‘Emergency declaration’ allows city council to roll back one year lease requirement

This past Monday, Item F1 was brought forward by City Attorney Lauren Langer and City Manager David Wilson.   The urgency ordinance asked the city council to consider adapting the City of West Hollywood law to allow for rental units for less than a one year term.   Passage of the emergency ordinance would require a 4/5 vote of the city council. 

The rollback of the one year lease requirement is a separate ordinance and does not have linkage to the ban on short term rentals voted on two months prior that would have required to be approved by the voters.     We wrote about it here. https://wehoonline.com/2025/01/10/oped-council-hands-tied-ordinance-allow-short-term-rentals-fire-victims/

The emergency declaration as proposed would allow landlords to rent units for less than a one year term,  and will allow hotels to extend stays beyond 30 days and offer expediting home sharing licenses to residents.     

Public speakers included Gerard Wright, Government Affairs Director representing the Greater Los Angeles Association of Realtors, “we are in support of F1, “to assist those who are in need of recovery and rebuilding efforts those who need shelter to make those next steps or need a pathway forward for their homes or businesses were impacted by the fires.”   Wright said.  

Rick Watts, a member of the Disability Advisory Board took to the public comment podium offering support to those who had lost their homes but with an eye on protecting the cities residential housing stock under the cities rent stabilization ordinance.   “We made that change last fall to protect the supply of housing that was proposed, built, permitted for long term housing in this city.”

Vice Mayor Heilman spoke “I think Rick makes a good point”.  Heilman continued proposing an administrative verification process to make sure those residential units are giving to victims of the wildfires.   Council member Meister agreed with Heilman and spoke to limiting the proposal to single family homes and condos.   Council member Erickson agreed with his colleagues and also raised concerns about the unintended consequences of the item as presented on the cities rent-controlled housing inventory.   

Newly elected Council member Danny Hang agreed with his colleagues that there needs to be safeguards, or documentation but added “people are homeless for lack of better words’ ” now this is a time for West Hollywood to step up to the plate and open up our homes, condos and apartments and hotel rooms which we are already doing, I think its the right thing to do”.  Hang moved the conversation to adopting the emergency ordinance as written to include homes, condos and all rent-stabilized units.    

In the end the council voted 5-0 to adopt the emergency ordinance, as applied to all dwelling units in the city.  Allowing hotels to waive the 30-day maximum stay and expediting the process for residents to obtain a home sharing license.    

[Note:  The emergency ordinance may allow a landlord to rent a unit for less than one year, but it does not require or compel any landlord to rent a vacant unit.  The emergency ordinance requires administrative oversight to any landlord who is willing to rent an open unit for less than a year. ]