Practical advice, voting on B-17

August 21, 2017

Opinion by Stew Jenkins and Allen Settle

Tuesday is the last day to vote yes on San Luis Obispo City Measure B-17 so that you never again fear opening your door to find a city officer telling you, “I’m here to inspect your house; and if you don’t let me in you will be prosecuted.” A Yes vote permanently (not temporarily) repeals the invasive rental inspection housing ordinance.

Vote Yes to protect privacy, affordable housing, inclusionary housing, and mobile home rent control. Vote Yes for SLO’s first ever non-discrimination in city housing law.

There is one polling station in the city that opens at 7 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 22, and closes at 8 p.m. that night.  It is the county Clerk-Recorder’s office, located at 1055 Monterey Street, San Luis Obispo; on the corner of Santa Rosa Street and Monterey Streets, on the same side of Monterey and near the Fremont Theater.

If you have the mail-in ballot sent to you, it must be postmarked on or before Aug. 22– which means you would have to stand in line at the post office to get it hand stamped.  So, just mark your Yes vote and drive or walk it over to the Clerk-Recorder’s office.

If you have mislaid the ballot sent to you a month ago, drive or walk over to the friendly Clerk-Recorder’s office at 1055 Monterey Street, San Luis Obispo, and they will give you a provisional ballot so you can vote. Mark it Yes, and fill out the envelope to submit it as a provisional ballot. The Clerks will help you fill out the envelope so that your provisional ballot can be checked and counted.

Here is what Measure B-17 will adopt:

WHEREAS, the People of San Luis Obispo seek to protect the privacy of all residents from discriminatory inspections invading residents’ privacy that violate the First, Fourth and Fifth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution; and

WHEREAS, Chapter 15.10 requires mandatory intrusive inspections inside homes in San Luis Obispo violating the privacy of City residents under the First, Fourth and Fifth Amendments; and

WHEREAS, Chapter 15.10 is so vague that City Officials are authorized to silently discriminate in determining whose home to target based on age, income, political activity, or status as a renter or an owner; and

WHEREAS, Chapter 15.10 must be abolished and replaced with a Non-Discrimination in Housing Ordinance to protect residents’ privacy in San Luis Obispo;

NOW, THEREFORE, The people of the City of San Luis Obispo do ordain as follows:

SECTION 1. This ordinance shall be known as the Non-Discrimination in Housing Ordinance.”

SECTION 2. Chapter 15.10, “Rental Housing Inspection,” of the San Luis Obispo

Municipal Code is hereby repealed and new Chapter 15.10 is adopted to read as follows:

CHAPTER 15.10. Non-discrimination in housing

SECTION 15.10.010 The City of San Luis Obispo shall not discriminate against any person based upon age, income, disability, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual identity, or inability or ability to own a home, by imposing any compulsory program, policy, intrusion or inspection applicable to any residential dwelling unit. No determination to conduct an inspection of any dwelling shall be based substantially on any occupant’s age, income, disability, gender, race, ethnicity, sexual identity or status as an owner or renter of such dwelling.

Now, here’s why we are asking you to act today to vote Yes on Measure B-17.

If you don’t want city officers muscling their way into rented homes without probable cause and a judge’s warrant, vote Yes.

If you don’t want a city government that discriminates against people, vote Yes.

If you don’t want the city raising rents with ever increasing fees on rentals, vote Yes.

If you want voters to control city housing policies, vote Yes today.