Council Repeals Rent Stabilization and Registry in Divisive 3-2 Vote

Half Moon Bay's City Council ended its local rent control experiment on March 17, voting 3-2 to repeal both the residential rent stabilization ordinance and rental registry that had been in place for less than two years. The marathon debate — featuring nearly 20 public speakers, emotional testimony from tenant advocates and landlord representatives, and sharp disagreements among council members — was the most contentious item the council has faced this year.

• Rent stabilization and rental registry repealed 3-2, removing local caps that limited increases to 1.23% for roughly 1,586 registered units; tenants now fall back to state law allowing increases up to 10%

• SamTrans seeks coastside input on how to spend approximately $50 million annually from a potential half-cent sales tax on the November ballot

• $758K trail design contract approved unanimously to close the final northside gap on the Eastside Parallel Trail, preserving $2 million in federal earmark funds

• Two BPAC vacancies filled, including a high school student representative and a retired Stanford cardiologist

Half Moon Bay's two-hour showdown over its rental programs produced one of the sharpest council splits in recent memory, ending with the repeal of both the Residential Rent Stabilization Ordinance and the Rental Registry Ordinance — programs adopted in 2024 that governed roughly 1,586 registered rental units, most owned by small property owners.