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Quick thread: I strongly support Ellis Act reform. We should compensate tenants much better than we do today when they're displaced to build higher-density housing, and that new housing should be held to minimum standards of affordability -- otherwise why redevelop at all?
The goal of Ellis Act reform shouldn't be to stop redevelopment, but to discourage it where the difference between existing bldgs and future projects isn't that great. Replace a duplex with 40 units including 6 affordable? Awesome. Replace 20 units with the same? Not so much.
One very important note: This can't be used as an excuse for demonizing developers who build something we desperately need: housing. Even market-rate housing is almost always accompanied by affordable units nowadays, and it costs the city nothing; we need it all.
And when we reform Ellis to make high-displacement developments less feasible, we need complementary reforms that make low/no-displacement development easier. We need upzones. Single-family neighborhoods near high-quality transit are the obviously-best choice.
I also believe we should eliminate the Ellis Act owner/family move-in and conversion to non-residential use provisions, and sharply, *sharply* restrict the ability to convert to condominiums. "Going out of the rental business" shouldn't result in a windfall profit to the owner.
Further, Ellis Act payments should be required whether or not a rental unit is occupied. This would discourage underhanded tactics where landlords try to get tenants out of their units *before* filing their Ellis application. Tenants should get what they're due.
I still think there's a place for voluntary buy-outs of tenants, so long as they're reported by the property owner -- no off-the-books deals. Some tenants' lives will be better off with a $50,000+ buyout than a permanently rent-stabilized apartment. Let them choose.
We can dramatically strengthen tenant protections and increase the supply of homes at all incomes levels -- at the same time. They work better together. Tenant protections to keep things from getting worse, new housing to actually make things better. Both are essential. /end
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