The revised policy aims to protect tenants from eviction for allowing immediate family members to live with them, provided the home isn\u2019t overcrowded. And while state law authorizes evictions for any type of \u201ccriminal activity,\u201d the county\u2019s revisions limit this to conduct that impacts the peace, quiet, comfort or safety of other tenants at the property or threatens the safety of the owner.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis ordinance reflects years of thoughtful work and engagement,\u201d Emily Ramos, an organizer with Silicon Valley@Home, said during public comment. \u201cHousing stability is homelessness prevention. When a homeowner loses their home, the consequences can be devastating and in Santa Clara County\u2019s housing market, even a short period of displacement can put a family at risk of homelessness.\u201d<\/p>\n
Landlords will have to provide relocation assistance \u2014 equaling three months\u2019 rent or waiving the tenant\u2019s final three months\u2019 worth of payment \u2014 to a broader category of tenants. Previously, relocation assistance requirements only applied to tenants displaced due to hazardous or unsafe conditions. Now, it will apply to any tenant evicted due to a property owner moving in, withdrawing the home from the rental market, demolition of the building and more.<\/p>\n
The changes go beyond statewide protections laid out in California\u2019s landmark 2019 rent control and eviction law, with the county joining San Jose, Sunnyvale and Milpitas in adopting stricter protections.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt just surprises me that we are just now as a county catching up to the other cities,\u201d District 1 Supervisor Sylvia Arenas said at the meeting. \u201cI just don\u2019t see this as something that\u2019s out of the ordinary.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the vote didn\u2019t come without opposition. Abe-Koga, whose election was backed by property owners and commercial real estate groups<\/a>, said more research is needed on the impacts of the law to \u201cmissing-middle\u201d property owners and those who charged tenants less than area market rate.<\/p>\n \u201cI have daughters coming back from college, I have housed my parents over the years,\u201d Abe-Koga said before the vote. \u201cWe have a lot more extended families in those circumstances. Shouldn\u2019t they have the flexibility to house their own family if needed? I think it\u2019s really important we put in income qualifications.\u201d<\/p>\n Anil Babbar, a representative of the California Apartment Association, said Santa Clara County gave property owners limited time to study the proposal since conducting an outreach campaign on the revisions two years ago.<\/p>\n \u201cWe did not have enough time to review this,\u201d Babbar said during public comment.<\/p>\n Abe-Koga sought to delay the vote to August, but a majority of her colleagues opted to take action immediately. The revisions will need a second reading at the next board meeting to become final.<\/p>\n County data shows 42% of all renter households are either burdened \u2014 or severely burdened \u2014 by rent that accounts for more than 30% to 50% of household income<\/a>. County officials counted 4,053 formal evictions between July 2023 and June 2024, equating to one eviction for every 72 renter households.<\/p>\n In 2025, approximately 3,800 Santa Clara County households requested housing assistance for the first time, while the county\u2019s homelessness prevention system only has the capacity to serve 2,500 households annually with rental assistance and case management.<\/p>\n Santa Clara County also has a shortage of eviction attorneys<\/a>, with roughly one attorney for every 480 evictions filed.<\/p>\n
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