SB 2089 Summary

• Adds new duty (paragraph 6) requiring landlords of multi-family dwellings with more than four units to maintain public safety and protect from habitual gang or drug activity in all dwelling units and common areas.

• Defines "habitual gang or drug activity" as three or more criminal acts involving arrest and binding over of any person for gang or drug activity.

• Allows tenants affected by landlord's breach of the gang/drug activity maintenance duty to sue and recover cumulative rent owed from when landlord knew or should have known of the activity until it was cured.

• Grants the district attorney standing to prosecute landlords and recover cumulative rent for all affected units, with recovered amounts potentially distributed to affected tenants and gang/drug task forces.

• Updates statutory references in Section 121 from Section 18 to Section 118 and makes gender-neutral language changes throughout the rental agreement provisions; effective November 1, 2014.