Lemon Grove has enacted emergency protections for tenants facing no-fault evictions, requiring landlords to provide 120 days' notice and relocation assistance after complaints from residents at the Serra Grove apartment complex.

The City Council voted 4-1 on Feb. 9 to approve the ordinance, which mandates relocation payments equal to one month's rent at fair market value for all no-fault evicted tenants. Seniors, disabled tenants and low-income renters will receive two months' rent. The protections last 180 days while the city works on a permanent policy.

Nearly 20 residents spoke at the meeting, many from Serra Grove, where new landlords served eviction notices citing "substantial renovations." Judy Tachiquin told the council she received a 16-day notice but found her unit listed online for twice her current rent, available March 11. "If it's a substantial remodel, how are they supposed to do that in two days?" she asked.

Carla England, a 30-year Lemon Grove resident, said one-bedroom apartments in her complex now rent for over $2,400 per month. Her daughter Londya accused property owners of gentrification. "You can't claim to care about the community and then take actions that will displace them and render them homeless," she said.

The ordinance does not apply to tenants who already received eviction notices. Mayor Alysson Snow, who championed the measure, said the city faces a choice between protecting residents and waiting for them to fall into homelessness. "Every day we sit on our hands and pretend there's nothing we can do is one day that one more person joins our homeless population," she said. The council will hold public workshops before deciding whether to extend the emergency ordinance or adopt a permanent version.