox. So, seeing no discussion on the item, we'll go to a vote. Motion passes unanimously and for the record, Emily Stat Sislop is now in the us with us. Moving on to item four, oral communications. We will now open this meeting for oral communications for the public. This portion of the meeting is reserved for persons wishing to address the committee on any matter not on the agenda. Speakers are allowed to speak on any topic for up to three minutes during this section. State law prohibits the committee from acting on non-agenda items. Would any member of the public like to provide comments on non-agenda items? Please raise hand on Zoom. Press star nine on your phone or submit a blue speaker card. Seeing none, we will now move on to item 5.1.
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