Housing
What's Next: Three Commitments
The next term is about moving from protection to production, building the tools that create permanently affordable housing, not just defending what exists.
1. A Community Land Trust. A CLT takes land off the speculative market permanently: the trust owns the land, residents own or rent the homes, and affordability is locked in for generations — not just for one funding cycle. I will work to establish or partner with a community land trust serving the Ojai Valley, starting with an inventory of public and donated land that could seed it. Small towns across America are proving this model works. Ojai should be next.
2. A Vacancy Tax to be Decided by You. A vacancy tax is something we’re considering to fund some of our housing initiatives. Because new taxes require voter approval in California, my commitment is to lead the work honestly by studying what's worked in other cities, designing a measure that targets speculation without punishing ordinary homeowners, and bringing it to Ojai voters to decide.
3. An Inclusionary Housing Policy. When new residential development happens in Ojai, a share of it should be affordable by requirement. An inclusionary housing ordinance sets that standard so that a percentage of units in new projects are reserved as affordable, or an in-lieu fee that funds affordable housing directly. Most of California's housing-serious cities have one. I'll work with our planning staff and the General Plan update process to design an ordinance that fits Ojai's scale and gets units built.
Housing in Ojai
Diversity, equity, and inclusion are very important to me. Housing costs are rising much faster than income levels. As a result, some of our neighbors have been priced out of Ojai, and many of the renters that are still here are at risk of losing their homes.
Therefore, I support creative solutions to preserve the economic diversity of our community, such as the acquisition of local apartment buildings by local nonprofit organizations that will stabilize rents so that some of our local renters can remain in their homes.
Ojai cannot be a town where the people who work here can't afford to live here. Since 2022, this council has built a strong local housing record.
Protecting Renters
Passed the Rent Stabilization and Just Cause Tenant Protection Ordinance (2023). I was one of three votes that made it law. It caps annual rent increases at 4%, which is stricter than the state's 5–10% cap. It limits increases to once per 12 months and provides just-cause eviction protections after only 30 days of tenancy, compared to 12 months under state law. Ojai's protections are stronger than California's.
Relocation assistance for displaced tenants. Renters facing no-fault evictions are entitled to relocation fees, so a landlord's business decision doesn't become a family's crisis.
Enforcement and Action. The ordinance requires rental registration, gives tenants a petition process through the Community Development Department, provides for citations and civil remedies, and requires landlords to notify tenants of their rights.
Adopted a Local Tenant Preference Policy (Ordinance No. 945) under the state's Local Tenant Preferences to Prevent Displacement Act, so lower-income residents at risk of being pushed out of Ojai get priority access to affordable housing built here.
Funded direct assistance: allocated $100,000 to HELP of Ojai to expand rental and utility assistance for residents at risk of losing their housing in accordance with our General Plan.
Building Homes
Won $12.7 million in state Encampment Resolution Funding — we secured grant funding to build thirty permanent supportive homes, which are under construction, in a village-style layout with a shared courtyard, developed with DignityMoves and HELP of Ojai.
Approved multiple affordable housing projects, including a second affordable project in 2026 alone.
Made ADUs easier to build and easier to legalize. We streamlined ADU construction, supported movable tiny homes as a housing option, and continued the ADU Compliance Program, which has legalized approximately 90 existing units, turning unpermitted spaces into safe, legal homes at almost no public cost.
Keeping Homes for Residents
Strengthened our short-term rental policy so that homes serve the people who live here, not investment portfolios. Housing built for Ojai families should house Ojai families.
Vacant property registration and maintenance requirements, so absentee-owned properties can't sit neglected while neighbors need homes. We are working on this in 2026.
What Do you think? Please share!
The role of Ojai City Councilmember is about being your representative in our local government. I have priorities, but my main agenda is to serve YOU, the residents of Ojai. I’d love to hear your thoughts, concerns, and visions for our town.