Vote on Capitola rent control repeal likely -- at some point
A vote on repealing rent control in Capitola is "postponed indefinitely," according to city officials. But that doesn't mean it's gone forever.
Vice Mayor Mike Termini and Councilman Kirby Nichol said the repeal of the city's 32 year law will likely come before the Capitola City Council once again. The council has already twice postponed a final vote on enacting the repeal.
Nichol said the city is looking to buy time while uncertainties with some tenants' lease terms at the Surf and Sand Mobile Home Park are resolved. In March, the City Council voted to amend its rent control ordinance after it reached a legal settlement with Surf and Sand's owner.
The city's rent control ordinance was passed in 1979 to protect mobile home park residents from unreasonable rent increases. Ever since, city officials said it has been challenged in court, leading to costly legal battles, and the city cannot afford the continued litigation.
